Tips:
"Virgin Falls is the crown jewel of the Virgin Falls Pocket Wilderness and, some say, Scott's Gulf. A torrent of water exits a cave at the top and plunges 110 feet to disappear into the cold, dark depths of yet another cave. The steep sinkhole the water enters is very prominent and provides an excellent vantage point to enjoy the view. In addition there are several camping spots nearby, so one can literally camp across from the falls. Early settlers in this area made good use of this natural resource. For many years there was a mill in operation in the sinkhole. As late as 1979 you could still see one of the original mill stones lying where it had been set, over 100 years before" GeoCaches in the Area http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.aspx?lat=35.8437&lon=-85.308733
"Virgin Falls is the crown jewel of the Virgin Falls Pocket Wilderness and, some say, Scott's Gulf. A torrent of water exits a cave at the top and plunges 110 feet to disappear into the cold, dark depths of yet another cave. The steep sinkhole the water enters is very prominent and provides an excellent vantage point to enjoy the view. In addition there are several camping spots nearby, so one can literally camp across from the falls. Early settlers in this area made good use of this natural resource. For many years there was a mill in operation in the sinkhole. As late as 1979 you could still see one of the original mill stones lying where it had been set, over 100 years before" GeoCaches in the Area http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.aspx?lat=35.8437&lon=-85.308733
Comments (7)
I live a hour from this place and been researching it for sometime now and plan to go on a 2 day backpacking trip in october
by hike4dad on Sep 16, 2012
This is an awesome hike, but it is strenuous.The signs that says it is at least 6 hours are right. Several groups of hikers have been lost on this trail this year and have required search and rescue. Many of the trail signs that appear in photos on this report are either no longer there or are misleading as the route of the trail has changed slightly over the years. Also the caged ladders no longer exist. The trail is a wilderness trail that is narrow, rocky, rooty and generally not maintained. The first 1.25 miles are good trail but after that it degrades rapidly. In spite of this, do not expect to be alone on this trail on weekends. Frequently fifty or more people will be at Virgin Falls.
by TNTrekker on Oct 10, 2011
I just got back from this hike today! I had a great time and heard and saw so many animals! While camping I heard some frightening sounding big cat devour some unfortunate smaller animal, saw a few raccoons, and a skunk. Though the hike and camp were nice, the trails were so poorly marked that I was often confused (though I think they all flowed in about the same direction to near the same points.) Footing was precarious nearly the entire way so be prepared. Also, do NOT googlemap Virgin Falls Wilderness Area, Sparta, TN because they will take you some back way that you cannot access unless you are driving an off road vehicle. Our poor sedan barely made it. We will not come that way again. I enjoyed everything but next time we will go a different way (Scott's Gap??) and give us more time. Two days just weren't enough!
by lizbee on Oct 18, 2010
Update! Went to the trail on a mostly rainy day and thank goodness because it was harsh on me. I should of brought running shoes instead of open end track sandles. I was hurting and low on water. Started 8AM and finished at 7PM barely making it back. The streams and cave had almost no water flowing and the virgin falls had also light water coming down, nevertheless, the views where splendid. This was in mid July. I still highly recommended just be prepare with plenty of water and confortable shoes and if possible carry an trail gps because some areas are confusing and unmarked. My gps saved me from spending the night in the woods with the wolves.
by prmass1 on Aug 18, 2010
I was planning to spend two days in the smoky mountain nat'l park but this trail won me over. I think I will sacrifice one of those days for this. I will bring my new etrex gps with me. Thanks for this beautiful website. Its well put together.
by prmass1 on Apr 07, 2010
I'm bringing a group of flatlanders from West Tennessee to experience Virgin Falls ten days from now. Maybe I shouldn't show them the elevation profile before we go. :-)
by bitbrain on Dec 30, 2009
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