![]() In 1994, the federal government transferred ownership to the state of Tennessee. The Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps began restoring the forest and building facilities on the land which featured cascades, gorges, streams, and lush stands of virgin hardwood timber. In the heart of the Depression when FDR’s alphabet agencies were working overtime to give Americans public works jobs, the federal government began purchasing the badly eroded land around Fall Creek Falls, which at 256 feet is among the highest in the eastern United States. Hikers can opt for short or long walks around the lake and to and from the base of Fall Creek Falls. There’s no cost to enter Fall Creek Falls State Park, which features over 56 miles of trails. How much does it cost to go to Fall Creek Falls? When water levels are low, it’s simply a tall trickle of water down to the river below. When the water levels are high – especially after heavy rains – the falls are majestic. It’s also a good idea to check the water levels. The park’s signage leaves something to be desired and often hikers can become confused. There are multiple hikes and waterfalls in the park, many of which are fairly close to each other. Its magnificent, majestic beauty is worthy of the preservation efforts it’s received. Once inside the park, however, you won’t regret a thing. You may reconsider your life’s choices that brought you to this point, but it’s different. From there, drive the Dayton Mountain Highway and its incredibly interesting twists and turns to Highway 286 until you reach the park entrance. Turn west on TN-68 and then south on Dayton where you can stop and have some Scopes Monkey Trial fun. ![]() If you want a more interesting drive, however, you can follow my old route and take I-75 down to Exit 60 at Sweetwater. The best way – and the quickest – is to head on I-40 over to Crossville and then go south. The park is about a three-hour drive from Gatlinburg. ![]() Read Also: The lost iron mine hidden behind a waterfall in the Smoky Mountains Directions to Fall Creek Falls It just isn’t on the way to anywhere else. Northwest of Chattanooga and west of Dayton, home of the famous Scopes Monkey Trial, there aren’t a lot of reasons to be going that way unless you’re going to the state park. Van Buren is located in Middle Tennessee while Bledsoe is in the east.Įither way, Fall Creek Falls isn’t on the beaten path. Located in Bledsoe and Van Buren counties, the park saddles the dividing line among the Grand Divisions. In fact, if you could move the park out of the shadow of the Appalachians to a region less flush with majestic, natural beauty, Fall Creek Falls would be talked about with the great natural destinations in the country.īut in East Tennessee, it’s just one great massive, beautiful green space among many. ![]() It’s strange to call one of the most highly-visited Tennessee state parks underappreciated, but it is. Read Also: How long does it take to hike to Laurel Falls? Do you have to pay? Fall Creek Falls isn’t just a beautiful waterfall, it also happens to be Tennessee’s tallest waterfall at 256 feet (photo by Jonathan Percy/) Where is Fall Creek Falls?īut it is in this place – straddling the east and middle dividing line in Spencer, TN – that one of the state’s most underappreciated treasures exists: Fall Creek Falls State Park. Meigs, Rhea, Bledsoe, and Sequatchie counties are relative unknowns even among many Tennesseans.Īs a sports editor in Monroe County in the early 2000s, I made more than a few visits and I can tell you, those roads running east to west are not fun driving bleary-eyed through the late autumn darkness following a Friday night football game. If I was guessing, and that’s all it is, I’d say the area under the plateau where East Tennessee transitions to Middle Tennessee is one of the regions’ most unknown spaces. But even that tiny town does a fair tourist trade. Northwest Tennessee, for instance, around Dyersburg and Martin are not exactly vacation hotspots.Īnd the area south of Nashville, with the noted exception of Lynchburg, is typically unknown outside of the region.Įast Tennessee, which runs from Bristol and Johnson City down to Chattanooga, is better known thanks to the mountains and popular parks which attract visitors up and down the state.Ĭertainly not as many people have made the drive over the mountain through Ducktown to get to Copper Hill, which sits directly on the Georgia state line. From Memphis to the mountains, Tennessee is one of the most visited tourist locations in the world.Įach of the three Grand Divisions has at least one major tourist point Memphis in the west, Nashville in the middle, and the mountains in the east.īut among the division, there are great swaths of Tennessee that are more or less unknown.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |