Cummins Falls Trail is a 3 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Cookeville, Tennessee that features a waterfall and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
A Gorge Access Permit is required to visit the base of the waterfall. Caution: this trail can become extremely dangerous during wet weather and is subject to closure. If rain is in the forecast, avoid the area. Flash flooding can occur. Check with the ranger for weather conditions before proceeding or check alerts here: https://tnstateparks.com/parks/cummins-falls This swimming spot is a local favorite of Jackson and Putnam counties. It is a rugged and steep trail that is NOT for small children. At a point, you will need to cross the river so, water shoes are recommended. For safety reasons, do not cross the river if water is higher than your knees.
January 26, 2021rained heavy the day before so we couldn't hit the river trail but it was a fine stop
January 26, 2021Very nice trail. Well marked through out. When you get to the bottom, you have to cross the river at least 2 times to get closer to the falls. 2 times while coming back. You could do it with one crossing too. But crossing the river cannot be avoided as far as I could tell. Overall, it was a very thrilling experience. The water was cold but getting to the base of the falls up close was totally worth it.
January 25, 2021Awesome trail. Be prepared to cross the river at least twice.
January 24, 2021January 24, 2021Very beautiful area, but you have to go through the river and have a permit to go to the gorge.
January 24, 2021It was a little wet and slick but beautiful!
January 17, 2021Beautiful, peaceful in January. Waded the creek to get to the falls. There wasn’t any other option and I wanted to see the base.
December 30, 2020December 29, 2020Nice short trail. Only moderate once you get next to the creek. It was too cold for us to get wet to get to the bottom of the falls.
December 28, 2020The falls were gorgeous. The hike was equally beautiful.
December 27, 2020December 23, 2020December 21, 2020Coming in winter is the way to go. Unless you have monkey toes like my brother and can scale a slippery rock wall, you’re going to get wet crossing the river. But there is no one out here, we had the falls all to ourselves, so it’s totally worth it.
December 12, 2020One of my favorites! It’s was challenging in all the best ways. Lots of different terrain and great incline. Get ready to swim a bit when you get to the bottom. You need a permit to swim which can be purchased on the Cummins falls website. The swim was gorgeous. Reminded me of hiking in Fiji and Brazil! The whole area is enveloped in green!
December 9, 2020Great little hike
December 6, 2020November 28, 2020November 28, 2020Great falls, but part of the trail was washed out with the high water.
November 23, 2020November 21, 2020Is a little challenging climbing over big rocks to get down to the bottom of the waterfall but it was worth it!
November 14, 2020Fun trail, beautiful waterfall, and while not strenuous a lot of rock scrambling. Bring water shoes or a pair of socks to change for after and make sure to collect a permit in advance
November 14, 2020Perfect fall day and a small crowd. Fun trail, but definitely bring your water shoes to enjoy it to the fullest.
November 10, 2020Really rocky
November 8, 2020You can jump off the first shelf of the falls, which is super fun! Giant falls that are gorgeous to look at. Steep hike down and back up but it's short. Then you have a hike to the falls which is through the river and over rocks. Overall, a great hike and a wonderful place to spend the day at! You do need a permit to go down now though, but it's fairly cheap and easy to access online. One of our top favorite falls!
