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A short, yet very beautiful trail that follows a creek with various cascades to a 35 foot waterfall.
The trail begins on the right side of the parking lot. The first part is flat with no elevation change and easy walking. About half a mile in you will reach a trail split. The right trail will take you to the falls and the left trail will take you to an overlook of the gorge below. I was not able to go to the overlook due to the late hour; however, I definitely would because I have read in many other trail descriptions it provides a nice view, and is only a short easy spur from the main trail to the falls.
When you take the split to the right to the falls you will encounter your first change in elevation. Soon after the split you will start descending, going down switchbacks and stairs, for about .3 miles. Make sure you follow the square white trail markers as it can get a bit questionable. Once you have descended the .3 miles the falls will be in clear view. The trail that continues away from the falls and down a bit further till it flattens out and will take you right next to the creek. Once you have reached the creek there is a nice smaller falls right next to the trail.
Continue on the trail for another .1 miles next to the creek and it will take you up to the falls. The waterfall is great to photograph, however, if you go in the evening, you may encounter some rough lighting and glare (as you can see a bit in the pictures above) so definitely try to go when it is cloudy or in the early morning hours. As always make sure to leave the trail better than you found it.
Getting there: To get to Stinging Fork Falls you will want to head towards Spring City, TN. Once in Spring City turn onto Piccadilly Ave, and go 0.6 miles until you are on TN-68 N where you will go only .3 miles until you turn left onto Shut In Gap Road. Once on Shut In Gap Road travel 5 miles until you reach the trailhead. The trailhead will be on the right side of the road, marked by a large brown sign saying Stinging Fork Natural Area.
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Hike to Stinging Fork Falls
Writing this for any one planning this hike, we tried going on August 12, 2018 and the road to the parking area is closed due to construction.
Hike to Stinging Fork Falls
This is one of my favorite trails no matter the season.
Hike to Stinging Fork Falls
Although it was a little hard to find a path down to the waterfall once the hand made path ended, the end result was amazing. The rocks are slippery on your way down. Also it's a great swimming spot or just to a spot to refresh once you've reached the bottom. There are two ways to see the waterfall and both are beautiful. Overall this trip was amazing.
Hike to Stinging Fork Falls
The trail is only about a mile long and flat 80% of the way. There's a nice swimming hole in the summer, although I went late July and the waterfall was a trickle at most. Still a nice very nice area for the length of trail. Would recommend!
Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!
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