Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee

We figured that we would try something different for a fall trip. Normally we would head north to New England to enjoy the beautiful fall foliage. But this year, we headed to Tennessee, a gorgeous slice of America. We did our research, and found that middle to end of October was an ideal time to visit as tree color would be at or near peak.

Fall Creek Falls

Our first stop was Fall Creek Falls State Park, in east central Tennessee, the largest state park in the state. As indicated by the name, it's notable features are waterfalls. But there are gorges, streams, cascades, and large stands of old -growth hardwood as well. 

We spent 3 nights at the park campground, and during the days, hiked some of the trails. Weather was perfect, sunny and cool, with temps in the mid to upper 60s.We hiked through forest to waterfalls. For the most part, we had all the trails all to ourselves: we never passed anyone on our hikes. 

Even with the heavy rain this area saw earlier this month, Fall Creek Falls itself wasn't particularly full. Its height is pretty cool, though--it's the highest falls in the eastern US. We stopped at another waterfall to relax in the sun, and suddenly smelled cigarette smoke. Two women were sitting at a distance, and one had lit up. Shortly after that, we saw a man approach the falls smoking a cigarette. Maybe that's a "thing" here. It was a first for us to come across people smoking at a natural outdoor feature.

Wheeler Farm trail

We also took a hike that took us through some severely eroded areas with lots of downed trees. As we approached the trailhead, I saw a few clumps of white fur on the ground. Hmmm. Was an animal attacked here? I suspect so. A short way down the trail we found fresh bear scat. 

This was a really fun hike that had us scrambling over boulders, and picking our way through rock fields, up a rocky dry creek bed, and  past towering rock walls. The trail actually follows water's flow downhill, as it is the path of creek beds. We really enjoyed this hike.

We also took a long loop hike that took us through the woods and along the shore of Fall Creek Falls Lake, a man-made lake

created by a dam. The ups and downs of the topography coupled with the inlets and streams, and highlighted by the sun lighting up the changing trees, made this a really enjoyable walk. In a few places, bridges over the streams had been washed away (and not replaced) by an early October heavy rain, adding interest to our walk.

Photos here for Fall Creek Falls: https://photos.app.goo.gl/iaSVVTnSfx9gtszn9

Photos of Wheeler Farm and the Lake trail here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/F4Q1LLf47exeBjXx8