Ozone Falls & Cummins Falls, Tennessee

Recently I was fortunate enough to win a work incentive that allowed me to attend the 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville.  Being that Nashville is one of my favorite cities to visit, I was excited for the opportunity and wanted to see how my favorite football team, the "Redskins", drafted new talent in this important event.

I was going to drive to Nashville which was about a 5 hour trip from my hometown of Greenville, SC.  I have been following several other local hikers and waterfall enthusiasts on social media and knew there was some great sites along the way to swing by.  I quickly entered the world of planning while looking for places close to the I-40 highway as not to detour me for too long, but also places worth the stop.  I ended up on 3 different quick waterfall hikes;  Ozone Falls, Cummins Falls & Burgess Falls.  These would add about 2 hours or so on top of my travel time, but it seemed worth the efforts.


Ozone Falls

My first stop along the way was Ozone Falls.  This particular waterfall is almost a mile off the highway and was a perfect stop to refuel and hit a quick falls trail.  There are two paths at the falls.  The first will take you to the top of the falls were you can get a great view looking down into the large pit that the water has carved out over time.  This is a great viewpoint, but the second and more difficult trail will take you down to the pools edge to really get the feeling of the thunderous tall falls.

On the way down to the bottom, there were several spots to stop and grab a quick photo as the Ozone Falls are very picturesque.  Upon getting all the way down, the gorgeous bright blue pool of water to which the falls empties into was breaktaking!  I was able to grab several photos and videos from this spot.  There was also a small spot downstream called the "Flintstone House" where someone had created a little bit of furniture out of the granite rocks.

Overall Ozone Falls was very tall and just a set of really pretty falls to sit and enjoy for a few moments before getting back on the highway.  The trip down to the bottom was definitely worth the small but steep hike.  For those older or with kids, the spray from the falls can make things a bit slippery, so just be prepared with proper shoes or boots.

Cummins Falls

My second pit stop along the way was Cummins Falls.  I had researched this falls and the locals were saying it was one of the Best in Tennessee.  Being that Ozone didn't have as much flattery, I couldn't wait to gaze upon Cummins.  As I pulled into the parking lot, the rain started to come down in a drizzle.  I decided that I had already made the journey, so rain or shine I was going to see this boasted falls.  I grabbed my pack and headed down the trail.  The first trail took me to an overlook that you could barely even see the falls at.  I was a little deflated as the rain was now starting to pick up a bit.  I quickly made my way down to the river side trail.

When you reach the riverside trail you then my hike up along the trail about a mile.  At some point, due to the high waters, the trail disappeared and I waded across the river to the other side.  This is when the rain really opened up.  I sat beneath a set of larger trees and chatted with another hiker and his large dog for about 10 minutes until the weather let up a bit and it seemed ok to push on.  When I got to the thunderous large falls I was very delighted as I was the only one there.  I had Cummins Falls all to myself!  I made my way to a little island just on the other side of the large blue swimming hole where the falls emptied into.  I got a few photos and videos of this great falls and stayed for a few moments in awe of its raw beauty.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but no two falls are the same.  Both Ozone & Cummins where listed on some cool places to check out in Tennessee and each was unique and awe inspiring in their own way.  I was very luck to have both falls to myself.  I guess the poopy weather actually gave me a bit of an assist on the crowds, but it was worth every squishy step!

Burgess Falls

After my Nashville trip, I hit my third and final pit stop on the way home and went to Burgess Falls.  I won't really say too much about this falls as they closed the trail (with man made steps) that leads to the base of the falls.  Burgess was a large set of falls, however not being able to reach the base was extremely disappointing.  It was NOT advertised on their website either, which made the extra 30 mins trip almost in vain.  It was great to witness, but the perspective was very one sided.  I did NOT fly my drone here as I couldn't really see my flight path and would be simply guessing.  This is a bad thing in drone flying since not having visual sight of your drone typically results in a crash.  It would have NOT been recoverable either, so I opted for the safe route.

When you travel, we are all guilty of sometimes trying to simply to get A to B as quickly and efficiently as possible.  Sometimes we go as far as to brag about saving time on our journey.  However, its experiences like this that remind me to enjoy the trip.  The destination is important, but the journey is half the adventure!