Ever since my first hike of 2018 at Virgin Falls, I’ve been itching for another waterfall hike. I’ve always felt a fascination with waterfalls. There’s something majestic about the infinite motion of water cascading over a vertical rock face, always flowing and never stopping.
As the highest plunge waterfall (meaning the water drops vertically, losing contact with the rock surface) east of the Mississippi River, Fall Creek Falls has been on my bucket list for a while. Fall Creek Falls State Park and the surrounding areas endured a torrential downpour of rain for several days before I visited the park. Disclaimer: Wet conditions present a serious challenge on any trail, and I’d advise hikers to proceed with caution when considering a hike that may be impacted by weather. With that in mind, however, the best time to visit a waterfall is shortly after significant rainfall, when the water flow is at its peak.
Park visitors can catch a spectacular view of Fall Creek Falls from an easily accessible overlook. And when I say easily accessible, I mean this overlook has a parking lot attached and a set of bathrooms, no hiking required. Honestly, this surprised me, but then again, Fall Creek Falls is the most visited state park in Tennessee. After seeing the falls in person, I can understand why a view like this, that requires minimal effort, attracts so many visitors.
My friend, Lexi, joined me on this adventure. After parking in the lot at the overlook, we started out onto the network of trails that runs along the cliffs surrounding Fall Creek Falls. We didn’t have to hike very far before it felt like the civilized overlook was far behind us. The trails are designed to provide ambitious hikers with multiple vantage points of Fall Creek Falls, as well as the area’s other waterfalls. The main trail, Fall Creek Falls and Cane Creek Falls, has many short spur trails that provide worthwhile detours to secluded overlooks with expansive views.
Wanting to make the most of our day at Fall Creek Falls, and having plenty of time to do so, Lexi and I decided without much hesitation to explore all of the spur trails that we encountered. The main trail is a 2.5 mile loop, and all of the spurs are relatively short (the longest one measures less than a mile, round trip). To say the least, some of these spurs were more worthwhile than others, but each presented a unique journey to a view that we’d have otherwise missed.
We actually ventured down the first spur trail by mistake. We assumed that the first split in the trail was the beginning of the loop, and that hiking in either direction would eventually bring us back to this spot. We veered to the left and didn’t think twice about it until we’d hiked almost half a mile further and found ourselves scrambling over roots and boulders along the edge of a high and precipitous cliff, several hundred feet above the floor of the gorge.
After some very careful and very exposed navigation on the edge of the cliff, we realized that there was no route forward from where we were. However, this happy accident provided us with some of the best views of the day, so this side trip set the precedent for deciding whether or not to explore the other spur trails that we encountered later.
We made our way back to the main trail, which eventually led across a wobbly suspension bridge, about twenty feet above the fast flowing water that runs over the edge of Cane Creek Falls. Although Cane Creek Falls can’t compete with Fall Creek Falls in height, it far exceeds the park’s namesake waterfall in volume. Cane Creek Falls is actually responsible for carving out the gorge, therefore making it possible for Fall Creek Falls and the other waterfalls in the area to form and thrive over time.
Although you can’t see it from the angle shown in the picture above, Rockhouse Falls, another of the park’s plunge waterfalls, is located just a few hundred feet away from Cane Creek Falls and cascades over the same rock face. The trail that leads to the suspension bridge runs along the top of the ridge that faces these two waterfalls, granting hikers access to idyllic views of both from above.
Fall Creek Falls.
Lexi and I were lucky enough to see Rockhouse Falls and Cane Creek Falls from above AND from below, which brings me to our most exciting hike of the day: Cable Trail. “Exciting” is only one of many, many ways to describe our experience on this very short (but very dramatic) journey. When we initially reached the top of the cable, that first glimpse of the sharply downward trail to the banks of Cane Creek, at the foot of the waterfalls, sent waves of panic through my brain. I’d read that the Cable Trail was steep, but I didn’t expect it to be quite so intimidating.
We were the only ones on the cable during our descent, so we didn’t have to worry about the potential domino effect of someone above us falling and taking us out with them on the way down. Hikers (or climbers, as that’s the more appropriate description) on this trail are definitely at the mercy of anyone above them on the cable. Because the cable isn’t within arm’s reach the entire time, we had to plan ahead to put ourselves in favorable positions as we made our way down to the bottom of the gorge.
Despite the lingering fear of slipping and falling, this was an exhilarating journey, and the reward was an intimately close view of Rockhouse Falls and Cane Creek Falls.
I’ve seen photos from other hikers who’ve completed this trek when the water level is much lower, which creates an opportunity walk out into the shallow water of Cane Creek for a closer view of the falls. Unfortunately, the creek was way too high and moving way too quickly for this to be an option for us. However, it’s very uncommon to catch a glimpse of these waterfalls flowing as heavily as they were when we saw them, and we were very lucky to experience this extraordinary view with no other people around.
In case you were wondering, the journey up the cable and back out of the gorge is even more challenging than the journey down. More importantly, it’s absolutely worth it, whether the falls are barely trickling over the edge of the cliff above or blasting at full force. That’s another thing I love about waterfalls: they’re constantly moving and therefore constantly changing. You can visit the same one a hundred times and witness something different every time.
Up next for May: a highly anticipated trip to Acadia National Park in Maine. I’ve heard great things and can’t stop daydreaming about what this place must look like in person. I’ve seen some amazing new places in 2018, each one more wild and beautiful than I could have imagined, so I’m sure this one will be full of surprises too.