Waterfalls

Tennessee is a large state with widely varying topographical regions. Most of the state's waterfalls are located in the eastern highlands of the Cumberland Plateau and the Appalachians, where the hills and mountains make the land ripe for falling water. To see the most scenic and easily accessible falls, it's best to concentrate on one particular area: the South Cumberland. Mark Morrison, author of the guidebook "Waterfall Walks and Drives in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee," has been exploring and writing about waterfalls in the Southeast since the late 1980s and says "Tennessee's South Cumberland is my all-time favorite waterfall area."

Foster Falls

Foster Falls is located in a pocket wilderness known as the Foster Falls Small Wild Area, part of the much larger South Cumberland State Park, which has several noncontiguous park areas in the region. Don't let the "wild" part of the name dissuade you from visiting, as this 60-foot plunge fall is easily accessible from U.S. 41 and has a short wooden walkway leading from the parking lot to an overlook. A 1/4-mile long rugged trail leads to the bottom of the falls and is highly recommended to see the full beauty of the surrounding rock cliffs. Stop in at the South Cumberland Visitor Center before visiting Foster Falls to get trail maps and info on other areas in the park. The center is on U.S. 41 three miles east from the Monteagle exit off I-24, a major entry point to the South Cumberland area.

Greeter Falls

Morrison's book contains a waterfall rating scale between one and 10 based on beauty, and Greeter Falls gets a 10. Greeter Falls has an upper section tumbling a few feet over the rocks leading to a lower section that plunges 50 feet into an emerald pool. It is part of the Savage Gulf Natural Area, which, like Foster Falls, is a separate noncontiguous section of massive South Cumberland State Park. Access Greeter Falls from TN 56, 1.5 miles north of Altamont. Turn right on Greeter Pines Drive (there are signs for Greeter Falls) and drive about a mile to a parking area. A moderate trail leads you through the forest to the falls, about a mile round trip.

Fall Creek Falls

An easy "10" in Morrison's book, Fall Creek Falls, in the state park of the same name, is the granddaddy of Tennessee waterfalls. At 256 feet, it is certainly the highest. If you only seek out one waterfall on your trip, this might be the one to visit, provided you have enough time to drive to the Spencer area an hour north of Chattanooga. The park entrance is located south of Spencer on TN 284, accessed from TN 111 to the west and TN 30 to the east. A 400-foot long flat, paved pathway leads from the parking area to the overlook. A moderate trail leads to the base, about 1/2 mile round trip.

Ruby Falls

Chattanooga is the closest major city to the South Cumberland area and home to the popular tourist attraction Ruby Falls. Located inside a cave beneath Lookout Mountain, Ruby Falls is 145 feet high and marks the climatic point of a guided tour through the caverns. The entrance to the cave system is housed in a building that looks like a castle on the side of the mountain. To reach Ruby Falls, take South Broad Street from downtown Chattanooga; it becomes U.S. 41 at the railroad underpass. A 1/2 mile ahead, take the ramp-like road to the left that leads up the mountain. It is well marked with signs for Ruby Falls, which will be on your right shortly after the first hairpin turn.