Fall Creek Falls to Host Waterfalls Weekend March 21-22

PIKEVILLE, Tenn. – Fall Creek Falls State Park will host its annual Waterfalls Weekend March 21-22. This event will offer visitors both easy jaunts and strenuous hikes to see some of the region’s spectacular waterfalls at the park and other, nearby natural areas. Local park experts will lead hikes and interpretive sessions throughout the weekend.

At Fall Creek Falls, a number of guided hikes will be offered for both novice and experienced hikers on Saturday and Sunday. The park is home to a beautiful gorge with awe-inspiring scenic overlooks and several magnificent waterfalls. The most popular waterfall is Fall Creek Falls, which cascades down 256 feet and is the tallest single vertical drop fall east of the Rocky Mountains. The park also offers Cane Creek Falls, Cane Creek Cascades, Piney Falls and several other impressive falls.

Several guided hikes also will be offered at nearby natural areas on both days, and carpooling from Fall Creek Falls State Park to other locations will be necessary to participate in some of these events. 

A guided hike will be held on Saturday at Savage Gulf State Natural Area, one of Tennessee’s most scenic wilderness areas. There will be two waterfall destinations, including the 30-foot Savage Falls and the 35- to 50-foot Suter Falls, which changes with the volume of water flowing through Rocky Mountain Creek.

Also on Saturday will be a short, guided hike to Burgess Falls State Park, offering views of four waterfalls on the Falling Water River ranging from 20 to 136 feet high. While this particular hike is only 1½ miles round trip from the park’s parking area to the main overlook at Burgess Falls, it is moderately difficult. 

Another guided hike will be offered on Saturday at Laurel-Snow State Natural Area in Rhea County. There, participants will hike approximately five miles round trip to view the 80-foot tall Laurel Falls. 

Sunday trips will be offered to Ozone Falls, a 43-acre natural area in Cumberland County and to Piney Falls, a 440-acre natural area located in Rhea County. Ozone Falls plunges 110 feet over a sandstone cap rock into a deep blue, rock-strewn pool. Little Piney Creek plunges some 80 feet over the picturesque Upper Falls into the pool below, and then eventually drops another 40 feet over Lower Piney Falls.

Fall Creek Falls State Park is a 25,000-acre paradise in the eastern Cumberland Plateau. Located just 40 miles south of Cookeville and 65 miles north of Chattanooga, the park offers incredible scenic beauty and recreational opportunities. Beautiful waterfalls, tremendous canyons and dense forests are protected within the park’s boundaries. Visitors will find a 250-site campground, a hotel and conference center and 30 cabins among the park’s many amenities. For more information about the park, visit www.tnstateparks.com/FallCreekFalls.

For more information about the Waterfalls Weekend and the various hikes offered, please call the Betty Dunn Nature Center at (423) 881-5708. Call the Tennessee State Parks reservation line toll-free at 1-800-250-8610 to make a reservation at the park’s inn.

###