Fall Creek Falls State Park (2009 Village Camp Rd., Spencer, TN) is one of the most popular State Parks in TN for good reason. There are five waterfalls there that you can see fairly easily, but plenty of opportunities to explore more if you choose to. I also really liked that large sections of this park are part of the “Old-Growth Forest Network”. Meaning many of the trees haven’t been cut down and replanted over the years. They’ve never been cut down. So they are some of the oldest trees in the United States.

I actually ended up at this park by accident. I’ve seen it, and even added it to my list of places to go, but I wasn’t planning on venturing in that direction on this trip. But, as luck would have it, I ended up meeting a friend nearby. On the way in I saw the sign and decided to go on my way back out. And I’m so happy that I did. The waterfalls were flowing well because of the rain that came through the area the few days prior, and there wasn’t a large crowd because it was in between seasons.

Fall Creek Falls

This is the namesake of Fall Creek Falls State Park. At 256 feet, this waterfall is one of the tallest on the East Coast. There is an overlook that is just a short walk from the car. That’s where the picture above and this video were taken from.

(To see videos of all of the waterfalls, and some of my other adventures, hop over to my YouTube Channel. The waterfalls are in the “Shorts” section.)

Piney Creek Falls

 To see this waterfall, I had to do a little bit more walking. Specifically walking down a natural stone stairway. It wasn’t far though, and there were nice rocks to sit on and enjoy the view for a bit before I made my way back up. (Using my Guide to How I Rate Trails, I would consider it Fairly Easy.)

This would be one that, if I were to ever hike farther to see one of these waterfalls, I would definitely want to do first. I think seeing it closer up would be amazing. Especially if it was flowing this well.

Cane Creek Cascades

The Cane Creek Cascades are named such, rather than being called a waterfall specifically, because the water cascades over the rocks instead of falling over them. This has always been a question for me, whether something is considered a waterfall or not. But the more I see, the more it makes sense. Either way, the result is a beautiful sight to see.

To get to this overlook/trail, there is a parking lot at the Nature Center. (There may be other places to park too. This is just the one I found.) From there you can follow the paved pathway around the nature center and go to the left to the suspension bridge and the trail or to the right to walk down a set of well-maintained wooden stairs to the overlook. Technically, when I was there, you could see the waterfall from the paved pathway, but I don’t know that this is always the case. With the vegetation bloomed out the view might not be as good.

Speaking of vegetation, I found some pretty moss just hanging around waiting to be admired. =)

Cane Creek Falls and Rockhouse Falls

The last two waterfalls I saw could both be seen from the same overlook – because they both flow down into the same waters below. Cane Creek Falls is to the left and Rockhouse Falls is to the right.

If you’re feeling extremely brave, there’s also apparently a trail that will take you to this scary looking overlook. It’s definitely not for me. The overlook was enough to coax my unease with heights out.

Something I found interesting to think about though, is that the water at one point was up to where that overlook is.

Over the years, it has created the gorge that it flows through now, bit by bit and will continue to do so. Which is one of the reasons that I enjoy traveling so much. Anytime you see something, it’s a snapshot of how it is in that moment. Things are ever changing and will look at least slightly different each time you visit. This is true of nature, but also of anywhere really.  

Another thing that makes Fall Creek Falls State Park so wonderful is that a large part of it includes what’s known as Old-Growth Forest.

Simply put, old growth forests are those that have never been cut down and replanted. The trees that are there have been there since the beginning and they have spread naturally. The sign for Piney Falls puts it this way: “The axe or crosscut saw has never touched the trees in this area.”

Many places (more than we often realize) have been cut down over the years and the trees that are present, while old in the grand scheme of things, are actually relatively new. They were replanted over the years to fill the natural spaces back out. Which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s amazing to be in the presence of trees that have never gone through any of that. To know that they have withstood everything that’s happened to and around them for so many years.

If you want to learn more about Old-Growth Forests, what parameters are required to be considered Old-Growth, and to see where some of these other forests are, visit oldgrowthforest.net

If you’d like to explore Fall Creek Falls State Park a little more, and possibly even stay inside the park…

It’s about an hour away from Chattanooga, two hours from Nashville and two hours from Knoxville. So, in theory, you could make it a day trip if you wanted to see the highlights fairly quickly like I did. But, if you want take your time and explore a little more deeply, they have “30 cabins, 222 campsites, and the 85-room Lodge Fall Creek Falls” and “more than 56 miles of trails.” (This from the TN State Parks website.)