Cummins Falls State Park is located 10 miles north of the town of Cookeville, in Central Tennessee…read more Can you go swimming at Cummins Falls??? Of course you can! It's a 1 mile hike down to the bottom of a gorge to reach a swimming hole Travel and Leisure Magazine rates...as one of the "10 Best in the United States"! It's $7 to gain access to the gorge. You can purchase passes online ahead of time at tnstateparks.com. Or, you can buy passes inside the Visitor Center the day of, but they allot only 200 tickets per day so depending upon the time of year, passes can sell out quickly especially during peak summers. Now...there is a waterfall overlook to check out but I think it'd be more worthwhile to get to Cummins Falls ASAP before the crowds arrive and you can always visit the lookout on the return trip back up towards the trailhead. Once you reach the river area, it's 6/10th's of a mile remaining until you arrive at the falls. Also, make sure to hang towards the left while hiking beside the river and (imo) it's imperative to be wearing water shoes as the creek is filled with sharp rocks and water levels reaching shin high. While hiking to Cummins Falls, you really get a sense for being in the heart of nature. I enjoyed the setting. Approaching the falls, it's 75 feet of cascading waters flowing down the cliffside and ideal for swimming. Best of all, visitors can climb the rocks and explore at their leisure making for an adventurous experience. Of course, it's a rite of passage to finish the experience in style by going swimming. The park opens at 8am. I'd suggest arriving as early as possible before it gets busy. The park closes at 6pm but there's a clearly stated sign that visitors must exit the gorge area by 5pm. One extra note...lifeguards are on duty at Cummins Falls throughout the day. When returning back up towards the trailhead, now head over to the lookout platform getting to admire Cummins Falls from high above. It makes for a photogenic perspective and is a clear reminder of why the great outdoors can be so special. Right nearby Cummins Falls SP are more local waterfalls to check out including...Fall Creek Falls, Burgess Falls, Ozone Falls, Virgin Falls, Piney Falls and Stinging Fork Falls, just to name a few.

Highly recommend so beautiful here. We hiked here from the water side. I guess some other easier…read moreway was shut down. They do not allow people to go here at certain times so make sure to check before you go. It is a major hike so being lots of water and charge your battery for pics

We had a great week's stay at this campground! Campground is clean and well-maintained. The staff…read moreis extremely helpful and friendly. Sites are very spacious! We can't wait to get back here!

Brought the family here for an extended weekend getaway. Nice layout, You're not on top of each…read moreother. Gravel parking area with picnic table on a concrete slab and Fire pit. 3 deer hooks with a prep table. Water and electric hookups, but no sewage. Clean bathroom/shower house with private locking doors and intact shower curtains. Please, You must walk to the back of the campground and bring your fishing pole or a good book! There is a run-off from the nearby fish hatchery and it is so beautiful and relaxing. If you don't check it out...you will miss out!

What an AWESOME place to camp at! Full hook ups, Fishing (catch & release) Two club houses... and…read moregreat hosts! Jeff was really sweet and informative on the area, and accommodating to our needs. Several things to do in the area. There is a great outdoor shooting range within 1 mile or 2. And two great wineries close by as well. Plan a few days to unwind and enjoy the peace.

First week of a month long stay. The park is far enough from the main road so there is no road…read morenoise. Long term spaces out front are very spacious. The spaces around the lake vary but no one is packed in. Spots are level with some spots having cement where the tires sit. All have cement patios with table and chairs.

Rustic and no distractions, nice place for a break from all the noise. The perfect place to enjoy…read morehuman interaction, games and dinner with no phones. Give yourself a couple days to get over the awkward silence. Takes that long to wake up from our Technology induced coma

I love this place. Most relaxing place anywhere, if here in the summer, there's a swimming pool…read morevery close to the cabins for the kids. Also a lake at the bottom

This park touts the largest waterfall east of the Mississippi River (sans Niagara), and it did NOT…read moredisappoint! First: be prepared to hike a little. It's about a mile in to get to this part, but worth every step. Plus, there are several lessor falls en route to the main event. They were breathtaking even for a low- flow season like September. I imagine these falls roar to life early spring with the mountain thaws. There's a dirt road that allows for less strenuous hiking than the woodsy areas if you're brush averse and don't want to be as much of a Billy goat, but eventually you have to hike a little ways to the observation points on the trail, so bear that in mind. Fun excursion for the whole family!

This is Burgess Falls, another state park located in Central Tennessee sitting 12 miles northwest…read moreof the town of Sparta, TN. There's a 3/4 of a mile out and back hike called the River Trail that leads to 4 different waterfall lookout points comprising Burgess Falls SP. Waterfall #1 - The Cascades. Sort of the introduction area to the park. Waterfall #2 - First Falls. A quick glance at a 30 foot high waterfall section. But nothing special, imo. When Continuing on the trail, you'll cross over a wooden bridge and follow up a staircase. Now at... Waterfall #3 - Middle Falls... Middle Falls is 80 feet high and partially obstructed by trees and branches having grown over time. *Side Note*.... I wish park services would do some forest cutting for everyone to enjoy clearer views of the park's waterfalls. Entrance right now is free. I'd suggest charging a small fee and using that money to pay for some grooming. A lot of the observation points can't be fully appreciated. Just me venting a little, lol. Waterfall #4 - Burgess Falls... Burgess falls is the centerpiece highlight of the park. Standing at 136 feet from top to bottom, Burgess Falls can absolutely be dramatic, but still natural excess forest maturation disrupts full visibility of the falls. I did read that kayaking at the bottom of Burgess Falls is the most interactive way to come face to face with this statuesque waterfall. You can rent kayaks at Cane Hollow Recreation Area, located at the end of Cane Hollow Road. It's about 10 minutes from Burgess Falls. You can end the River Trail hike at the Top of Burgess for a panoramic overlook of the rugged gorge the falls splash down into from high above. It's another quick stop and go area before returning back towards the trailhead. Overall, Burgess Falls was a muted experience for me, but still has potential to be a rewarding visit if park authorities can maintain the inevitable growing forest hindrances that negate special moments at the waterfall overlooks.

My grandmother and I stayed here recently and we both agreed that this is one of the coolest places…read morewe've ever stayed. The rooms are very nice; they have everything you would need and are very well kept. Service was wonderful. The Big South Fork is beautiful, and this place definitely complements it well!

Amazing place and hospitality! Staff super nice, friendly and helpful!…read more Really close to horse trails and Mountainbike trail head. We were mountain biking and what an experience. Very clean!!

Our family spent a few data vacationing at Lake Cumberland. We wanted to spend a day boating on the…read morelake. We rented one of the tri toons from Happy Camper RV park. It was a beautiful boat! We also rented the tube which was a 3 person seated tube. We can't say enough great things about our day! Jimmy dropped the boat off to us, explained everything and off we went. The kids had a blast on the tube and we were able to park the boat in a cove where we swam and fished. Can't say enough great things about the price, friendliness of the guys who dropped off and picked up the boat and the cleanliness of the boat. Thank you for a great day on Lake Cumberland!

Excellent place! Ashley and Austin, who manage the place are wonderful and very helpful. It is nice…read moreto have an on-site private dog park. The nearby creek is lovely and the Pavillion is so nice to sit in at night. I have been here three weeks and have enjoyed my time and making friends with the other campers.

Located on the tip of Green River Lake, this is one of several nearby campgrounds. It's a Corps of…read moreEngineers associated campground. I tend to prefer those over state park campgrounds. If you've followed my camping adventures, you probably remember me exploring mainly the state parks in the last few years, but this year I've loving the Corps of Engineer based campgrounds. It's about a mile from the marina and beach. There is one loop/area within the campground that has water view sites. I wouldn't call it waterfront, because the water is pretty far off in the distance and even fenced off, so lake access isn't an option. All of the sites seemed to be heavily shaded and most were private. I liked how many of the sites were staggered, making each site more private than at the majority of the state park campgrounds. We booked on recreation.gov for the July 4th weekend, so we were ecstatic that they had one site left. It was one of the few without water hookup, but there is a drinking water facet at site #85, so we easily filled up our tank before setting up camp at site #28. I peeked in at the bathhouse and although it was a bit dated, but it was clean. Each site has a picnic table and a fire pit that has a grill grid as well. Bring your bicycle, because most of the pavement and roadways within the campground are flat.

Over the top AMAZING WE'RE NOW MEMBER'S!!! Highly recommend even though I don't like sharing this…read morekind of stuff lol clean and just beautiful

This campground was great!! The amenities were the best I've ever seen. The showers were so CLEAN!…read more(And during COVID!). I loved the hiking trails (all natural! Not defined path so for highly active), swimming hole and fishing pond. Next time I'll have to bring the ATV's. Absolutely beautiful space. The primitive area was perfect. Full of trees and secluded from other sites.

Beautiful and peaceful! Staff is great! Always enjoy our…read morestay there!! The chapel has wonderful services on Sunday mornings April through October.

We really enjoyed our weekend visit to Crossville. This campground is pretty much a state park…read morefeel. The roadways are all gravel, and there is a large area with long-term residents who are seriously there permanently with roofs overhead and in some cases buildings built adjacent to their campers. Pretty lake in the center, and I like that they have cabins in certain areas as well so you can visit with non-RV friends and family. Decent general store/gift shop. On site chapel. We've already planned a return visit for fall.