1 hr 45 min
By car from the Public Square, 97 mi
Field Guide 04 · Tennessee State Parks
Cummins Falls State Park
A 75-foot waterfall on the Blackburn Fork with a plunge pool people swim in, at the bottom of a short, rough route into the gorge. Reaching the base takes a Gorge Access Permit, and the route closes when the water rises, so check the weather upstream before you drive.
Jackson CountyCookevilleOpenChecked October 20, 2026
306
Acres
276,893
Visitors in fiscal 2022
11
Trails listed, 5.2 miles
Day
Day use only
4
Activities the state lists
What's there
Things to do
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Swimming
- Waterfall Viewing
On site
- Adult-Sized Changing Table
- All-Terrain Wheelchair
- Fishing
- Gift Shop
- Swimming
- Trails
- Waterfalls
- Wheelchair-Friendly Overlooks
The trails
| Trail | Miles | Difficulty | Surface | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Access Road | 0.65 | — | Gravel | Open |
| Blackburn Fork River Trail | 0.35 | Moderate | Natural | Open |
| Blackburn Fork River Trail Direct | 0.3 | Moderate | Natural | Open |
| Delia Bell Access Road | — | — | Natural | Open |
| Dow Burgess Loop Trail | 0.75 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Falls Overlook Trail | 0.35 | Easy | Mixed | Open |
| Gorge Access Route | 0.5 | Moderate | Riverbed | Open |
| John Cummins Trail | 0.45 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Lou Garrison Loop Trail | 0.35 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Low Gap Trail | 1.15 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Storybook Trail | 0.35 | Easy | Natural | Open |
As the park's hiking page lists them on October 20, 2026. Lengths are one way unless the trail is a loop, and some trails share ground, so the total is the sum of the list, not the miles on the ground.
Getting there
390 Cummins Falls Lane, Cookeville, TN 38501
Park office: 1-931-268-7223
The park's page at Tennessee State Parks
Campsites, cabins and lodge rooms are booked online through the park's page or by phone at 1-888-867-2757, the state's reservation line.
Nearby
- Burgess Falls State Park15 miles away as the crow flies · 1 hr 45 min from Franklin
- Standing Stone State Park17 miles away as the crow flies · 2 hr 10 min from Franklin
- Edgar Evins State Park18 miles away as the crow flies · 1 hr 30 min from Franklin
- Scott's Gulf Wilderness State Park25 miles away as the crow flies · 1 hr 55 min from Franklin
How we know
Every fact on this page but the summary at the top is the state's, read on the date above, except the drive: that is Valhalla's route on OpenStreetMap's roads from Franklin's Public Square to the park office, with no traffic, rounded to five minutes. Visits are the park plan's count for the year named, mostly from traffic counters. How the guide was made.
- The park. Tennessee State Parks: the Find a Park list, the park's own page, its hiking page, read October 20, 2026.
- Acres. The park's strategic management plan.
- Visitors. The park's strategic management plan, its site fact sheet for fiscal 2022 (July 2021 to June 2022).