Fall in Love with the Hiking Trails at Fall Creek Falls

Stopping a moment to smell the fresh scent of pine, sweet mist, and wipe the sweat from your brow, as you look up at the majestic waterfall, you'll realize that the hike was worth the view! Hiking is a wonderful way to enjoy the weather, exercise, and appreciate the great outdoors; but hiking near or around waterfalls proves to be one of the most exhilarating and breathtaking experiences for an outdoorsman/woman. As an experienced and avid hiker who has enjoyed many hiking trails in Arkansas, Alabama, California, New Mexico, Mississippi, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and Mexico, I can tell you that one of my favorite waterfall hiking trails is in Tennessee! The name of the state park in Tennessee that has some of the best waterfall trails I've ever hiked speaks for itself: Fall Creek Falls State Park.

Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee
This beautiful state park is located along the Eastern top of the Cumberland Plateau in the counties of Van Buren and Bledsoe. It boasts the highest waterfall in the Eastern United States at about 256 Feet, named Fall Creek Falls. The park also has five other beautiful waterfalls: Cane Creek Falls, Cane Creek Cascades, Rockhouse Creek Falls, Coon Creek Falls and Piney Creek Falls. It is a beautiful place to camp and an absolutely wonderful place to hike. There are eleven day hike trails to explore and two overnight trails that require permits to camp. My favorite of the waterfall hiking trails are the Paw Paw and Cable trails. For more information about Fall Creek Falls State Park or any of these hiking trails visit: http://www.myfallcreekfalls.com/

The Paw Paw and Cable Trails
The Cable trail is probably one of the most beautiful and breathtaking hiking trails I've ever experienced, but to get to it all of the hikers have to hike on the Paw Paw trail. The Paw Paw trail is an easy 2.6 mile loop that offers views of Cane Creek Falls, Cane Creek Gorge, and Fall Creek Falls. This trail is great for a beginning hiker who longs to enjoy the waterfalls. After crossing Rockhouse Creek on the Paw Paw trail, an entrance to the beginning of the Cable trail should be seen to the left, leading uphill. The Cable trail is a short but very difficult .25 mile hike down to the bottom of the Cane Creek Falls. This trail is definitely for a more experienced and sure footed hiker. It's called the Cable trail because it is so steep that a cable was installed from the top of the trail down to the bottom of the trail so that hikers could navigate through rugged and hazardous areas of loose rocks. The dangerous hike is worth the effort and time, because at the end of the trail, you'll fall in love with Fall Creek Falls State Park. The sweet mist from Cane Creek Falls will tempt you to take a dive into the deep plunge pool. Have fun, take a swim, but be careful, and remember that you will eventually have to hike back up the cable trail . . . which will prove to be more exhausting than the trip down was.

If you long to enjoy a hiking adventure with waterfalls, plan to make a trip to Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee! For any additional information or to make reservations, the park's contact information is: 2009 Village Camp Road
Pikeville, TN 37367
Park Office: 1-423-881-5298
Inn & Cabin Reservations: 1-800-250-8610
Campground: 1-800-250-8611