Fall Creek Falls 9th Hidden Gem

Falls Creek Falls ranked as the ninth-best “hidden gem” among US travel destinations.

The website “Places To Travel” looked at more than 2,700 destinations to see which were featured most often in Google searches. Fall Creek Falls Park Manager Sarah Leedy said many Americans may not understand the park has the highest waterfalls east of the Rockies.

“This is a unique honor in that when you rank a place with, you know, with these other places like Crater Lake and Havasu Falls and Roosevelt Island, these are natural spaces and places that are identifiable across the whole country, no matter who you talk to,” Leedy said. “And for us to be ranked with those same places, it’s just a unique experience and honor.”

Leedy said Tennesseans do not consider Fall Creek Falls a hidden gem. She said the park consistently ranks as number one or two among most visited facilities.

“We get well over a million visits a year to this place,” Leedy said. “So it, this is not a place that you have a lot of expectation to have the whole park to yourself. It is a park that is developed in such a way for people to be able to come out and gain an appreciation for this nature and this beauty of the Cumberland Plateau.”

Fall Creek Falls encompasses more than 29,000 acres. The Hidden Gems ranking noted the website looked for less crowded venues where people could venture “off the beaten path.” Leedy said that kind of adventure awaits every day in Van Buren County.

“You can sample the park and all of its beauty in variety of different ways,” Leedy said. “We have five waterfalls right here within a couple hundred yards of pavement and parking areas. But we also have a sixth waterfall in our northern reaches, which is a much more difficult hike to get to. But that’s the great thing about this park is…it’s not just one thing to do or one way to experience. There’s multiple ways to experience the park and things for all people’s ability levels and preferences.”

Leedy said “off the path” visits might also include backpacking off the main road and sleeping “under the stars.” Leedy said trails vary in size and difficulty-level, considering a diverse range of explorers.

One potential challenge of being named a hidden gem? You get discovered. Leedy said one of the rangers’ biggest obstacles centers around educating the public about using the park wisely.

“Be mindful of the litter that you may leave behind,” Leedy said. “Be mindful of the impact that you may have on the area as well. And that really one of the challenges that we aim to face every day in trying to encourage people to get outside and appreciate these environments, but also be respectful and mindful of how we treat them.”

According to the website, Fall Creek Falls receives an average of 78,000 searches each month online.