The Western Waterfalls
The Natchez Trace waterfalls are fun, short stops!
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but West TN just doesn’t have any waterfalls that I know of. Even in the Nashville area, I am 1.5 hours away from most of the places I want to visit. But, Jackson Falls and Fall Hollow Falls on the Natchez Trace Parkway are fairly close to me, and the closest waterfalls available to much of the Western part of the state.
These falls are very impacted by weather and rain. During the winter, and when there hasn’t been a lot of rain, there isn’t a whole lot to see here, although they are always nice. My most recent trip was after the large amount of random rain that caused the catastrophic flooding just a few counties away.
I usually hit Jackson Falls first. Unlike most waterfalls, it is a paved path down to the waterfall, however it is steep. I would not say that it is accessible for people with limitations as there are steps, and again, it is steep! There isn’t an overlook-it is either go to the bottom or nothing. I find that it is hard to get down into this fall and get wet, but the way it is laid out, you can get really close from the side. I like that it is two layers of falls, and one of these days I am going to find the trail to the very top.
Sharon went with me on this trip. Sharon likes hiking, not just waterfalls, so we did the hike from Jackson Falls to the scenic overlook at Baker Bluff. It is about 1 mile. All Trails says 1 mile each way, but I thought the signage at the park was different. It felt like 10. There were a lot of bugs, and there wasn’t much to see. I hope Sharon enjoyed that because I am not throwing her another bone anytime soon! Another note on Jackson Falls-there are restrooms, but they have been closed since COVID started. Let me just say, it is time to reopen the restrooms. They have been closed since March 2020 when I took this picture of Thomas.
Next stop was Fall Hollow Falls, about 15 miles down the Trace. Now this was the highlight of the day! There was great flow at both falls there. There is an overlook that is fairly easy and close. For more adventure of course, you can take the short, but steep and rocky trail down to the bottom area, which takes you to both falls. Unlike Jackson, which is a cascading falls, the main attraction at Fall Hollow is a plunge waterfall. Well, there is a cascade at the very top, but really, the plunge is where it is at. You can get behind the falls, and the pool is fairly shallow.
It is small, so I would not call this a great swimming hole. It is great though for some pictures and just to enjoy the flow of the water.
The other falls, is a cascade, and also pretty cool. There is a path from the bottom of one to the bottom of the other. The other falls really doesn’t have a place to play or enjoy the water. I took this picture of Sharon, and I am pretty sure I captured her aura!
Both falls are a fairly quick visit. If you want to stretch the day, consider visiting Stillhouse Hollow Falls the same day. It is about 30 minutes south of Fall Hallow. We will cover that on a future blog entry! Have fun!