Fall Creek Falls State Park

Fall Creek Falls

 A quick day trip in late April 2012 to Fall Creek Falls State Park in Van Buren County on the eastern rim of the Cumberland Plateau yielded a refreshing hike and a few pictures of one cascade and four waterfalls.  Just behind the Betty Dunn Nature Center is the 45 foot high Cane Creek Cascades.  Immediately downstream is 50 foot wide Cane Creek Falls which falls an additional 85 feet into an amphitheater pool.  Also falling into the same pool is the 125 foot Rockhouse Falls.  The best views of both falls are from a trail about 0.4 miles beyond the suspension bridge.  The trail includes numerous stairs just beyond the bridge.  Continue hiking for another half mile or so to the Fall Creek Falls parking lot and overview.  Parts of this trail are smooth forest and others are strewn with rocks and even boulders.  From the overlook, it is a short hike down over 250 feet to the pool at the base of the falls.  There is a second waterfall of Coon Creek into this basin as well.  The hike back up seems much longer for some reason and then there is the additional mile hike back to the Nature Center.

Cane Creek Cascades

Easy part of the trail

Rockhouse Falls

Cane Creek Falls

Rocky part of the trail

Fall Creek Falls from Overlook

Part of the trail down to the falls

There's a trail in there somewhere

Fall Creek Falls from the bottom

Only a trickle remains of Coon Creek Falls

Resting before the return climb

At least there are handrails in a few places

Finally back to the suspension bridge

Park website: http://tn.gov/environment/parks/FallCreekFalls/