Waterfalls in Tennessee: 11 falls worth the trip

Fall Creek Falls

Tennessee's tallest waterfall drops 256 feet at the anchor of Fall Creek Falls State Park, viewable from an overlook a short walk from the parking area. Like every Tennessee state park, entry is free; the park charges separately for camping, cabins and other overnight stays. This is a park-heavy stop with paved trails, picnic areas and a lodge nearby, making it the most accessible of the taller falls on this list. Full details are on the dedicated Fall Creek Falls page.

Cummins Falls

A short overlook trail, about 0.4 miles, gives a full view of the 75-foot falls for free, but reaching the base and swimming in the plunge pool means a rugged descent into the gorge and requires a $7 gorge access permit, sold online only through Tennessee State Parks and capped at 200 people a day. Permits often sell out on weekends and holidays, and every permit holder watches a mandatory safety video first. Children 12 and under must wear a life jacket in the pool. The gorge closes to base access whenever rain anywhere in the watershed raises flash-flood risk, even under clear skies at the trailhead — people have died here in sudden flooding, and water can rise several feet within minutes. Full permit and safety details are on the dedicated Cummins Falls page.

Burgess Falls

A series of four cascading falls along the Falling Water River, ending in the 136-foot main drop, all free to visit. A new visitor center is under construction as of 2026, and the upper parking lot remains closed with limited spillover parking. There's no trail to the base of the main falls from inside the park; the only way to reach it is by boat or kayak from the Cane Hollow Recreation Area. The park closes when the river runs high or roads and trails ice over. Full construction-status and access details are on the dedicated Burgess Falls page.

Rock Island (Twin Falls)

Twin Falls is best seen from the Twin Falls Overlook at the end of Powerhouse Road, or from the Downstream Trail, a 1.6-mile loop that also passes Little Falls and the Blue Hole. There's no trail down to the base, and swimming or wading near Twin Falls is prohibited because of dangerous underwater currents and sudden water releases from the dam upstream — an honest limitation worth knowing before you drive out expecting to get in the water. Full safety details are on the dedicated Twin Falls (Rock Island) page.

Bald River Falls

A 90-foot falls visible directly from the road in the Cherokee National Forest, with a short trail continuing to the top for those who want more than the roadside view. The bridge here closed for reconstruction in 2023 and reopened in May 2025 with a new observation deck and railings, so the roadside viewing experience is now better than before the closure. Free, no fee or permit. Full details are on the dedicated Bald River Falls page.

Foster Falls

A short trail under a mile leads to this 60-foot waterfall in South Cumberland State Park, also one of the South's better-known sport climbing areas with more than 150 established routes on the surrounding sandstone. Entry to view the falls is free; anyone planning to climb needs a same-day online registration through the state park system, separate from general park access. Full details are on the dedicated Foster Falls page.

Ozone Falls

A 0.3-mile trail from a roadside pulloff on U.S. 70 reaches the top of this 110-foot waterfall in a natural area managed by the Tennessee Division of Natural Areas. Free, open sunrise to sunset, no fee or pass required. Full details are on the dedicated Ozone Falls page.

Greeter Falls

A roughly 1.2-mile loop in South Cumberland State Park's Savage Gulf section passes both Upper Greeter Falls, a 15-foot drop, and Lower Greeter Falls, a 50-foot plunge into a swimming-hole-style pool. Spur trails also reach nearby Blue Hole Falls and Boardtree Falls. Free, with some steep and slippery sections on the main loop. Full trail details are on the dedicated Greeter Falls page.

Machine Falls

A 60-foot waterfall emerging from a small cave, reached by a 1.6-mile loop trail in Short Springs State Natural Area outside Tullahoma. Parking is extremely limited, and the area asks visitors to avoid weekend and peak-time visits if the small lot is full rather than parking off-designation. Free. Full details are on the dedicated Machine Falls page.

Ramsey Cascades

The tallest waterfall inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, dropping 105 feet at the end of a 4-mile trail, one of the more demanding hikes on this list. The trail reopened full-time in November 2024 after a three-year restoration project addressing flood damage. Swimming is not permitted at Ramsey Cascades and would be dangerous given the current and cold water. Entry to the park itself is free, but any vehicle parked more than 15 minutes requires a $5 daily ($15 weekly or $40 annual) parking tag. Full trail and parking-tag details are on the dedicated Ramsey Cascades page.

Ruby Falls

A 145-foot underground waterfall reached by elevator and a guided cave walk inside Lookout Mountain, run as a commercial attraction rather than a natural open-air site. Tickets for the standard cave walk run $29.95 for adults, with lower child and senior tiers, and combo tickets have been offered alongside nearby Rock City. It's the one fully developed, ticketed stop on this list, worth including for honesty about what "visiting a Tennessee waterfall" can also mean. Full ticket-tier and timing details are on the dedicated Ruby Falls page.

Four of the falls above sit within about a two-hour drive of Nashville, making them realistic day trips. Machine Falls, near Tullahoma, is the closest at roughly an hour and 15 minutes. Burgess Falls and Cummins Falls, near Sparta and Cookeville respectively, both run about an hour and a half. Rock Island is the farthest of the four, around an hour and 45 minutes, but pairs well with a stop at Burgess Falls along the same general route east on I-40.

Blue Hole, on the Upper Ocoee River in the Cherokee National Forest near the Ocoee Whitewater Center, is a deep pool carved into river rock with spots for wading and cliff jumping into deeper water. Parking at the whitewater center lot runs $3, or $30 for an annual Cherokee National Forest pass covering this and other day-use sites. Late spring and early fall on a weekday are the best times to visit; summer weekends bring both crowds and higher water releases from the dam upstream, which can make swimming conditions rougher. Full fee and safety details are on the dedicated Blue Hole (Ocoee River) page.

This guide was compiled from public land-manager sources (Tennessee State Parks, the Tennessee Division of Natural Areas, the U.S. Forest Service for Cherokee National Forest, and the National Park Service for Great Smoky Mountains), Ruby Falls' official site and local news coverage. We haven't visited these sites ourselves. Fees, permits and access rules change; verify current requirements with the park or land manager before you go. Last checked August 2026.