1 hr 55 min
By car from the Public Square, 113 mi
Field Guide 04 · Tennessee State Parks
Scott's Gulf Wilderness State Park
A state wilderness park in the Caney Fork's gorge below Sparta, with 19 trails and four backcountry campsites, one of them at Virgin Falls. There is no campground or cabin; the state lists caving and stargazing.
White CountySpartaOpenChecked October 20, 2026
—
Acres
—
Visitors: no published count
19
Trails listed, 40.7 miles
Camp
Overnight: camping
6
Activities the state lists
What's there
Things to do
- Caving
- Dark Sky Viewing
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Hunting
- Paddling
On site
- Birding
- Boat Access
- Campground
- Canoe Access
- Fishing
- Hunting Adjacent
- Paddle Rentals
- Trails
- Waterfalls
The trails
| Trail | Miles | Difficulty | Surface | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amber's Den Trail | 3.1 | Difficult | Natural | Open |
| Caney Fork Trail | 6 | Difficult | Natural | Open |
| Dry Creek Falls Trail | 3.5 | Difficult | Natural | Open |
| Hardie Loop Trail | 2.4 | Moderate | Natural | Open |
| Hemlock Springs Trail | 1.35 | Moderate | Natural | Open |
| Highwater Trail | 2.15 | Moderate | Natural | Open |
| Holloway Connector Trail | 0.5 | Moderate | Natural | Open |
| Homestead Trail | 2.25 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Lost Creek Falls Trail | 0.2 | Moderate | Natural | Open |
| Low Gap Trail | 2 | Difficult | Natural | Open |
| Polly Branch Trail | 2.55 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Polly Branch Trail (TWRA Section) | — | — | Natural | Open |
| Rylander Cascades Trail | 3.8 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Sheep Cave Trail | 0.85 | Moderate | Natural | Open |
| TWRA Fire Learning Trail | 1.75 | — | Natural | Open |
| Upland Trail | 3 | Moderate | Natural | Open |
| Virgin Falls Trail | 4.3 | Difficult | Natural | Open |
| Yellow Bluff Trail | 1 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Yellow Bluff Trail (TWRA Section) | — | — | 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.
Where to camp
- Scott's Gulf Wilderness Virgin Falls CampsiteBackcountry Camping
- Scott's Gulf Wilderness Cable Crossing CampsitesBackcountry Camping
- Scott's Gulf Wilderness Caney Fork CampsitesBackcountry Camping
- Scott's Gulf Wilderness Martha's Pretty Point CampsitesBackcountry Camping
Getting there
3663 Country Club Road, Sparta, TN 38583
Park office: 1-931-319-7539
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 Park13 miles away as the crow flies · 1 hr 45 min from Franklin
- Rock Island State Park15 miles away as the crow flies · 1 hr 45 min from Franklin
- Fall Creek Falls State Park19 miles away as the crow flies · 2 hr 15 min from Franklin
- Cumberland Mountain State Park23 miles away as the crow flies · 2 hr 15 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 and its camping page, read October 20, 2026.