If you’re tired of the overcrowded trails and find typical hikes in the Chattanooga area too easy, then I’ve got a hike for you. The Prater Place Trail offers a vertical challenge with steep climbs and descents along with waterfalls and caves. Keep reading to learn more about the Prater Place Trail so you can make the most out of your visit.
Prater Place Trail
Prater Place Trail is an out and back trail located in Spencer, TN. This 6 mile round trip hike features multiple creek crossings, some wet and some dry, as well as hidden caves. The trail is also part of the Fall Creek Falls State Park and is the northernmost trail in the park. Here’s the Fall Creek Falls trail map. The highlight of the trail is Hemlock Falls, located at the end of the trail 3 miles back. What makes this hike challenging is all the elevation gain and loss. Starting at the bottom things appear to be easy. But after about a mile into the hike you’ll find a ridge looming before and the trail goes straight up it. At the peak of the ridge are pretty views and soon you’ll go back down again. There’s another uphill climb before going back down again and reaching Hemlock Falls.
There’s numerous creek crossings along this trail. When we went it had not rained for a week. There were dry creeks, including the large one you cross in the very beginning full of river rocks. But there are also wet creeks that can be challenging to cross if you intend to keep your shoes dry. Along the topic of keeping shoes dry, the trail is also riddled with muddy patches. Some are easy to avoid while other require passing straight through them. I would highly suggest wearing waterproof boots on this hike if it’s wet season (late winter/early spring).
Hemlock Falls
Hemlock Falls is at the end of Prater Place Trail. I’ve been told in the past that it doesn’t flow during the dryer months. However, based on my visit, I would guess that it does flow in the dry months, but not nearly as much as you see here. Again, this is just my speculation, I don’t know for sure as this was the first time I visited. Also note that it was rainy season when I hiked here.
When you get to the Hemlock Falls sign, you’ll notice there appears to be a trail that goes past the falls. I don’t believe this is an actual trail you’re supposed to go down though. It quickly turns into soft forest floor instead of hard-packed cleared trail. While we were there though, we went down it and so many other people did as well. It just takes you up stream of the waterfall and we didn’t go too far before we turned around and headed back towards the trailhead. The last photo below is of the upstream section.
Hidden Caves
While on our Prater Place Trail hike we learned about the caves from a local hiker. He was headed back down the trail and told us that you can see some caves at the base of the waterfalls along the trail. In order to really see these caves though, you’ll have to hike off-trail down to them. On the steep ridge side, this did not feel like a safe or smart thing to do so we did not attempt this. Besides, unless there’s a clear trail, it’s never a good idea to stray off-trail.
On the other hand, there’s a hidden cave he told us about that’s closer to the trailhead. There’s a jut-off trail on the right side of Prater Place Trail. It’s perpendicular to the trail and there’s a “no camping” sign posted beside it. This trail will take you to cross the large, dried-out creek bed. On the other side you’ll see wooden reinforcements holding up the hillside (picture below). Climb up the trail along these reinforcements and soon you’ll see the cave below. The trail continues down to the mouth of the cave. We did not want to venture down closer than the photo below, but people have been known to go inside. I would not suggest doing this as it could be very dangerous. And I definitely do not recommend going here alone. Since it’s more of an “off-trail” section, there won’t be much traffic this way if something were to happen and you need help. But if you have people with you, it’s well worth checking out on your hike down the Prater Place Trail.
Other Info
Below is a map of the trail we took. The purple ends at Hemlock Falls and the red is the jut-off to see the hidden cave.
That’s about all I have for you on the Prater Place Trail. Here is the exact location of the Prater Place trailhead. And be sure to watch the video of our hike. Comment down below if you’ve been to this place or if you’re excited to check it out for the first time. Until next time, have fun exploring Chatt!
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