Not only is Upper Piney Falls a beautiful waterfall you can walk behind, it’s also perfect for a summer swim.
Upper Piney Falls is one of my favorite places to explore in the Tennessee outdoors. If you haven’t seen it for yourself yet, there’s nothing quite like it. You can explore the creek above where the waterfall is sourced. And you can enjoy a swim at the bottom after walking behind the waterfall. Keep reading to learn more about this amazing spot and tips for your trip.
Which Piney Falls?
There are actually two waterfalls here at the Piney Falls State Natural Area. However, you can only access the top of Lower Piney Falls. Upper Piney Falls can be seen from the top and the bottom, making it a more enjoyable experience.
How to Access Upper Piney Falls
I suggest arriving early to enjoy the serenity of this place. From the trail head, continue to the first junction. Here you will go left on the loop trail to the waterfall. Going right leads to the top of Upper Piney Falls. Which also continues in a loop trail down to the bottom of the waterfall. However, this route is more treacherous. Unless you’re up for an adventurous challenge of rock climbing down to the base, I suggest going left to access the waterfall in a much easier manner.
Now that you’ve gone left at the junction, you’ll soon reach another junction where you can slowly descend the steep trail to the left to go to Lower Piney Falls. Stay straight to continue to Upper Piney Falls instead. Again, you can only see the top of Lower Piney Falls so it’s not the biggest attraction here. Just wait till you see Upper Piney Falls from the bottom!
Fair warning, a little ways after this junction, the trail appears to veer down to the left. Do not go this way! I made this mistake…twice. I hate to admit it, but it’s such a painfully obvious mistake to make. The trail actually continues to the right, practically hugging the rock face until you arrive at the base of Upper Piney Falls.
Swimming at Upper Piney Falls
As you round the corner you’ll see and hear the rushing beauty of Upper Piney Falls. And the best part? You can walk behind this waterfall! It’s such a surreal experience that never gets old. This is why this place is one of my absolute favorite spots to spend the day outside.
But it doesn’t end there. At the bottom is a great swimming hole. Granted, my friend and I did not go swimming fully on this day, but we did watch many others do so. Some jumped in right beside where the waterfall lands. While others started by wading in slowly and swimming towards it. There are a few different ways to safely get down into the water and enjoy its refreshment on a hot summer day.
Additional Tips for a Swim at Upper Piney Falls
You’ll notice by the photo below that the water is a dirty, brown color. This is due to all the rain we had received prior to this day. More rain in the summer means better waterfalls. Yay! But it also means murky, brown swimming holes. Not so yay! If it hasn’t rained recently, I believe Upper Piney Falls will slow down to more of a trickle. But the swimming hole at the bottom will be a prettier, green color. Unfortunately, it’s hard to have the best of both worlds. Personally, I prefer the brown swimming hole with a nice waterfall to a green swimming hole with no waterfall. Don’t let the brown water scare you. It’s just dirt being stirred up after having been settled for a while at the bottom of the creek. Ultimately, the water is still fairly clear, and you can see the bottom in the shallow spots.
And in the photos below this, you’ll see that there are snakes here in the summer. But once again, don’t let that scare you. It’s common to see snakes anywhere in Tennessee in the summertime. And most of the time they don’t bother you. This one we saw seemed interested in us. But I think that was because we were the only ones wading in the swimming hole at the time and most commotion had died down. Soon after we left, we saw a family down there swimming near where that snake had been. I’m pretty sure it steered clear of them because there were numerous people splashing about. If you have the place to yourself, just be cautious. But if there’s other people jumping in, snakes will probably be in hiding elsewhere and not be of a concern to you.
Hiking to the Top of Upper Piney Falls
Before you leave for the day, I suggest taking the quick jaunt over to see the source of Upper Piney Falls. Once you hike back up from the bottom, you’ll eventually reach that first junction again. Here you can turn right to go back to your vehicle or continue straight to see the top of the waterfall. It’s a very short and easy hike to the creek. And it’s such a neat experience to look down at where you were and remember the hike it took to get up here. The trail continues over the creek where it eventually loops back down to the base of Upper Piney Falls. But like I said earlier, this route is only for the adventure-seekers. I have yet to try this way myself.
Location Tips
The trailhead is located directly to the right of the parking area for the Piney Falls State Natural Area. Even though the parking area is small, you can carefully park on the side of the road if it’s full. This place is big enough for everyone without feeling too crowded. I’ve been here twice now and was pleasantly surprised both times by how few people I saw on the trails compared to the number of vehicles parked here.
Closing Thoughts
The beauty of this place must be seen for yourself as it does not translate well to words, photos, or even video. But I have tried to share it the best I can here in this post as well as in video from that day.
Also, on your way out, as you pass by Spring City, grab dinner at Ayala’s Grill, a Mexican restaurant right on Front Street. And if you’re lucky, a train might go by right out front while you’re eating. Or if you’d rather have Italian or American fare, try Winstead’s American Grill across the street. I have tried both restaurants and appreciate being able to eat local while out exploring.
Until next time, enjoy what’s left of summer while exploring Chatt.
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