I went for a walk in Fall Creek Falls State Park, near the little town of Spencer, TN, in the Spring of 2011. I usually hike in undeveloped woodlands that only allow use of the hiking trails. This state park is very different. It’s huge, with more than 20,000 acres sprawled across the eastern top of the Cumberland Plateau, and offers all manner of outdoor recreational activities: boating, fishing, hiking, camping; horseback riding, dining, lodging, swimming... but I decided to go anyway!

Actually, I had been to the park before, and seen it in normal times, and in drought times. This year there was more water in the creeks than usual, so I decided to visit again and take along my camera. So here is…

A Photo-hike from Cane Creek Falls to Fall Creek Falls

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All surface water in the Fall Creek Falls park eventually pours into Cane Creek to form this cool, scenic mountain stream.

Near the Nature Center are the Cane Creek Cascades and the Cane Creek Falls.

Standing on the suspension bridge just behind the nature center you see the water of Cane Creek approaching over a small set of low cascades.

Just after Cane Creek passes under the suspension bridge you look down as it tumbles over the large cascade before the creek makes a radical turn to the right.

And this is how the first large cascade looks when viewed from the side.

I purposefully made the trip to the park after a wet Spring, because I knew that the cascades and falls would be running full and looking good.

You can see the suspension bridge from which the earlier shots were taken crossing over the creek above the cascade. That is also the bridge that I have to cross to start my hike over to the Fall Creek Falls.

Actually, from just about where this picture was taken, there once stood a water-powered mill. Leonard Bickford’s mill ground corn into meal or feed, and during good water conditions, like those seen here, 30 to 40 bushels per day could be ground.

The mill had stood for forty years when, in March of 1929, violent flood waters swept the mill over the Cane Creek Cascades and Falls. It was never rebuilt.

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