Virgin Falls Trail
Trail Overview
Virgin Falls Trail is a 10 mile out and back trail that features an unbelievable waterfall and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking & walking and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
| Trailhead Location | Google Maps Location |
| Park Information | Virgin Falls State Natural Area – Website |
| Trail Features | Waterfalls, Scenic Views, Pet-Friendly
NOTE: for a complete list of features check out the tags at the bottom of this post. |
| Hiked Dates | [05-01 to 05-03, 2015] [02-19 to 02-21, 2016] |
| Rating | 12.00 |
| Class | 1 |
| Mileage | 9.25 miles |
| Average Speed | 1.72 mph |
| Max Speed | 6 mph |
| Moving Time | 2:31:00 |
| Maximum Elevation | 1620 feet |
| Minimum Elevation | 909 feet |
| Ascent | 485 feet |
| Descent | 1004 feet |
| Total Grade – Gain/Loss % | -2.3 % |
| CAMPING POI #1 | N35° 50.628′ W85° 18.568′ – Big Laurel Falls Campsite |
| CAMPING POI #2 | N35° 51.002′ W85° 18.125′ – Cable Crossing Campsite |
| CAMPING POI #3 | N35° 11.988′ W82° 37.023′ – Caney Fork Campsite |
| CAMPING POI #4 | N35° 50.903′ W85° 18.427′ – Martha’s Pretty Point Campsite |
| CAMPING POI #5 | N35° 50.289′ W85° 19.775′ – Virgin Falls Campsite |
| FEATURE POI #1 | N35° 51.034′ W85° 17.968′ – Big Branch Falls |
| FEATURE POI #2 | N35° 50.627′ W85° 18.609′ – Big Laurel Falls |
| FEATURE POI #3 | N35° 50.292′ W85° 19.758′ – Virgin Falls |
| Official Map PDF |  Virgin Falls Map 1 file(s) 2.34 MB
|
| Track Download |  Virgin Falls Track 1 file(s) 261.22 KB
|
| Garmin Adventure | N/A |
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Trail Location & Directions
This area is pretty easy to get to. Once you get to Crossville, TN take Lantana Road to Taylor’s Chapel Road and continue on that road for about 4.3 miles, turn onto Eastland Road and follow it for 18.1 miles. Turn onto Scott Gulf Road when you see the Virgin Falls Sign. Follow that road until the trailhead about 2 miles. Here are some google directions via Crossville.
Trail/Park Official Description
Virgin Falls is 1,157-acre natural area located in White County. The natural area is named for Virgin Falls, which is formed by an underground stream that emerges from a cave, then drops over a 110-foot high cliff before disappearing into another cave at the bottom of the sink. The area is noted for its unique geological features and several (additional) other waterfalls including Big Laurel, Sheep Cave Falls, and Big Branch Falls. There are several notable caves in the area, including the cave above Virgin Falls, where the stream itself that forms the falls issues. Due to white nose syndrome, all caves on the area are closed to recreational use. The sinkholes at Virgin Falls, such as Virgin Falls Sink and Sheep Cave Sink, are characteristic of karst features found on the Cumberland Plateau. The Caney Fork River and its tributaries drain the area and contribute to the formation of the gorge. The Martha’s Pretty Point provides a dramatic view of Scott’s Gulf and the Caney Fork River 900 ft below.
Midlife Hikers Review 02-2016 Backpacking
Another great adventure to the Virgin Falls State Natural Area. The 
group is starting to grow a little and we had some other members join us on this trip! Thanks for Ted P. and Curtis L. for meeting at the park and sharing your adventure time with us.
Bug Whisperer, Snake Stepper, Sob, and Go Girl drove out late Friday evening to hit the trail at at night again. The moon was almost full again this time and we had moderately pleasant weather for the hike to Cable Crossing.
We hiked the easy 1.5 miles to Cable Crossing Camp and met Curtis along the way who decided to meet us near camp, so he could enjoy his hike in, at his pace. We all met again at Big Laurel Creek (Cable Crossing) and maneuvered across the creek without incident. The water was especially fast and high due to the amount of rain we’ve had over the past few days.
We setup camp and spent an early evening around the campfire getting to know one another and resting up for tomorrow’s hike to Virgin Falls.
A nice early morning, after a great sleep! Snake Stepper and I have
been backpacking all winter and to enjoy a nice warmer night was truly a treat! We all had breakfast and awaited the day-hiker people to show up. Ted P. arrived right on time and was ready to hit the trail.
This was Ted’s first time to Virgin Falls so we took some extra time while passing through Big Laurel Falls and the geological wonders in the area.
I had forgotten how taxing the final part of this hike was, but we moved forward and finally made the falls around 1:30. Such a beautiful view with all the water flow. It was probably the best I’ve seen it the past couple of years.
We all enjoyed a quick snack and headed back to camp for an evening of rest and relaxation! Ted was a day hiker and had to finish up the trail back to the cars. He did an awesome job hiking the entire 9.2 miles of this trail in a day. We all went to bed around midnight and enjoyed another pleasant evening and great sleep.
A little chillier in the mornin
g but still not bad considering we were in February! We packed our gear up and headed back to the trailhead on the last 1.5 miles.
This natural area never disappoints and we are blessed to get to experience it again this year. This trail is a must-see and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys nature at her finest!
Don’t forget to see our other reviews of this trail from last year!
2016 Backpacking Gallery
Midlife Hikers Review 05-2015 Backpacking
It’s really no secret that this hike is my favorite in Tennessee. If you are a waterfall and gorge enthusiast this is a MUST see in Tennessee. Save some pictures for the return hike out, since you will be resting :).
This is our second adventure into Virgin Falls trail and it did not disappoint. We started out way to late at around 9pm so it was extremely dark. I wasn’t really too worried about that, considering we’ve made this hike before and are pretty familiar with Scott’s Gulf. Not 45 seconds into the hike Snake Stepper smacked right into a low hanging tree branch that injured her eye. The injury could have been much worse and we consider her pretty lucky. The moon was full and the hike was peaceful.
We arrived at Cable Crossing Campsite only to find it occupied illegally by another camper that did not sign in at the register. The reason they have a register is to allow hikers to plan their trip and not hike unnecessarily to campsite. Nonetheless, we pitched next to them anyways and went to bed.
Early morning for me around 5:30am, since Liberty needed to pee and she wanted to do some early morning exploring. I Made some coffee and breakfast and waited on the rest of the crew to wake up.
I guess we started moving onto Virgin Falls around 11am and spent the day hiking and exploring along Caney Creek. Virgin falls was more beautiful than ever, with so much rainfall. It is truly breathtaking and pictures will never to do it justice. We hiked up the overlook and waded in the 40 degree water to rest a minute or two.
Made it back to camp around 3:30 or 4:00 and started playing with some of our new gear. The temps will pretty chilly for this time of year, so we had an awesome fire that kept the bugs and chill away. Go Girl brought plenty of creature comforts for us all to enjoy. Her and her hotdogs were the highlight of dinner. We even roasted some marshmallows 🙂
Another early morning when Liberty and I emerged from the tent. Man it was a cold morning and all I could think about was getting the fire going and making my coffee. We broke down out site, cleaned up and extinguished the fire for our trek out of the park. Just a quick 2-3 miles straight uphill.
Arriving at the car we were all overjoyed to enjoy our one or two soda’s that were waiting on us. This trip was another great success with everything you would expect from the gulf. I love it and recommend this hike to anyone who likes a challenge with a supreme reward.
