Rutledge Falls is a privately owned waterfall located in Tullahoma. The owners graciously let visitors hike to the waterfall. They have placed a sign at the beginning of the trail with rules for visiting the waterfall. The 40 foot waterfall was featured in “Hannah Montana: The Movie.”
Parking for the waterfall is right near the trail entrance across the road from Rutledge Falls Baptist Church (1289 Rutledge Falls Rd, Tullahoma, TN 37388). Cars are only permitted in the designated area. After parking our car we headed to the trailhead and read the sign. There is a fence right alongside the parking area. Follow the fence to the beginning of the trail. There is a sign at the beginning of the trail with the waterfall rules listed: stay on the trail, no littering, hike at your own risk and not to remove anything from the area. The trail is open year-round and is open from dawn to dusk. Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash.
Depending on which path you take to the waterfall it is between a 0.3-0.5 mile hike round trip with an elevation gain of 22 feet. The trail to the overlook of the waterfall is easy. You just stay on the main trail and it leads to an overlook of the waterfall. If you want to get to the base of the waterfall you’ll need to climb down and over a few rocks. This is a little difficult. My teenager had no problems getting down to the base, but my youngest was unable to go down.
There is an easier trail if you want to go to the base of the waterfall. There is a small trail that branches off to the left (heading toward the home before you reach the statue) for a gradual hike down to the riverbed. From there you can easily walk back upstream to the bottom of the falls.
The base of Rutledge Falls is a good swimming hole with clear water, however it is very cold. If you want to go into the water I’d recommend bringing water shoes because the area around the water can be sharp and slippery.
Just above the waterfall is the “Lady of the Falls” statue, which originally resided at the state capital grounds. During a renovation it was removed and scheduled for destruction. Permission was given to save one of the statues and placed at the top of Rutledge Falls where it stands just above the waterfall.
We visited on a weekday shortly after breakfast and had the waterfall to ourselves. This waterfall is popular and gets very busy, especially on hot summer days or the weekend so try to visit on a weekday or first thing in the morning if you want to avoid the crowds.
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