Hike to Denny Cove Falls: A Hidden Gem

Intro

Looking for a Tennessee hidden gem?  Look no further than Denny Cove Falls!  This waterfall is tucked away in South Cumberland State Park and makes the perfect quick hike to a waterfall.

This picturesque waterfall is more than just a simple out and back hike, it’s a full-on adventure!

“Why?” you ask.  

Because before you even reach the trailhead you need two things in order to see Denny Cove Falls.

1. Recent Rain
2. To Drive down an unpaved and pot-hole-filled road

So the adventure begins before you even start out on the trail!

But I’ll get to more of this in a minute.  First, let’s discuss where Denny Cove Falls is.

Location

Located in South Cumberland State Park, Denny Cove Falls requires driving on a rough road and a 3 mile (round trip) hike to access the base of the falls.  

Denny Cove Falls is a 40 minute drive west of Chattanooga, TN and about 1 hour and 45 minutes southeast of Nashville, TN.  Basically, this hike and waterfall is the perfect Tennessee day trip destination!

It’s also less than 10 minutes from Foster Falls (read more here), so you can easily pop over there to extend your day trip.

Parking

So we know where Denny Cove is, but what about parking?  

As previously stated, you will have to drive down a dirt road to reach the Denny Cove Trailhead, but trust me, it’s worth it.  Getting there is the first half of this adventure!

As Denny Cove is also a popular place for rock climbers, the parking lot is called Denny Cove Climbers Parking.  You can either type that into Google Maps, or click the link above and Google Maps will lead you right there.  

Denny Cove Waterfall Trail

The trail to Denny Cove Falls begins right at the back of this parking lot and now the second half of your adventure has begun.  

This walk in the woods is fairly easy with only a few sections of stairs to get your heart pumping.  

The Denny Cove Waterfall Trail is an out-and-back trail with excellent trail markers.  Because this trail is so easy to follow, it’s perfect for beginners.  

The slight elevation gain and the beautiful view at the end will give any new hiker the perfect taste of what hiking can bring into your life.  But for those experienced hikers, you can complete this trail in about an hour.  

Anyway, as you follow the markers on the trees, you will begin by hiking gently downhill.  This trail is almost entirely downhill, with a last big push up to the falls at the end.  

Unfortunately, this means your hike back to your car will be mostly uphill.  But I’m here to console you by telling you the elevation on this trail is mostly gentle, albeit a bit rocky.  

But before you get started, let’s discuss what you’ll be hiking to get to Denny Cove Falls.  

Trail Stats

• 3 miles out and back
• 400 feet of elevation gain

The Hike: What to Expect

Once you’ve started on this trail, you’ll start downhill.  This first section is a bit odd because you aren’t in a field, but you’re also not quite in the woods at first either.  You will cross over another trail and continue towards the woods.

Once in the woods, you will continue downhill and walk past what is called “Mini Denny Cove Falls” which you can either choose to stop and see or you can continue onto the real deal.  (We chose to skip this).

Deeper and deeper into the woods you will walk and jagged cliff faces will rise above you to your left.  This is a popular rock climbing spot so you might get lucky and see some braver-than-me people ascending the rocky walls.

The further you walk, the rockier the trail becomes.  It’s so rocky you find yourself hardly touching dirt, and essentially rock hopping in parts.  A creek is flowing to your right.  And as the water becomes louder, you are getting closer to the falls.  Keep going!

There are a few sections of stone stairs as you make your way to Denny Cove Falls, but before you know it you will come to the steepest part of the trail.

This steep section is made up of stone steps but as you ascend them, you will catch your first glimpse of the lower falls until you finally reach the main waterfall.   

The Falls

Once you have reached the lower section of falls, you can take a photo here to capture the whole essence of the waterfall and how far it truly stretches.  

But you’ll most definitely want to keep climbing and get to the base of the most impressive part of Denny Cove Falls.  

The pool that is at the base of the falls is shallow and surrounded by Tennessee’s signature rocks.  We took a few pictures here and enjoyed the serene waterfall that is perfectly tucked away.  This hidden gem can really only be enjoyed after a decent amount of rain, and we were fortunate enough to come just 2 days after a heavy rain storm.  

Exit: Back to the Truck

Once we had had our fill of Denny Cove Falls, we headed back the way we came.  The steep section of the trail that we took up to the falls now feels significantly easier on the way down!

After that steep descending section, the trail is slightly uphill the whole way back to the parking lot.  It didn’t take us very long to hike back to our truck and enjoy the seat warmer before we drove home.  

Final Thoughts

Denny Cove Falls is the perfect hidden gem in the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee.  The picturesque creek below the trail and rugged cliff faces above it make for a beautiful hike.  But the biggest payoff comes at the end of the trail in the form of an alluring waterfall.  

This easy out and back trail is perfect for beginner and experienced hikers alike.  So head on out to South Cumberland State Park and get hiking!

As always, if you have any questions about the trail, or need help planning a trip here, feel free to reach out at averagewildexperience@gmail.com 

Happy Hiking!