Free waterfall hikes near me7/10/2023 ![]() ![]() Jake WheelerĭeSoto State Park is a bit of a drive from Chattanooga, but it’s worth the short trip down to the Mentone / Fort Payne area just for DeSoto Falls. DeSoto Fallsĭriving Distance to Trailhead: 51 miles A trail to the base of Desoto Falls affords a nice view from across the lake. As for the creek itself, it disappears completely underground into a karst feature at the base of the falls. Ranger Falls is particularly majestic after a rainfall, although those water levels make crossing the creek to reach the spur trail rather tricky. Those with more time, or seeking a more ambitious trip, would be well-served to visit Ranger Creek Falls on the same hike, at the end of a spur from the Big Creek Gulf Trail. This is classic Cumberland Plateau hiking, with beautiful blufflines and rocky, undulating terrain. It’s worth the short side trip to Upper Greeter Falls while you are here, and Boardtree Falls is definitely nice enough to justify the very short loop hike instead of heading back the way you came. This is one of the best swimming holes around, and you sure can’t beat the scenery. After descending into a gorge so steep that the trail includes a spiral staircase, you’ll scramble down a sometimes-slippery wooden ramp to the edge of a picturesque pool at the base of a massive waterfall. Lower Greeter Falls is the one pictured here, and the highlight of your hike. In a state park absolutely bursting with waterfalls, this short loop trail leads to three incredible waterfalls: Upper Greeter Falls, Lower Greeter Falls, and Boardtree Falls. The Greeter Falls Loop Trail at Savage Gulf (part of South Cumberland State Park) is one of the best waterfall hikes in the area, perhaps the best. Greeter Fallsĭriving Distance to Trailhead: 59 miles Greeter Falls is one of three waterfalls on this short Savage Gulf loop hike. Visit the Lula Lake Land Trust website to check open dates, which vary. This fact makes the falls un-runnable for even the most adrenaline-happy kayakers, though the trail to the bottom of the falls is a popular put-in for navigating the remainder of Rock Creek.Īt present, Lula Lake is only open a couple of days per month in order to minimize impact restoring this area after years of heavy logging and mining has been a thirty-year project, and its current state is a true conservation success story. Lula Falls lacks the deep plunge pool found at some of the other large falls in the area, instead smashing down onto large boulders and flat bedrock. ![]() A recently-constructed access trail, featuring extensive rockwork and stone staircases, leads to the base of the falls. This waterfall flows year-round, and after a good winter rain it’s absolutely thunderous, with spray often wafting up out of the gorge and onto the trail above. The upper falls is excellent as well, with a particularly nice cascade spilling into the lake which gives Lula Lake its name, but the lower falls is the real crowd-pleaser of the pair. Not to be confused with Noccalula Falls in Gadsen, Alabama, Lower Lula Falls is one of the very best in the Chattanooga area and is part of the Lula Lake Land Trust’s core property. Lula Fallsĭriving Distance to Trailhead: 12 miles Lula Falls is one of the most impressive waterfalls in the region. We’re talking big, tall, powerful waterfalls every falls on this list features at least 50 feet of free-falling water, and some considerably more than that. With so many options, we’ve decided to put together a list of the largest and most spectacular outdoor waterfalls in the area. This time of year, all of the local creeks are flowing nicely, and eastern Tennessee has no shortage of impressive falls. We know April showers bring May flowers, but before the world turns green and those Spring flowers bloom there is a silver lining to all this rainfall: it’s the best time for waterfall hikes. From February through April, nearly-constant precipitation turns the trails into sloppy mush and makes many outdoor activities more challenging-or, at least, less pleasant. ![]() In Chattanooga, where we receive an astonishing 53 inches of rain per year, this is especially true. Spring is on the way, and in many places that means one thing: rain. ![]()
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