Fall Creek Falls (Van Buren County, Tennessee)

Taking a few days to visit an old friend in Nashville, I had to get in a few hikes in the lush hills of Eastern Tennessee. Several stops were suggested and one of them intrigued me. As I've been on a waterfall kick the last couple of years and my visits to two falls near Reno have been recently been postponed due to bad weather, we chose Fall Creek Falls State Park as our first stop. 

We got an early start and after a beautiful drive down some winding country roads (queue the John Denver music), we arrived at the park. Just minutes from the parking lot we encountered the first of the falls - a beautiful spot known as Cane Creek Falls. A suspension bridge of wood and steel cables crosses the creek and while it looks well maintained and sturdy, the bounciness as one crosses is sure cause of at least minor concern. Reaching the other side, we are rewarded with views of the same falls from other angles. 

Continuing on through the woods, we put in a mile and a half or so before reaching a small vista of the next water fall - Rockhouse Falls. This one is right out of a nature magazine; a small stream of water plummets 125-feet over a limestone cliff into a blue-green pool below. With the lushness of the forest here, it looks like something you would see in a rain forest, though the oaks and elms give away the true location.

Another mile or so and we reach the namesake of the park, Fall Creek Falls. This is a magnificent 256-foot multi-tiered falls, which can be viewed from a couple of different vantage points. The red clay of the creek has painted the top of the cliff, from which the majestic falls runs off, a rich umber color, which ends after the first tier of the plummet. Beyond, is simply a limestone drop off into the abyss, but it doesn't lack for spectacle. 

While I'm used to the tall majestic falls of Yosemite and other places out west, it's refreshing to see so many visually rich water falls on the opposite side of the country. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend a visit. All in all, we hiked about 3.5 miles. I didn't track the path, as I didn't think it was going to be quite that far, but the trail system is pretty well marked and leaves little room for getting lost. This was a great choice and I'm thankful for the suggestion.