Hiking to Greeter Falls Tennessee: Short and Unique

Intro

Greeter Falls Tennessee is not only beautiful and serene, the trail is short and unique!  Here’s why.

The stunning blue water and the cascading falls are obviously picturesque.  But how often do you get to hike down a spiral staircase to reach a waterfall?  Because you do when hiking to Greeter Falls!

This short and unique hike leads you to one of Tennessee’s most stunning waterfalls, and with the well maintained trail, this hike is a must-do in my book!  

Oh, and who could forget there is another waterfall along this trail!  Boardtree Falls is just downstream of Greeter Falls.  So with 2 waterfalls on a 1.2 mile loop, what are you waiting for!?

But let’s start with “where is Greeter Falls Tennessee?”, because this beautiful state is so much more than just Downtown Nashville!

Location

Greeter Falls is located in Savage Gulf State Park which is 1 hour and 40 minutes southeast of Nashville, TN and 1 hour and 15 minutes northwest of Chattanooga, TN.  In other words, kind of in the middle of nowhere.  

But if you are anywhere in middle or east Tennessee, Greeter Falls is definitely worth taking a day trip to enjoy this beautiful waterfall.  

Parking

Greeter Falls Tennessee is part of Savage Gulf State Park, but was once part of South Cumberland State Park.  Yes, this can be confusing.  

So instead of leaving you to your own devices, Here is where you should park.  The trail begins at the edge of this parking lot.  

So simply click that link, and Google Maps will lead you right to the perfect parking location.  

The Trail

Now that you know where to park, the trail to Greeter Falls Tennessee begins at the back of the parking lot.  

This trail is beautiful and so well maintained you can hike it in less than an hour if you are on a time crunch.  But if you are like me and my husband, then you’ll definitely be spending some time enjoying the beauty of the falls.  

Trail Stats

• 1.2 mile loop
• 260 feet of elevation gain

Trail Details: What to Expect

Once you get on the trail, it begins with a gradual decline towards a junction.  You’ll see a sign where the trail splits and you want to head to the left, where the sign points.

Here is where the trail becomes beautiful.  

As you descend on well maintained wooden stairs, cliffs of jagged rock are towering above your head.  Soon you will come to the metal spiral staircase that is pictured above.  This beautiful old staircase is completely safe, but be warned, it is slippery when wet.  

Once you reach the bottom of the stairs, the sound of the waterfall leads you down to the banks of the base of the falls.  2 more sets of stairs and you’re there: the base of Greeter Falls Tennessee!

I highly recommend going after a strong rain, because this waterfall is simply gorgeous!

This is a popular hike on any given day so I recommend doing this hike first thing in the morning.  Especially in the summer!  Greeter Falls Tennessee is a popular swimming hole and can get crowded quickly.  

Once you have had your fill of Greeter Falls, you have two choices.  You can turn around and head back to the car.  Or you can continue onto Boardtree Falls.  

Can you guess what I did?

Continuing to Boardtree Falls

The trail is easy to follow as it continues in a loop.  You will descend for a few hundred feet before climbing up again.  As you head towards Boardtree Falls, the trail is mostly dirt with a few rocks along the way.  

Finally you’ll come to the falls.  You approach from below until you are on level ground with the base of the falls.  

While Boardtree is not quite as impressive as Greeter Falls Tennessee, it is still beautiful.  This waterfall is less obvious and more tucked away, giving it a peaceful quality compared to the drama of Greeter.  

Once you have reached Boardtree Falls, you will complete the loop and head back to your car.  And I hope you loved this hike as much as I did!

Final Thoughts

Greeter Falls Tennessee is not only stunning, but the short, beautiful and unique hike along the way makes this a Tennessee Must-Do Hike.  

The extra waterfalls on the trail just makes it all that more special and you definitely want to check out this trail after a hard rain.  

In need of a hiking backpack checklist!? Look no further than my Freebie!

As always, if you have further questions, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]

Happy Hiking!