HITTING THE HIGHLIGHTS
Each
spring, Darrin’s friend Mitch drives from St. Louis to South Carolina for a
week of hiking. This year they did
things a little differently. Instead of having
Mitch drive the whole way in one shot, they decided to meet on Friday afternoon
on the Cumberland Plateau. Their plan
was a short backpacking trip to Virgin Falls.
That is one of my all-time favorite places, and Darrin invited me to
join them. Fortunately I was able to
catch up on work enough to come along.
I
met Darrin at the Wal Mart in Hendersonville on
Friday morning. We left my car there,
and the dogs and I rode with Darrin the rest of the way. We drove to Crossville, TN and on to the
Virgin Falls trailhead. Mitch was there
waiting there for us. We arrived early
on Friday afternoon, but apparently not early enough. When we pulled in, the parking lot was
already full! Virgin Falls used to be
somewhat under the radar, but apparently word has gotten out about it in the
last few years. I can understand why –
it’s one of the most magical places I’ve ever been, with disappearing streams,
cliffs, caves, and stunning waterfalls.
Our
original plan had been to hike in 4 miles to camp at Virgin Falls. Our backup plan was to stop after 2 miles at
Big Laurel Falls. Both have good campsites. However, I was concerned that both of those
areas would be crowded. We got
confirmation of this from a hiker that was on his way out.
We
hiked down past the first waterfall, Big Branch Falls. It’s a small waterfall on a modest stream, so
it barely qualifies as a warm up for the waterfalls that were ahead. A descent on switchbacks brought us to a
larger creek. The crossing here can be
difficult when the water is high, but on this particularly day it was an easy
rock hop. On the far side we found a
nice campsite that was vacant. Because
we were anticipating crowds at the major destinations, we decided to set up
there.
We
set up camp before setting off to dayhike to Virgin
Falls. We left camp shortly after 3pm,
so we had less than 4 hours of daylight for the 5-6 mile round trip. Normally that would be plenty, but not in an
area with as many attractions and distractions as Virgin Falls.
We
hiked downstream through a rugged gorge, passing below an impressive
cliff. The streambed was littered with massive
boulders, some the size of houses. The
creek features a continuous run of small waterfalls, cascades, and incredible
swimming holes. At one point the creek
actually disappears underground when water levels are low, but on our visit the
water was up enough that there was flow above ground. This is a real nice part of the hike, but the
trail itself is tedious through here.
It’s very rocky and steep in places, so it requires a lot of
concentration. We were moving pretty
slow all the way down to the base of Big Laurel Falls.
Big
Laurel Falls is one of my all-time favorite waterfalls. It’s not the biggest waterfall, or even the
most beautiful, but it is fascinating. The creek freefalls over a 40’ cliff, forming a veil of water in
front of a massive cave. The
ceiling of the cave is almost as high as the cliff itself, and the cave extends
back 100’ or more. At the base of the
falls, the creek runs backwards, underneath itself. At the back of the cave, it disappears down a
sink, never to be seen again. I’m not
sure where the water ends up, but it probably drains into the Caney Fork River
at some point.
Needless
to say, we spent quite a bit of time there exploring and taking photos.
From
there, an easier but less exciting stretch of trail leads along a slope above
the dry valley. Before long we reached a
junction and the loop portion of the trail.
We went left, because I wanted to hit Virgin Falls before it got late. We bypassed the side trail to the Caney Fork
River due to time constraints and headed straight to the falls.
Virgin
Falls is stunning. The Virgin River
emerges from a cave, runs about 50 yards, and then plunges over a cliff. It drops some 100-150’, before disappearing
down a sinkhole. The water level there
was incredible – it was great to see it at full flow. Darrin and Mitch were blown away. Virgin Falls is so incredible it kind of
redefines what a spectacular waterfall is.
There
were several groups camped there, though there was still space for more
people. Despite that, I was glad that we
had camped where we did. I like a bit
more privacy when I’m backpacking.
We
took lots of photos, and Darrin and Mitch ventured down the slippery path to
the very base of the falls. Then we
hiked up to the cave at the top of the falls.
There I showed them a secret passage that leads back to a section of the
river just upstream from the mouth of the cave.
Afterwards, Darrin spotted an unusually beautiful purple variety of
hepatica. There were quite a few white hepatica in bloom around the area, but only one small clump
of the purple flowers.
From
there we hiked on to Sheep Cave. We paid
a quick visit to the mouth of the cave.
It is possible to hike up the creek into the cave, but we didn’t go in
because all of the caves are closed due to White Nose Syndrome – a disease that
is decimating the bat populations throughout the eastern United States. We did see some bats flying around near
Virgin Falls, so hopefully the disease hasn’t infected this area.
Sheep
Creek emerges from a cave, tumbles down a waterfall, and disappears down a sink
hole. It’s like a miniature version of
Virgin Falls, but spectacular in its own right.
Darrin
and Mitch made a sketchy descent along the side of Sheep Falls for a better
view and photos. I was not particularly
comfortable with this. The slope is
extremely steep, and it was covered in dry leaves. Instead, I found a safer, easier descent
route near the junction of the main trail and the spur trail to the mouth of
Sheep Cave. I worked my way down
carefully, until I reached a point where I could see the entire waterfall. The viewpoint is on a narrow ridge separating
two sink holes. The first is dry, but
the second swallows up the entire flow of Sheep Creek. This was a really cool spot, and one that I
had missed on my previous visits.
We
left Sheep Cave around 6:45. We had to
hike 3 miles back to camp, and sunset was imminent. We maintained a fast pace all the way back to
Big Laurel Falls, and the daylight lingered most of the way there. After that, we had to climb the steep, rocky,
rugged trail through the gorge in total darkness. We all hiked without lights as long as possible,
but after a couple of stumbles we conceded.
Unfortunately the batteries in my headlamp are old, and it wasn’t
putting out much light. I actually got
more use from Mitch’s light, since he was directly behind me. Despite the circumstances, we managed to
return to camp without incident. We even
passed a group of backpackers heading the other way on that final stretch.
When
we returned to camp, we discovered that another group had moved into the far
end of our campsite. I wasn’t thrilled
at first, but it was only 2 people in 1 tent.
This area has gotten so popular that demand for campsites exceeds the
supply on nice weekends. Under the
circumstances, it’s necessary to share.
We
had a pleasant evening around the campfire.
I made jambalaya for dinner, and Darrin made drinks for everyone. Despite our late return and the campfire
festivities, we still made it to bed by 11pm or so.
The
next morning I made egg, bacon, and cheese sandwiches on bagels for Darrin and
myself. Then we hiked up to Martha’s
Pretty Point, which is easily accessible from our campsite. It’s a moderately challenging hike, with one
staircase that is so steep it is really more of a ladder. Fortunately the dogs found their way around
it. At the top of the cliffs we found a
large group (or possibly several groups) camped. Martha’s Pretty Point offers the only real
long range vista in the area (as far as I know), but it is a good one. The view encompassed the gorge below, and the
Caney Fork River valley. Virgin Falls is
out of sight though, hidden by an intervening ridgeline.
We
returned to camp, packed up, and headed out.
We passed lots of other hikers heading in, including an elderly couple
hiking with a park ranger. We returned
to an overflowing parking lot before noon.
Getting out early was advantageous, because we had a lot of other places
we wanted to visit that afternoon.
We
drove into Sparta and got gas, groceries, and snacks. Then it was on to Burgess Falls State Park,
and another of the highlights of the Cumberland Plateau. We got the last two parking spots in the main
lot, though there is an overflow lot nearby.
The park was exceptionally busy, but that is to be expected on a warm,
sunny Saturday. Hiking with the dogs on
leashes was tedious, but Darrin helped out by taking Kona. We hiked downstream along the Falling Water
River, passing some impressive cascades, the upper falls, and the middle
falls.
There
isn’t a good viewpoint for the upper falls.
The trail is on a cliff above the river, and a safe route down was not
apparent. The best part of this
waterfall was the shell of an old suspension bridge hanging above the
falls. The bridge ended at a sheer cliff
on the far side of the river. There is a
rough, but tiny tunnel here. It is way
too small for a train or even a car.
Perhaps it was some sort of mine once upon a time?
The
trail stays high above the river all the way to the middle falls. The view of the middle falls is better, but
still not great for photography. From
there, the trail continues to an upper vantage point of Burgess Falls. Burgess Falls is one of the most incredible
waterfalls I’ve ever seen. Its formation
is unique, in that the cliff that it falls over has a triangular shape, with
the point of the triangle facing downstream.
As a result, the water falls off both sides and the front in a raging
torrent.
From
the upper vantage we descended a trail to the brink of the falls. From there we continued down a staircase, and
then a rocky, slippery trail that required some mild scrambling. Keeping the dogs on leashes here was
impossible, so we let them go, retrieving them at the bottom. The view from the base is cool, but it is a
difficult place for photos. The spray is
intense, and there is only one spot that you can capture the entire waterfall
without being drenched. Of course the
whole area was crawling with people, so if you want photos of this waterfall
without strangers in them, come early in the morning or on a weekday, or both.
We
climbed back up from the base of the falls before returning to the parking area
on a gravel road. This was a lot easier
than hiking with the dogs along the narrow, crowded trail.
From
there, we drove on to Fall Creek Falls State Park. I had reserved us a campsite there, which
turned out to be quite nice. It was a
very private site, without any immediate neighbors.
We
squeezed in a couple of hikes that afternoon.
First we hit the Cable Trail, to access the base of Cane Creek Falls and
Rockhouse Creek Falls. The Cable Trail is extremely steep and
rugged. A steel cable runs the length of
it, and it is necessary at one stretch that requires some significant
scrambling. When we reached that point,
we realized that the dogs would never be able to get down. I’d done this hike twice before, but somehow
I’d forgotten that detail. Since I’d
been there before, I decided to wait with the dogs while Darrin and Mitch
continued to the bottom.
Actually,
while they continued, I doubled-back to another trail that follows the rim of
the gorge. I followed it out to an
overlook, which gave me an aerial view of Cane Creek Falls. The view isn’t great since it is partially
obscured by trees, and Rockhouse Creek Falls isn’t
visible from there. Still, it was better
than nothing.
I
returned to the top of the Cable Trail just as Darrin and Mitch were starting
up. They were blown away by the view
from the base. It is another of my
all-time favorites, and I’m glad they were able to experience it.
From
there we headed over to the Nature Center.
Our goal was a short hike to another aerial vantage point that
encompasses Cane Creek Falls, Rockhouse Creek Falls,
and the immense pool that both waterfalls spill into. Getting there requires crossing a swinging
bridge over Cane Creek. The dogs balked
though, and I wasn’t inclined to push them.
Once again I decided to wait while Darrin and Mitch continued. This time, I worked my way down to the base
of Cane Creek Cascades, which is directly below the swinging bridge. I found a good vantage point, and waited for
Darrin and Mitch. When they returned, I
got photos of them on the bridge with the cascades directly below.
At
that point, we had just enough daylight to visit Fall Creek Falls and Coon
Creek Falls. We drove over there, fully
intending to hike to the base. That
would’ve required a return hike in the dark, but the trail is paved. However, the road in there has a gate, and
the sign stated that the gate would be closed at dark. We didn’t want to get stuck in there, so we
dropped our plans to hike to the bottom.
We had to settle for the tourist view from the upper vantage, which is
still excellent. Fall Creek Falls is a
250’+ freefall – arguably the highest freefalling waterfall in the eastern U.S. Coon Creek Falls is immediately adjacent to
it, but the creek is much smaller (except during periods of extremely high
water).
We
left shortly before dark and returned to camp.
I made chili and salads for everyone, and we rounded out the evening with
another campfire, beer, and moonshine.
Fortunately the rain held off until long after we headed to bed. It started raining after 3am, and was going
strong when we got up the next morning.
It didn’t show any sign of abating, so we packed up our wet tents in the
rain and hit the road. Originally we had
planned to visit a couple of other waterfalls on the way home, but the weather
was too nasty for additional hiking. The
drive was fairly smooth, except for one wreck on I-40 just west of the Smokies that completely halted traffic for 30 minutes. Fortunately that delay wasn’t nearly as bad
as it could’ve been.
It
was a great trip in one of my favorite places, and I’m glad Darrin and Mitch
got to see some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the southeast.
Back to Tennessee
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