We had a milestone birthday this past December and I knew I wanted to spend it someplace special. We decided to take a family trip to Tennessee and I knew I wanted to visit Fall Creek Falls State Park. I had been to this park at least two other times and there was one trail I had always wanted to hike, but never had gotten the chance to.

The Cable Trail is an extremely strenuous and rugged trail that is only .1 miles in length. What makes this trail so difficult is you basically have to scale the side of a cliff while holding onto a cable to guide you down. While this trail is very difficult, it is worth the reward at the end. Please use extreme caution if you choose to hike this trail.

The trail starts out near the Nature Center on the Paw Paw Trail. The trail crosses Rockhouse Creek on a wooden bridge. Where the trail T’s at the top of the staircase, turn left to find the sign for the Cable Trail.

I actually really enjoyed hiking this trail, but you must use extreme caution. The rocks can be slippery when wet. There is one part closer to the top where it is a sheer drop down to the next level and unfortunately the cable is out of reach. This part truly felt like rock climbing more than hiking. While the below picture doesn’t look too bad…this is the hardest part of the trail and the picture doesn’t really capture the difficulty. It was so much fun though!

After this part, the trail get a bit easier as you scramble over the rocks and down to the bottom of the gorge.

Once at the bottom you are surrounded by two waterfalls! Rockhouse Falls is to your left and Cane Creek Falls is directly in front of you. We had this area to ourselves and the views were amazing! I took some time to reflect and think about the next decade ahead of me 🙂

To return, you have to go back up the same way you came down; there is no other option. I actually thought going up was easier than going down.

I did take Ellie on this trail. She was easy to navigate since she is so small, but we did have some difficulty navigating our larger dog, Adlai.

After making it back to the top we walked behind the Nature Center and crossed the suspension bridge that spans Cane Creek. Previously when I had been here, the bridge had been closed. We made about a 1.5 mile loop by hiking the Overlook Trail and part of the Woodland Trail counterclockwise.

After crossing the bridge, the Woodland Trail climbs a set of stairs. After a short distance, the Overlook Trail spurs off to the right. The best part of this trail is the first overlook which gives you a view of Cane Creek Falls and Rockhouse Falls from a different angle! So majestic!

It was neat being able to see these two waterfalls from below via the Cable Trail and then from above on this trail! We completed the loop and headed back to the parking lot. Be sure to also check out the Betty Dunn Nature Center and Gift Shop!

All in all, this was a unforgettable birthday! I am so glad I got to spend it in nature! Nature sure has a way of refreshing the soul. Here’s to many more hikes and adventures in the upcoming years!