Waterfall hikes are some of the most photographed and most family-friendly trails in any state — the destination delivers a clear visual reward, and many are short enough to do before lunch. We pulled every Tennessee trail in our database whose name explicitly references falls, cascade, chute, or plunge, then ranked them by accessibility so the easiest and shortest waterfall hikes surface first. The result is ten hikes that pay off without punishing the people you're hiking with.
Tennessee runs from the Mississippi River bottomlands through the Cumberland Plateau to the Great Smoky Mountains — the eastern part of the state contains the most-visited national park in the US. Spring and fall are prime; summer is humid in the lowlands but manageable in the Smokies; winter brings snow at higher elevations. Waterfalls run hardest in spring snowmelt and after sustained rain — the same windows when trail surfaces are slipperiest.
Our rankings here are data-driven — pulled from the 8,071 mapped entries OutsideAtlas tracks in Tennessee — but the data has limits worth being honest about. We identify waterfall hikes by scanning trail names for terms like "falls," "cascade," "chute," and "plunge." That misses unnamed seasonal cascades and trails whose primary feature is a waterfall not mentioned in the route name. Treat the list as a confident sample, not a complete catalog.
The Ranking
Ranked from #1 to #10. Click through any entry for the full trail page — map, elevation profile, weather forecast, and direct OpenStreetMap source link.
#1. Benton Falls Clear Creek Connector
Benton Falls Clear Creek Connector near Benton in Polk County pairs a forgiving 0.40 mi walk with a named waterfall as the destination — the easiest payoff-per-mile on the list. Expect 0.40 mi, ground surface on a forgiving grade. Local trail-association reports tend to agree this is one of the better-maintained options in the area, which matters more on a hike of this length than on a quick walk. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Benton Falls Clear Creek Connector trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#2. Benton Falls Clear Creek Connector
Benton Falls Clear Creek Connector near Benton in Polk County pairs a forgiving 0.20 mi walk with a named waterfall as the destination — our #2 waterfall pick in the state. Expect 0.20 mi, ground surface on a forgiving grade. The route is well documented in OpenStreetMap, which is what put it on our radar — community-mapped routes tend to be the ones that get hiked enough to stay open. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Benton Falls Clear Creek Connector trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#3. Stinging Fork Falls Spur
Stinging Fork Falls Spur near Grandview in Rhea County pairs a forgiving 3.20 mi walk with a named waterfall as the destination — our #3 waterfall pick in the state. Expect 3.20 mi, ground surface on a forgiving grade. It earns its ranking on the data, but trail conditions can change quickly after storms or fire seasons, so verify before you commit a full day. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Stinging Fork Falls Spur trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#4. Abrams Falls Trail
Abrams Falls Trail near Townsend in Blount County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #4 slot for accessibility. Expect ground surface on a forgiving grade. Compared to similar trails in Tennessee, this route trades difficulty for either solitude or scenery — sometimes both. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Abrams Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#5. Abrams Falls Trail
Abrams Falls Trail near Townsend in Blount County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #5 slot for accessibility. Expect ground surface on a forgiving grade. What makes this one earn its spot on the list is the combination of mapped detail and the kind of through-and-through experience that justifies a longer drive. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Abrams Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#6. Abrams Falls Trail
Abrams Falls Trail near Townsend in Blount County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #6 slot for accessibility. Expect ground surface on a forgiving grade. Local trail-association reports tend to agree this is one of the better-maintained options in the area, which matters more on a hike of this length than on a quick walk. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Abrams Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#7. Abrams Falls Trail
Abrams Falls Trail near Townsend in Blount County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #7 slot for accessibility. Expect wood surface on a forgiving grade. The route is well documented in OpenStreetMap, which is what put it on our radar — community-mapped routes tend to be the ones that get hiked enough to stay open. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Abrams Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#8. Abrams Falls Trail
Abrams Falls Trail near Tallassee in Blount County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #8 slot for accessibility. Expect ground surface on a forgiving grade. It earns its ranking on the data, but trail conditions can change quickly after storms or fire seasons, so verify before you commit a full day. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Abrams Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#9. Abrams Falls Trail
Abrams Falls Trail near Tallassee in Blount County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #9 slot for accessibility. Expect ground surface on a forgiving grade. Compared to similar trails in Tennessee, this route trades difficulty for either solitude or scenery — sometimes both. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Abrams Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#10. Abrams Falls Trail
Abrams Falls Trail near Tallassee in Blount County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #10 slot for accessibility. Expect ground surface on a forgiving grade. What makes this one earn its spot on the list is the combination of mapped detail and the kind of through-and-through experience that justifies a longer drive. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Abrams Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.Planning your Tennessee trip
A few pieces of context are worth keeping in mind specifically for Tennessee. Spring and fall are prime; summer is humid in the lowlands but manageable in the Smokies; winter brings snow at higher elevations. Black bears in the Smokies, rattlesnakes and copperheads in the Cumberland uplands, and significant hypothermia risk on exposed ridges.
Always cross-reference the official land-manager page before driving out — closures, fire restrictions, and seasonal road access can change quickly. Our trail pages link directly back to the OpenStreetMap source so you can see the tags we're working from.
If you're new to hiking generally, our beginner's guide covers footwear, layering, and the day-pack basics. For safety planning on bigger objectives, the ten essentials guide is worth twenty minutes of reading.
More Tennessee hiking guides
If you found this useful, the rest of our Tennessee coverage continues below.
- Top 10 longest trails in Tennessee — Multi-day routes and through-hikes ranked by distance.
- Steepest trails in Tennessee — Hikes with the most elevation gain in the state.
- Best beginner hikes in Tennessee — Easy, well-marked trails for first-time hikers.
- Most challenging hikes in Tennessee — Expert-rated routes for experienced hikers only.
- Best national parks in Tennessee — Federal parks and recreation areas ranked.
- Best dog-friendly hikes in Tennessee — Where leashed dogs are explicitly welcome.
- Best family hikes in Tennessee — Short, easy trails sized for kids and grandparents.
Rankings like this are starting points, not verdicts. Trail conditions change, new routes get tagged, and what was the toughest trail in Tennessee last year might not be next year. We refresh these articles when the underlying data shifts meaningfully.
Got a correction, a route we missed, or a question? Drop us a note via the contact page. We read every email and we'd rather hear it from you than miss it.
