Are you looking to go on a quick trip with your family in these waning days of summer? Fall Creek Falls State Park in Spencer is a great option for Tennesseans looking to get away before school starts and calendars begin to fill.
Located an hour from Chattanooga and less than two hours from Nashville and Knoxville, the park — and its brand-new lodge — will satisfy your longing for adventure. Sprawling across 29,800 acres of the Cumberland Plateau, the park is filled with streams, hardwood forests, and, of course, several waterfalls.
The lodge combines the modern comforts of traditional hotels with immersion in a peaceful and tranquil setting. At the January 2022 grand opening of the facility, Governor Bill Lee made a special appearance to celebrate the new venue.
“This lodge is an outstanding attraction at a premier state park,” Governor Lee said. “It’s an example of why Tennessee has one of the best state parks systems in America. We are eager to welcome visitors who will stay at the lodge and continue to make Fall Creek Falls State Park a year-round destination.”
The lodge features 85 guest rooms overlooking Fall Creek Falls Lake. The unique guest rooms come in a variety of sizes and layouts, ensuring the overnight arrangements are as spectacular as the surrounding park.
The park also boasts 30 cabins and 222 campsites, as well as backcountry camping. Hiking enthusiasts have the opportunity to explore 56 miles of trails.
Many come to the park for hiking and waterfall chasing. Fall Creek Falls stands at 256 feet and is one of the highest waterfalls in the eastern United States. The park also has spectacular sights such as Piney Falls, Cane Creek Falls, and Cane Creek Cascades.
Outside of the beautiful waterfalls, biking enthusiasts can use the three mountain bike trails covering 24 miles. Golfers can enjoy the challenging 18-hole layout carved out of the forested woodlands that surround the course. The park also rents aluminum jon boats to explore Fall Creek Falls Lake year-round. In addition, the public swimming pool is a great place to enjoy water-based recreation this summer.
The Nature Center at Fall Creek Falls offers hands-on environmental education through a variety of naturalist-led programs, but one of the most popular attractions the park has to offer is the Canopy Challenge Course. Featuring over 2.5 hours of zip-lining, bridge-crossing, and tree-climbing, the course provides unforgettable fun. Test your agility and resolve across more than 70 aerial obstacles, including ladders, wobbly bridges, rope swings, cargo nets, balance beams, and zip lines. Before starting the adventure, everyone gets instruction at Ground School, where you will be let loose to explore six different 8-to-13-element routes ranging from serene to extreme. Options are available for children as young as four years of age to active seniors in moderate to good health.
The park’s restaurant has reopened and offers indoor and outdoor dining with breathtaking lake views. Most days, the restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner and serves up a Southern-inspired menu with options to please even the pickiest of eaters. In addition, the park also has four playgrounds and five covered picnic pavilions which are perfect for picnics.
For those venturing outside the park for meals, Bailee Messimer, manager of the Pikeville location of Southeastern Farmers Co-op, says you can’t go wrong with Scotties.
“We recommend Scotties to anyone passing through our area,” Messimer says. “It is a simple but classic diner that has been open since 1983, and it is one of the only restaurants left in town that are cash only.”
Messimer also recommends visiting the Bledsoe County Veteran’s Park, the Pikeville Farmers Market, and the Fall Creek Mennonite Farm Stores, which is home to some 60 families and 25 Mennonite owned and operated businesses. She says that the perfect way to wrap up a hot summer day is at Ember's Ice Cream Shoppe in downtown Pikeville.
“We are thankful to have such a great state park near us,” says Messimer. “We have a great relationship with the staff there, carry many products that people spending time there might need, and we all also love to visit the park in our spare time. We hope anyone who visits will stop by and say hello.”