Great Falls is one of the easiest waterfalls you’ll ever view. Great Falls is a 30 foot horseshoe cascading waterfall, which is located below the 19th century cotton textile mill that it powered over 100 years ago. Great Falls is visible from an overlook located at the end of a parking lot. It is a series of waterfalls that are fanned out, which resemble many smaller waterfalls are rolled into one really wide one. The view from the overlook is fantastic.
You can also walk to the left of the falls about 200′ and you’ll come across a trail that switches back and forth to the lower area where you can see some cascades and other falls that are hard to see from the upper vantage point. When we went, all the trails leading toward the gorge were closed, however people were still bypassing the warning signs and entering anyway. The website at that time was listing that the dam would be spilling until further notice. Please note that the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) controls the dam that feeds water into Great Falls and the gorge, so you’ll want to check the schedule to see if it is safe to go into the area. The gorge is closed when you see strobe lights flashing. Horns are sounded before water is released from the powerhouses, sluiceway or spillways. When you hear these horns, leave the areas upstream and downstream of the dam immediately.
For TVA’s generation schedule and more information on the Great Falls Dam please visit: http://www.tva.gov/lakes/gfh_r.htm
Leave a Reply