Cane Creek Falls, Rockhouse Creek Falls, Cane Creek Cascade

Falls Creek Falls State Resort Park / Spencer, Tennessee, USA

About Cane Creek Falls, Rockhouse Creek Falls, Cane Creek Cascade

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Cane Creek Falls is said to be an 85ft waterfall on Cane Creek, which is responsible for the deep Cane Creek Gorge of which is one of the main features of Falls Creek Falls State Resort Park.

During our visit, this falls was also accompanied by the tall (125ft) but thin Rockhouse Creek Falls or Rockhouse Falls.

Falls_Creek_Falls_155_20121025 - Cane Creek Falls (right) and Rockhouse Falls (left)
Cane Creek Falls (right) and Rockhouse Falls (left)

I also passed by the 45ft Cane Creek Cascade, which looked like a pretty popular place to go for a swim if Cane Creek had low enough flow.

In addition, I saw some photos in the literature of Cane Creek Falls shown from its base.

However, after talking with the ranger at the Betty Dunn Nature Center, it turned out that getting that view required a steep descent down the so-called Cable Trail.

I opted not to give this one a try since the ranger’s description made it sound dicey (though I will always second-guess my decision).

Falls_Creek_Falls_104_20121025 - Cane Creek Cascade
Cane Creek Cascade

However, I did take an alternate trail for a better view of the Cane Creek Falls, and that trail is what we’ll focus on in this write-up since it encompasses all three of the featured waterfalls on this page..

Experiencing Cane Creek Cascade, Cane Creek Falls, and Rockhouse Creek Falls

From the Nature Center parking lot (see directions below), it was only a short walk down some steps to a precipitous but overgrown overlook of the steep gorge harboring both Cane Creek Falls and Rockhouse Creek Falls.

While Rockhouse Falls was visible from this overlook, Cane Creek Falls hardly had a satisfying view.

So I took the trail leaving the Nature Center towards Falls Creek Falls.

Falls_Creek_Falls_092_20121025 - Julie checking out the overlook of Cane Creek Falls nearest to the Nature Center parking lot
Julie checking out the overlook of Cane Creek Falls nearest to the Nature Center parking lot

However, right in back of the Nature Center, there was a short spur trail that led down to the pretty Cane Creek Cascade.

Accessing the banks of Cane Creek in front of the cascade required a short but steep scramble that might require using your hands as well as your legs to safely make it.

But if Cane Creek happened to be swollen, I would strongly caution against getting near the creek as not far downstream of here would be the plunge over Cane Creek Falls.

When viewing the Cane Creek Cascade, I noticed there was a swinging bridge above the falls.

Falls_Creek_Falls_116_20121025 - Traversing the swinging bridge over Cane Creek
Traversing the swinging bridge over Cane Creek

It turned out that the bridge was part of the trail leading to Falls Creek Falls as well as the Gorge Overlook.

Since this trail promised to yield better views of Cane Creek Falls, I pursued it.

So when I had my fill of Cane Creek Cascade, I continued back on the main trail, then waiting my turn to cross over the long swinging bridge over Cane Creek.

I believe there was a person limit on the bridge, but this path saw enough traffic to sometimes cause queues on either side of the bridge.

Falls_Creek_Falls_120_20121025 - Traversing through a lightly forested area on the other side of the swinging bridge en route to the Gorge Overlook
Traversing through a lightly forested area on the other side of the swinging bridge en route to the Gorge Overlook

On the other side of the bridge, the trail then went uphill.

At the top of the climb, there was a trail junction where I took the path leading towards the Gorge Overlook.

After a little bit of a descent, I managed to reach the overlook where I was able to see both Rockhouse Creek Falls and Cane Creek Falls together.

I was also able to look across the gorge at the overlook near the Nature Center while some of the folks over at that overlook spotted me (I could tell by them pointing in my direction)!

Falls_Creek_Falls_123_20121025 - Descending to the Gorge Overlook over Cane Creek
Descending to the Gorge Overlook over Cane Creek

This was about as good a view as I could get of Cane Creek Falls without doing the Cable Trail, and the view of Rockhouse Falls was wide open.

This overlook was probably about a mile or so one-way from the Nature Center so it would probably be about 2 miles round trip with some elevation gain and loss.

It took me about 75 minutes to do this hike including the time spent taking photos.

Authorities

Cane Creek Falls, Rockhouse Falls, and Cane Creek Cascade reside in Falls Creek Falls State Resort Park Pikeville in Van Buren County and Bledsoe County, Tennessee. They are administered by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.

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Tagged with: falls creek falls, state resort park, van buren, bledsoe, tennessee, waterfall, spencer, pikeville, cane creek, fall creek, betty dunn



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.