Little Falls (Christmas day 2009)

Rock Island State Park, found in central Tennessee, is a truly odd place to visit. With the forces of nature being harnessed by humans, Great Falls is greatly reduced, whereas Twin Falls shows up where it was not before. And hiding inconspicuously along a trail is Little Falls, also known as Blue Ice Falls. It is a smaller falls in comparison to the other falls in the park, though it’s not measly in height.

I visited the park on Christmas day in 2009. The park was almost completely dead, especially the northern portion of the park. The only creature I can remember coming across was a cow in my path while driving to the parking area. The parking area starts at the Twin Falls Overlook, which can’t be missed. To your right is the Downstream Trail. Not long after starting down this trail, you’ll come across Little Falls. It’s pretty difficult to miss. There was a sign at the falls, so if you’re in doubt, just look for the sign! I hiked a little bit further, but didn’t find anything of interest. I can’t remember if this was where I thought I saw another waterfall on the other side of the river in the distance, but I couldn’t really get a better view (or I had to start driving back to the airport).

Directions:

1. There seem to be a number of different ways to view this specific waterfall in Rock Island State Park. As a good place to start, use TN-136 as a reference. This is also known as Rock Island Road.
2. If you are headed north, you would normally turn on TN-287 (aka Great Falls Road) to visit Rock Island State Park….Keep heading just a further bit north across the river.
3. Just after crossing the bridge, there will be a less conspicuous road to your left, Power House Road.
4. Turn left on Power House Road, and keep driving on it until it ends at the Twin Falls Overlook.
5. At the viewpoint, follow the Downstream Trail to your right for a view of Little Falls.

Accessibility: 9/10 (easy)
Height: 50′
Length of Hike: 0.6 miles round-trip

Where in the World is Little Falls?