Hike to Greeter Falls in Tennessee's Savage Gulf

What a site to behold! These waterfalls and the blue hole are absolutely stunning. The hike is not very long, but I would say it's intermediate level as it's a very rocky terrain to climb up and down. A good pair of hiking shoes helps tremendously for slick areas. My elementary and middle school aged kids found the trail easy and had a blast exploring. 10/10 recommend. If I went by myself I could sit on a rock all day and take in the beauty.

Gorgeous! Easy hike from the Greeter Falls parking lot. We had our four year old and our dog. Some steep steps, but nothing too strenuous. So glad we made a day trip to see the falls. We went on Monday and there were only a few other people. I imagine it would be more crowded on a warmer Spring day.

Great falls today. Not so during dry seasons. We enjoyed our time at the falls. We got up close in the creek bed to lower Greeter Falls which is the larger part. Upper Greeter is the smaller one. We saw Boardtree and was nice also but we didn't go to the base and I didn't post a picture.

The hike begins at the Greeter Falls trailhead just 45 minutes northwest of Chattanooga. There’s almost always ample parking available, even on the most crowded summer days. A map of the park’s nearby trail system lies around 100 yards into the trail. The hike starts mostly flat as it passes through a shaded forest filled with oak, hemlock, poplar, maple, and pine trees. Although this section is mostly flat, the surface is very uneven with many exposed roots and rocks. Large 40-foot sandstone cliffs rise on the trail’s left side, as a series of makeshift stairs begin to descend into the steep valley created by Firescald Creek. The trail gets steeper as it turns down into the valley, and reaches a fork that leads to the upper falls to the right, and the lower falls to the left. The hike visits the upper falls first, carefully scrambling down an eight-foot ledge to the base of the upper falls. The 15-foot waterfall is twice as wide as it is tall, resembling a beautiful table with water falling perfectly across its ledge. The pool here is between 1-3 feet deep, but swimming is very dangerous due to strong currents – and the presence of the lower falls just downstream.

Great waterfalls! Short hike that is a little slippery after the spiral staircase. Will definitely come back to hike to the additional falls.