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Middle TennesseeFall Creek Falls State Park

Fall Creek Falls

A short but steep descent to the base of one of the tallest waterfalls in the eastern U.S., plunging 256 feet into a shaded gorge.

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A high waterfall plunging into a shaded plunge pool
Photo by Jsfouche, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Length
2 mi
Elevation gain
400 ft
Difficulty
moderate
Route
out-and-back

Trail conditions

  • Muddy · · Out of date Very muddy and slippery from all the rain. Waterfall is flowing more than normal.
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Elevation

0.8 mi · 277 ft of climbing · high 1,727 ft · low 1,467 ft

Find the trailhead

Parking

Nearest parking from OpenStreetMap (not verified by us).

Directions to parking

Parking data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Weather at the trailhead

72°FOvercast now

Sunrise 5:34 AM · Sunset 7:58 PM

  • TodayDrizzle87° / 72°F44% precip
  • SunDrizzle80° / 69°F79% precip
  • MonThunderstorm79° / 66°F85% precip

Forecast from Open-Meteo. Mountain conditions change fast; check again before you go.

The signature hike of Tennessee's flagship state park. From the overlook, a steep, rocky trail drops to the base of Fall Creek Falls, where the water free-falls 256 feet into a cool, misty plunge pool. It's short but the climb back out is a workout, and the rocks stay slick; take your time. Pair it with the nearby Cane Creek and Piney Falls overlooks for a full day.

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