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Friday, July 4, 2014

Angel Falls - Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area


Angel Falls is actually a class III rapids on the Big South Fork Cumberland River.  The trail is located in the Tennessee portion of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.  Parking for the trail head is at  the Leatherwood Ford river access.  This is located on Tennessee route 297 about 11 miles west of its intersection with US 27 in Oneida.  We strolled the four mile round trip trail to the site in late March 2014.

Trail Map

Trail head

Most of the trail is an old roadway

Big South Fork

Spring flowers

Bridge crossing over the first of three streams along the route

Looking upstream at the unnamed branch

Water drips from the rock formation above the trail

A storm has blown this tree down on the trail

The wide, even trail makes for easy walking

Another view of the Big South Fork

A second bridge spans Anderson Branch

Anderson Branch

Anderson Branch passes under the bridge before flowing into the Big South Fork

A few rocks interrupt the smooth trail surface

The trail follows the base of a bluff

The river in places is deep enough to appear still

The third branch is crossed by rock hopping

Another slab of rock protrudes into the trail

Water dripping off a bluff creates a wet zone on the trail

The trail continues down river, but the action is at the lower end of the portage

An overlook has been built above the rapids

View of Angel Falls from the overlook

Large boulders are scattered in and around the river

Angel Falls


Turbulent water downstream of the rapids

Water carving is evident in this sandstone rock

More rock carving

The portage trail leading back to the overlook

Gartersnake on the trail

There is no entrance fee at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/biso/index.htm.

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