Tennessee State Parks Trip for $314

In the past, I shared travel inspiration with a series on my Instagram called “Sunday Saves.” Many times, there are plenty of spots I save just for myself. Over the last few years I saved a ton of hiking spots in Tennessee. As I was planning out my summer vacation, I realized that many of these spots were pretty close together and I could visit multiple places I had saved! I chose to do this trip in 3 days, but I think you could easily extend it and hit more hiking spots as well. This trip was unique in that it was also my first solo camping trip. In the past, I had borrowed some equipment from friends, but since I was by myself, there were many items I stocked up with at the last minute before I left. This did add to my overall costs, but I now have all the camping items I need and have used them several times! 

Lodging:

There are not a ton of lodging areas in middle Tennessee. So to save money and find a central location, I utilized Rock Island State Park as my base and stayed at campsite 51. I wish I was a little farther down from the bathroom as I could hear the door slam every time someone used it late at night. However, this campground is well populated, so I felt safe as a solo traveler and it has all the basic necessities with a camp store right outside the park for last minute items. 

Cummins Falls State Park:

This was the first state park on my list to visit for this trip. I chose this state park for their beautiful stunning waterfall. They do require that you can get a pass to access the bottom of it, so I checked their website at 8am before I left and booked my tickets. Unfortunately, when I got there 3 and a half hours later they said it was closed due to weather. Eventually,  they did refund me in the end since their website changed so quickly.

Falls Overlook Trail to the Blackburn Fork River Trail:

It was a little less than a mile and took me around 25 minutes to complete. My recommendation is – unless you know the weather is going to be fantastic, wait to book your gorge pass until the last minute!

Burgess Falls State Park

After a quick thirty minute drive south, I was at my next destination – Burgess Falls State Park. It has two main areas to explore, the regular state park and the Windows Cliffs area. The Windows Cliff area is about 8 miles away from the main park. Also, Burgess Falls State Park has zero social media/website updates so if there is a large rainfall you can either assume they will be closed or drive out to the locations to see. 

Window’s Cliff:

I tried going to the Window’s Cliffs area first, but sadly due to the weather, it was also closed. The Window’s Cliff trail is a 5.3 mile out and back moderate trail. It features a waterfall and is open year round. Something to note, dogs are not permitted on this trail. 

River Trail: 

Since the Window’s Cliff trail was closed, I went back to the regular start park area and enjoyed my walk along the River Trail. The River Trail was 1.3 miles out and back and took me around 40 minutes to complete. You do get to see two beautiful waterfalls along the way! 

Virgin Falls

The entrance to this trailhead is down a gravel/dirt road and this hike was one of the most strenuous trails I have done in quite some time. Make sure you bring plenty of water as it is rated as strenuous and for good reason. Virgin Falls starts with a descent into this beautiful forest.  As I hiked to the final falls, there were plenty of small waterfalls and even  an interesting looking waterhole on the trail that I tried to go down because there was a rope, but it was very slippery and I didn’t trust the rope so I decided against it. I decided to wait to jump into the water until I reached Virgin Falls to reward myself after a long hike!  My recommendation is to bring a good pair of hiking boots, waterproof shoes, a towel and a change of clothes to enjoy this hike to the fullest.

After enjoying some time at the falls, I remembered, if you go down first, it means you must come back up at the end! I made it to the trailhead about 4 hours after I started my journey. My apple watch clocked me at 9.27 miles which was about half a mile longer than the All Trails App predicted.

Rock Island State Park:

As mentioned earlier, this was the state park I based my trip around for my lodging. It is very family friendly with a mixture of campsites and cabins to book. The park includes a great beach area for the warmer months combined with easy trails. 

Twin Falls and Downstream Trail Loop:

This trail is located on the far side of the park. When you first walk down the steps you will see a magnificent waterfall that will take your breath away. There is a loop for the trail, but I’ll be honest, there is nothing better to see following past the first view. It is a 1.7 mile loop and took me about 50 minutes to complete. If you want to stop by just see the falls, you can be in and out in 20 minutes! 

Blue Hole Trail:

I had saved the Blue Hole Trail and was hoping to have the chance to visit. However, due to the significant amount of rain that happened while on my trip, I decided not to hike this trail since it explicitly says that it is steep and slick after rain! It is a quick .2 mile to see a beautiful waterfall so if you go during dry weather make sure and stop by! 

Fall Creek Falls State Park:

This was the last state park I visited as I headed on my way home. It is about 45 minutes south of Rock Island State Park and offers a variety of trails.

Fall Creek Falls Overlook/Trail Head:

This trail was my first stop in the park. I took the rocky and challenging trail down to the falls where many were enjoying the beautiful water and weather. I combined the Base of the Trail Falls with a little bit of the Woodland Trail for a 1.4 mile adventure that took around 40 minutes to complete. 

Cane Creek Falls:

I then drove to the other side of the park for the final stunning waterfall Fall Creek State Park has to offer. Make sure to stop by the nature center for some great dioramas and to learn about the significance of this area for animal habitats and the environment. I took the Woodland Trail to the Overlook Trail for stunning views of the Cane Creek Falls. This was 1.25 miles of hiking and took me around 40 minutes to complete. 

Overall Trip Thoughts:

This was my first solo camping and hiking trip. It allowed me to push myself out of my comfort zone with camping and traveling to a more remote area, as well as, to spend some more time traveling solo. Don’t be afraid to try new things even if you don’t have anyone to go with. This trip would have never been possible if I waited around for another person to do it with. Visiting these parks opened my eyes to utilizing camping as a form of budget travel for the first time. There are a lot of upfront costs but, once you have the main materials, your trips will become cheaper down the road. 

There are lots of beautiful places to see in Tennessee and I’m grateful I saved some of these state parks/trails throughout the years so I could  go off the beaten path and discover some amazing new places!

Budget: