Beautiful state park! Highly recommended for a relax hike and for great scenery. Parking is limitedread more

This was a beautiful park. The falls were spectacular. The hike was an easy one and didn't take…read morelong to get to the falls outlook. I'm almost 63 and had no problem. The trail to the bottom was closed unfortunately.

You need a permit to walk all the way down to the falls and it is a very challenging hike. They…read morelimit the amount sold so it does sell out. The gorge does flood so def watch the safetyvide. we wouldn't have made it without out hiking poles. It was my first time using them but theybare game changer for hills and uneven terrain. We had to cross a river ... not creek. Climbing over rocks and boulders. River rocks are sooo slippery. Shoes should have good tread. This was challenging and truthful doubt I'd do it again. Water was cold. But falls are beautiful.

Cummins Falls State Park is located 10 miles north of the town of Cookeville, in Central Tennessee…read more Can you go swimming at Cummins Falls??? Of course you can! It's a 1 mile hike down to the bottom of a gorge to reach a swimming hole Travel and Leisure Magazine rates...as one of the "10 Best in the United States"! It's $7 to gain access to the gorge. You can purchase passes online ahead of time at tnstateparks.com. Or, you can buy passes inside the Visitor Center the day of, but they allot only 200 tickets per day so depending upon the time of year, passes can sell out quickly especially during peak summers. Now...there is a waterfall overlook to check out but I think it'd be more worthwhile to get to Cummins Falls ASAP before the crowds arrive and you can always visit the lookout on the return trip back up towards the trailhead. Once you reach the river area, it's 6/10th's of a mile remaining until you arrive at the falls. Also, make sure to hang towards the left while hiking beside the river and (imo) it's imperative to be wearing water shoes as the creek is filled with sharp rocks and water levels reaching shin high. While hiking to Cummins Falls, you really get a sense for being in the heart of nature. I enjoyed the setting. Approaching the falls, it's 75 feet of cascading waters flowing down the cliffside and ideal for swimming. Best of all, visitors can climb the rocks and explore at their leisure making for an adventurous experience. Of course, it's a rite of passage to finish the experience in style by going swimming. The park opens at 8am. I'd suggest arriving as early as possible before it gets busy. The park closes at 6pm but there's a clearly stated sign that visitors must exit the gorge area by 5pm. One extra note...lifeguards are on duty at Cummins Falls throughout the day. When returning back up towards the trailhead, now head over to the lookout platform getting to admire Cummins Falls from high above. It makes for a photogenic perspective and is a clear reminder of why the great outdoors can be so special. Right nearby Cummins Falls SP are more local waterfalls to check out including...Fall Creek Falls, Burgess Falls, Ozone Falls, Virgin Falls, Piney Falls and Stinging Fork Falls, just to name a few.

Cool Obstacle Course Themed Park…read more This is a different kind of park aside from the old school wood construction, it's great for kids to run around and work on coordination! This park is definitely more obstacle course themed and for scrambling as the name implies... There is a good section of different types of swings which is my sons happy place! This is a unique park and just needs a little love. There are only 2 slides and 1 is broken. Also more wood chips and a few easy maintenance points would make this place even better. We definitely recommend this place even as is, but a small bit of work would be amazing to bring it back to life.

Unable to access park as it had construction fence all around. False advertising as the park is not…read moreopen.

Absolutely stunning walk in nature. I highly recommend this easy 3 mile in and out hike. It's…read morewaterfall heaven! I should have counted to see how many waterfalls there were; I am curious to know how many I saw today. The museum is nice as well. There is also camping, playground, picnic area and large ceremonial Indian field.

Great park with beautiful waterfalls! I came here right before the hurricane so the there was not…read moreas much water and but it was still beautiful! The hike is super easy and very kid friendly! We had brought water shoes so we could dip our feet into the lake! It was lots of fun! We will definitely be back! Very scenic and fun!

Tony and I love to go hiking at Fall Creek Falls State Park. They have so many trails and…read moreoverlooks. Just to the Left of the parking lot is a scenic drive loop and on this loop we came across this gorgeous overlook called Lover's Leap.

Big Falls in Sparta Tennessee is a nice smaller park for hiking and viewing the waterfall.read more

The other review is right, those pictures are of Burgess falls- which is amazing and we'll worth…read morethe short drive from Cookeville or sparta- Google Burgess falls and get directions for that, it's great!They have a trail that follows along the rocky river up to an amazing overlook of the falls,, and also a no steps kinda trail for less of a strain on bad knees.There are plenty of great hiking trails near Sparta-virgin falls is a favorite-check it out, it's one of the best outside of the smokies.

It was a beautiful place to visit. If you are looking for a short day or less adventure this is…read moreyour place to be. Beautiful Inspiring Small challenge Swimming Bring swimmers, water shoes(helps with the rock bottom of the swimming hole) and towel. I personally would like to hike down it in leather hiking boots, I did it in the cheap foam bottom shoes this time.

Awesome, even in winter! First time in Tennessee is fantastic! Slippery down but worth the hike!read more

The Short Springs Natural Area wasn't exactly what I pictured in my mind, but satisfying…read morenonetheless. First, for some reason I pictures a state park with large parking areas, a visitor center, road signage and restroom facilities. NOPE!!! Google Maps navigated us to the general area, but figuring out where the trailhead and parking were located was up to our own savvy. But as God would have it, we found parking near a water tower off Powell Road and someone just happened to be leaving as we arrived, giving us a great parking space. This was extremely fortuitous because spaces are limited and several people who arrivaled just minutes after us waited a good while for spaces to become available. WARNING: Find restroom facilities BEFORE you make it here! Otherwise you will find yourself searching for privacy in the nearby forest to relieve yourself. The trailhead is directly across Short Springs Road from the parking area. I would highly recommend using ALLTRAILS to navigate your way around the Natural Area. My wife has developed Morton Noroma in recent years which severely limits the types of hikes she can join me on, so our intention here was to only visit MACHINE FALLS and BUSBY FALLS, bypassing more than half of the entire Short Springs loop. Still, this was not as easy a trail as I thought and my wife wound up viewing Machine Falls only from the overlook deck. The descent to the base of the falls is steep, so she opted to stay on the trail above as I climbed down for pictures. MACHINE FALLS is a beautiful multi-tiered waterfall surrounded by high shale rock cliffs adorned with moss. The climb down to the falls is a combination of manmade wooden steps, boulders and tree roots. Once you reach the creek, you will need to hug the right side stones all the way to the falls (if you don't want to get your feet wet). The volume of water was fairly light the day we visited, so on heavy volume days it's probably impossible not to get your feet wet. After Machine Falls we followed the loop to Bobo Creek Trail which leads towards BUSBY FALLS. We then took the split to Laurel Bluff Trail via Collier Horn Bridge. After crossing the bridge you can choose to go left or right around this 1.4 mile loop. We chose to go right, which is the quickest way to Busby Falls. The trail follows Bobo Creek, but one small section of it requires the use of a rope due to a severe elevation change. It's not difficult, but something older hikers and those with really young children should be aware of the challenge. To my surprise there was a secondary waterfall coming off the cliffs near Busby Falls as well as a third 14 foot waterfall along Bobo Creek closer to the bridge. Not sure if these two additional waterfalls have names like the others within the Natural Area, but they were very nice surprises! My wife did not do the rope climb down to Busby and instead just enjoyed the scenic views of the river while I went off exploring the waterfall just a short distance away. We retraced our steps back to the Bobo Creek Trail and took the right leading us back to the parking area. While I didn't think the trail leading directly to Machine Falls was very attractive (it honestly was one of the ugliest trails I've ever seen), the remainder of the hike was nice and the Laurel Bluff Trail near Busby Falls was easily the most scenic portion of any trail we hiked today. I can't speak for the rest of the Machine Falls Loop or the Adams Falls Trail, but I've read reviews saying it's a nice looking trail. FINAL THOUGHTS Overall not what I expected when looking for easy waterfall hikes my wife could enjoy, but it IS manageable and customizable to fit different hiking needs. There are multiple waterfalls throughout the Natural Area. Our hike took 1:37 hours and was approx. 2.4 miles long with an elevation gain of about 335 feet according to my ALLTRAILS log. Machine Falls was the largest, but I personally thought Busby Falls was prettier. Also nearby (within a 5 minute drive) is Rutledge Falls. I highly recommend paying it a visit if you are planning to be in the area. 2023 / 28

Did the hike to machine falls and it was worth it! It is breathtaking! I've heard that in the…read morespring the waterfalls are heavier and there are a bunch of wildflowers... but the moss against the rocks and water was a sight on to itself. The trails are marked well and the description of the trails are accurate. The trail to machine falls does note it is steep in some parts and that is very accurate. There are places where you are on narrow paths with a drop off. I personally wished I had brought my walking poles but that is personal preference. Parking is on the other side of the road from where the trails start and is limited. Highly recommend this hike and this park!