Cummins Falls

Located 8 miles away from Cookeville, Cummins Falls is the eighth largest waterfall in volume. This 75 foot waterfall, on the Blackburn Fork State Scenic River on the Eastern Highland Rim, is one of the most accessible waterfalls in Tennessee.

The easy all access to view Cummins Falls is from the overlook. ADA access to the overlook is available upon request including a handicapped parking space or rental of an all-terrain wheelchair (available for adults and children). While you can request accommodations on arrival, it is best if you call ahead (park office phone number 931-268-7223) to make sure there will be one available when you arrive. However, the overlook still has a great view of this magnificent waterfall.

Heading to the Waterfall

Cummins Falls State Park has a large parking lot, with some paved and some grassy.  Yet still, when we got there, the parking lot was full, and the grass overflow parking areas were in use. Luckily it has several of those as well.

Upon entering we saw a sign stating the weather conditions (gorge access is only permitted on fair-weather days). There was a ranger checking to see if people needed to purchase their gorge permit, which is required to go to the base of the waterfall (more information on this available below). Since this was a last minute change of plans and we were short on time, we took the short and easy overlook trail, which is less than a mile round trip. This trail is free and does not require a permit.

Keep heading straight past the Visitor Center and you’ll see the entrance to the trail on your left. There are a couple of directions you can go to take you to the overlook, but eventually they all reach the same place.

It was a little slippery on the trail after the recent rain, but not too bad. You’ll come to some stairs that take you down to a gravel road. Keep following the road and you’ll see a parking space on the right for handicap parking (check with a park ranger if you need ADA access) with a paved walkway that takes you to the overlook.

Off to the left is the overlook. There is a large platform where you can look down into the gorge and see Cummins Falls. Cummins Falls has two sections. The first has a plunge drop of 50 feet, that ends in a shallow pool. The second part cascades another 25 feet into a large, deep swimming hole. Cummins Falls has been voted one of the ten best swimming holes in the entire country, and when we were there, we saw many families using it for this purpose. Once you have viewed the falls return the way you came.

Going to the Base of Cummins Falls

If you want to view Cummins Falls from the base it will require a permit, which costs $6 per person. These usually sell out a week in advance during the summer months. This trail is not recommended for children 5 and under. The permit has many safety rules including: children under 12 must wear a life jacket and be supervised by an adult, no alcohol, no coolers, no glass and no pool floats.

The state park website lists the gorge trail as strenuous and is only permitted on fair-weather days (due to the area being prone to flash flooding). The gorge area closes at 5:00 PM in-season. Dogs are permitted, but required to be on a leash. There are two routes that descend into the gorge. One is one mile and the other is 1.5 miles. Both routes are steep with uneven terrain and have significant elevation drops. Once you descend to the river, the majority of the hike is spent either climbing over rocks or wading through the water.

Amenities

Cummins Falls State Park has restroom facilities and a water fountain. When we visited there was a bowl on the ground by the water fountain for dogs to drink from. There is also an information center and gift shop.

History of Cummins Falls

Cummins Falls and all of the land that is now Cummins Falls State Park was previously owned by the Cummins Family from 1825 until it was purchased by The Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation in 2011.

Upstream of the falls, John Cummins built the first of two water powered mills in 1825 on Blackburn Fork. Around the mill a small settlement was developed by workers and their families including a general store and a blacksmith shop. A few year later a post office and telephone exchange also operated there. In 1929, the mill was destroyed by a massive flood and was never rebuilt.

After opening to the public in 2012, there was a high number of drowning deaths at Cummins Falls State Park due to the gorge’s unpredictability of flash flooding, even during minor rain.  The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation created the new access permit in 2019 to monitor the number visitors entering the gorge. The park also added signage, safety information on their website and a safety education video for public viewing at the trailhead before beginning the hike down. New systems were also put in place to monitor the real-time weather, water levels and they have created refuge areas staffed by rangers in case of an emergency or evacuation.

Nearby Waterfalls

There are several waterfalls that are near Cummins Falls. The closest are in the Cookeville area – Burgess Falls (which has four separate waterfalls on this trail, ending with Burgess),  City Lake Falls and Waterloo Falls. You also have several in the Sparta area – Rock Island State Park (with Twin Falls, Great Falls, Badger Flat Falls and Blue Hole Falls) and Lost Creek Falls.