Great Falls

Twin Falls, Tennessee

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Most waterfall enthusiasts usually throw out the “man-made” waterfalls pretty quickly. There might be a mention of a man-made falls in the back of a book, but there often not included. Twin Falls bucks the trend. I’m not even sure if “man-made” is the right term, which seems to suggest that we human beings set out to create Twin Falls.

Instead, Twin Falls was the product of we human beings harnessing the power of water to do work. A dam was built in the area, and as a product, the pressure of the water built up, and the water started flowing out of the side of the hill. And now you have Twin Falls. It’s a truly interesting falls. You can tell something is odd, considering the water emerges from the upper-middle layers of the cliff, instead of at the top of the cliff. The falls then drop into the river below, which seemed pretty turbulent when I visited over Christmas 2009. The falls are surprisingly expansive, overshadowing what may have at one time been the more impressive Great Falls. The photo below doesn’t even capture the whole of Twin Falls.

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.

*Note: Little Falls is found along a trail starting at the Twin Falls Overlook.

Accessibility: 10/10
Height: 75′
Length of Hike: negligible

Twin Falls in December 2009

Where in the World is Twin Falls?

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Little Falls, Tennessee

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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?

Great Falls of the Potomac, Virginia/Maryland

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The first time I visited the Washington, D.C. area, I didn’t visit the Great Falls of the Potomac. It wasn’t until the second time I visited the area that I took the time to visit Great Falls Park. The falls are truly impressive in their span and in their fury.

The falls are immensely popular too, though. It doesn’t approach Niagara Falls popular, but it can be pretty busy. Luckily, I went in early December when there were far fewer people. There was nobody at the gate to even collect a fee. This changes dramatically in the summer months. Updates on their Facebook site often indicate that the parking area is completely full on the weekends, and the roads into the park are often shut down until more parking becomes available. So choose when you visit carefully.

Even in early December, the falls were flowing impressively. Only four or five days later, a rainstorm had caused the falls to almost reach flood stage. So I’m guessing a visit any time of the year will work. There are even markers in the area to indicate the levels previous floods have reached.

Even though I think the falls are impressive, they aren’t in my favorites category. I just don’t particularly find these falls to be as impressive as other falls in the area. Could it be that since they are so blocked off, the falls can seem a little…distant? It’s also one of those cases where it’s truly difficult to capture the true magnitude of the falls, as they are spread out over a distance.

Directions:

  1. Here’s the link for directions: http://www.nps.gov/grfa/planyourvisit/directions.htm
  2. At the entrance, you may be required to pay a $5 entrance fee, if you show up at the right time of the year…

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: 40′
Length of Hike: 0.4 miles round-trip

Great Falls of the Potomac (on the Virginia side) in early December 2011

Where in the World is Great Falls of the Potomac?

Great Falls, Tennessee

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I guess your first inclination when hearing the name Great Falls would be that, well, it’s an impressive waterfall. My guess is that this inclination is highly dependent on water flow. Searching for pictures online has revealed that at certain times of the year, the falls are so flooded with water that they just disappear…At other times, when there is less water, a number of smaller falls are found along the very wide drop. I just imagine that there are certain DAYS of the year when the water levels are just right to get nearly all of the rivers width to appear as falls. It’s got to be a tricky balancing act, complicated by the dam just upstream.

When I visited in December 2009, there wasn’t a considerable amount of water, and so there were a number of separate waterfalls. They are all along one drop in the river, though separated by areas of uplifted rock. It’s still an impressive waterfall, but its view is diminished by the fact that you are not very close to the falls. The viewpoint in the park does allow for sweeping views of the whole falls and river, but you really can’t get up close.

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’re headed north, the road you’re interested in, TN-287, will be on your left. There are a number of old stores in the area. Turn left onto TN-287.
  3. You’ll head along TN-287 past the dam, which is pretty obvious, to a parking area on your right. It’s a pretty big parking area. If you pass this area, you’ll keep heading out into the country, missing the falls.
  4. The falls are directly visible from the edge of the parking area.

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: 20′
Length of Hike: roadside

One portion of Great Falls (December 2009)

Another portion of Great Falls

Where in the World is Great Falls?