Trails, Runs + Hikes

Take a Hike

We've put together itineraries for you to make the most of each trail and make every moment count. Follow along our pre-designed routes, or take inspiration to forge your own!

 

Bee Rock

Bee Rock

Take in the spectacular overlook of the Calfkiller River and Stamps Hollow. Legend has it that Native Americans gathered honey from hives underneath the cliff.

1420 Bee Rock Road Monterey, TN 38574

PLACEHODLER

Burgess Falls State Park

This park is known for its sheer bluffs, narrow ridges, rolling water and abundant mixed forest. The area is on the National Register of Historic Places. There was once a gristmill, sawmill and powerhouse on this site. The park is home to over 300 species of trees, plants and an abundance of wildlife, including the white-faced grey squirrel. Visitors can enjoy the large Native Butterfly Garden, fish and hike the 1.5-mile round-trip loop to see four waterfalls on the Falling Water River, the tallest being 136 feet.

4000 Burgess Falls Dr Sparta, TN 38583

cane creek falls

Cane Creek Park & Recreation Area

Cane Creek Park & Recreation Area is a 262-acre regional park. Popular among dog-walkers and fishermen, the park’s centerpiece, Cane Creek Lake, is a 56-acre lake, surrounded by paved walking/jogging paths, picnic shelters, playground equipment, basketball court, volleyball court, 18-hole disc golf course, mountain bike trail, rec center and sportsplex. The lake offers two fishing piers, a boat ramp (no gas motors), and paddle boat rentals. Well-stocked with rainbow trout, large-mouth bass, bluegill, crappie, carp and catfish, Cane Creek Lake is a fishing favorite (Note: Tennessee fishing laws do apply).

201 CC Camp Rd. Cookeville, TN 38501

placeholder

City Lake Natural Area

The 35-acre City Lake Natural Area is located on Bridgeway Drive and is preserved in its natural state, with some improvements to help accessibility.  The park is a favorite area of fishermen as they can catch catfish, bass and bream. Cookeville’s first water treatment facility was constructed here.

Cookeville, TN 38501

waterfall
Photo by: @amandamwoodruff

Cummins Falls State Park

Cummins Falls State Park is an idyllic, but rugged, 211-acre day-use park located nine miles north of Cookeville on the Blackburn Fork State Scenic River on the Eastern Highland Rim. Located in the Cordell Hull Watershed, the area has been a scenic spot and swimming hole for local residents of Jackson and Putnam counties for more than 100 years. Cummins Falls is Tennessee’s eighth largest waterfall in both volume and height. It was also voted the 6th best swimming hole in the nation by Reader’s Choice Magazine.

390 Cummins Falls Lane Cookeville, TN 38501

Fall Creek Falls
Photo by: @j_kreiss

Fall Creek Falls State Park

Fall Creek Falls State Park is one of Tennessee’s largest and most visited state parks. The park encompasses more than 29,800 acres sprawled across the eastern top of the rugged Cumberland Plateau. Laced with cascades, gorges, waterfalls, streams and lush stands of virgin hardwood timber, the park beckons those who enjoy nature at her finest. Fall Creek Falls, at 256 feet, is one of the highest waterfalls in the eastern United States. Other waterfalls within the park include Piney Falls, Cane Creek Falls, and Cane Creek Cascades.

2009 Village Camp Rd, Spencer, TN 38585

Ozone Falls

Ozone Falls Natural Area

Ozone Falls is a 43-acre natural area in Cumberland County and is one of Tennessee's most heavily-visited state natural areas, because of its close proximity to Interstate 40. Ozone Falls plunges 110 feet over a sandstone cap rock into a deep, rock-strewn pool. Fall Creek then disappears underground, re-emerging several yards downstream. An impressive rock house “amphitheater” that was created over geologic time by wind, water, freeze/thaw, and erosion provides the backdrop for the falls. Because of its picturesque beauty and easy access, Ozone Falls was selected for filming scenes for the movie “Jungle Book.”

Small open sandstone glades that support native grasses and prairie plants occur on the bluffs and the caprock at the top of the falls. The surrounding upland vegetation is dominated by oaks and Virginia pine. An infestation of southern pine beetles killed many of the pines between 1999 and 2001. A remnant old-growth mixed mesophytic forest community is found beneath the waterfall. It is comprised of eastern hemlock, white pine, magnolia, yellow birch, sugar maple, tulip poplar, and red oak and with rosebay rhododendron in the shrub layer. The stream contains many huge boulders, some the size of houses, and many small placid pools. A rugged ¾-mile trail begins along the bluff near the falls and then descends into the gorge passing a small rock house called Gamblers Den. The trail follows Fall Creek to the confluence with Renfro Creek where hikers must backtrack to return to the trailhead.

Ozone Falls is situated on the eastern edge of the Crab Orchard Mountains on the Cumberland Plateau. Legend has it that the area was named “Ozone” because of the “stimulating quality of the air” created by the mist that is generated after the long plunge of the water. In the 1800s, grist and sawmills were built above the falls. The last one was washed over the falls during a spring flood in 1900.

From Crossville travel East on I-40 and exit at the Crab Orchard exit. Turn left off the exit ramp and go to the intersection of U.S. Highway 70. From Knoxville go west on I-40 and exist at Crab Orchard. From Crab Orchard exit, turn right on U.S. Highway 70 going east. The highway takes you straight to Ozone Falls, which is on the right about four miles from the interstate exit.

placeholder

Pickett State Park

Pickett State Park lies within the 19,200-acre Pickett State Forest, and is adjacent to the massive 120,000-acre Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. In 1933, the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company donated nearly 12,000 acres of land to the State of Tennessee to be developed as a forest recreational area. Initial development of the area by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) occurred between 1934 through 1942. The CCC constructed hiking trails, five rustic cabins, a recreation lodge, a ranger station and a 12-acre lake. The park memorializes and preserves the unique work of the CCC who first developed the park.

4605 Pickett Park Hwy. Jamestown, TN 38556

Lorem Ipsum Dolor

Rock Island State Park

Rock Island State Park is an 883 acre park located on the headwaters of Center Hill Lake at the confluence of the Caney Fork, Collins and Rocky Rivers. The rugged beauty of the park includes the Caney Fork Gorge below Great Falls Dam. These overlooks are some of the most scenic and significant along the Eastern Highland Rim. Great Falls is a 30 foot horseshoe cascading waterfall, located below the 19th century cotton textile mill that it powered over 100 years ago. Rock Island became a Tennessee State Park in 1969.

82 Beach Rd. Rock Island, TN 38581

standing stone monument

Standing Stone State Park

Standing Stone State Park is located in Standing Stone State Forest on the Cumberland Plateau that encompasses more than eight miles of day-use hiking trails that provide access to some of the park’s loveliest areas. Trails range from easy to strenuous and pass into virgin woods through vivid wildflowers and over-flowing streams and around beautiful Standing Stone Lake. The park has 36 campsites, each with a grill, picnic table, water and electricity. There are also 17 historic WPA cabins and seven more modern cabins available that can be reserved up to a year in advance. All cabins are completely equipped for housekeeping including appliances, microwave oven, cooking utensils and linens. The park has three group lodges ranging in size and accommodations. The Tea Room at Standing Stone is a conference-style meeting room that can accommodate up to 80 people and is approximately 800-square-feet. The Tea Room includes a large back deck and five picnic tables. Great views of the lake and natural scenery make it an ideal location for wedding receptions, family reunions and small conferences.

1785 Standing Stone Park Hwy. Hilham, TN 38568