Virgin Falls Overnight
Scott's Gulf Wilderness State Park - Sparta, TN
December 26-27, 2025
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This was one has long been on my to-do hike list, and I finally made it out there for my last hike of 2025. It sure did not disappoint, with all its caves, rock formations, subterranean water flows, and waterfalls. Located in Sparta, TN, that is situated between Knoxville and Nashville, and is only about an hour and half drive for me to get to the trailhead.
One of Tennessee’s new state parks, Scott’s Gulf, was formed in 2025 and incorporated several existing areas; Virgin Falls State Natural Area, Lost Creek State Natural Area, Do Cove Historic Area, and the Hardie Trailhead (1). For my adventure I started at the Virgin Falls Trailhead off of Scotts Gulf Road where there is currently a little shack where you can check in.
My Route:
 |
(1) Virgin Falls Trail | ...................... | 0.15 |
| (2) Upland Trail | ...................... | 2.50 | |
| (3) Side Trail Martha's Pretty Point | ...................... | 1.00 (a) | |
| (4) Virgin Falls Trail | ..................... | 7.57 | |
| Note (a) Mileage includes there and back. | |||
I decided to hike the Upland Trail that takes you to the Martha’s Pretty Point Overlook and then circles you back around to the Virgin Falls Trail. Until you reach the end of this trail heading towards Martha’s Pretty Point, it is a soft even trail with not much elevation at all. This trail winds through a cypress and conifer forest as you breathe in the sweet scent of the spruce trees and pine needles all around.
About a mile and quarter in you will come to a beautiful little area of Big Laurel Creek, and you will have to cross a rocky area that can be extremely slippery. After two and half miles you find yourself at the overlook with a stunning view of the surrounding area. After you take in the view, this is where the real fun begins, and you start heading down into the canyon. There is one section towards the end with a steep set of stairs that helps make your way down.
At three miles the Upland Trail ends and puts you back on the Virgin Falls Trail. At this point Virgin Falls Trail gets extremely rocky and steep. It follows a creek that will flow above ground creating beautiful cascades and small waterfalls and then disappear underground before popping back up again. At the time I was there, the water was so clear you could see the bottom of the creek from high up on the trail.
Continuing down the trail, you will come to Big Laurel Falls, a 40-foot waterfall that spills over the side of a cliff and then travels underground. It truly is an amazing site and a prelude for what is to come. Continuing from here, the trail stays rocky but is not quite as steep, and after another 1.20 miles you will reach the loop section of the trail. I had already completed one side quest today, so I left Sheep’s Cave for my hike out tomorrow and continued down to Virgin Falls.
From here you are 0.5 miles to Virgin Falls. After one more small steep downhill section, you finally come to Virgin Falls, and all the work is totally worth it once the falls come into view. Virgin Falls is a waterfall powerhouse during the wet season as it drops about 150 feet. What is even more amazing is that the falls come out from a cave and then drop back into another cave at its base.
The cave where the waterfall originates is called Virgin Falls Cave and it heads southwest for around 3,000 feet before ending in a massive ceiling collapse (3). You can actually hike up to the entrance of the cave to see the start of the falls, and it’s first drop up close. This is also a good place to collect water. It is hard to even begin to describe the beauty and strength of this waterfall.
After visiting the falls, it was time to get camp situated. From my campsite you can see the falls when the leaves are not full and especially hear it. I set up an Adirondack tarp shelter, collected some firewood, filled up my water supply at the top of the falls, and then settled in for the night. It was a beautiful night and unseasonably warm, so I was a little hot in my winter sleeping bag.
The next morning, I of course had some coffee and breakfast, packed up and visited Virgin Falls one last time. I was intrigued about how the water works here as it will flow like a normal river or stream then go underground for a while before popping back up again. Doing some research here at home, I found out that the subterranean river at Scott’s Gulf was created by water dissolving the Cumberland Plateau’s limestone bedrock, creating underground passage systems known as karst topography (4).
Starting back along the Virgin Falls Trail and rounding the loop, I headed toward Sheep’s Cave. Sheep’s Cave is another of the caves where the river comes out to form a waterfall and after a time vanishes back underground. From here you complete the small loop and start the climb back up Virgin Falls Trail.
After a very tough climb, the trail will level out a bit once you get back to the trail junction with the Upland trail as you get out of the canyon. Today I continued along the Virgin Falls Trail where after another quarter of mile, give or take, you come to a stream crossing that has a cable across it to help with the slipper rocks. From here it is not much further until you come to Big Branch Falls. This waterfall is smaller than Virgin and Big Laurel Falls, but still beautiful and worth the stop. The waterfall stair steps down a little rock formation before hitting the pool below.
From here you wind back into more of a woodland area where it is just over a mile back to the trailhead and the parking lot. This hike, while tough, offers a lot to see and experience. I am definingly going back and doing this trail again, along with hitting more of this beautiful and geologically interesting area. As always, my friends, hike on, and stay safe out there.
End Notes:
- Scott’s Gulf State Park Website:
https://tnstateparks.com/parks/info/scotts-gulf - Chuck Sutherland Blog:
https://chuck-sutherland.blogspot.com/2016/03/tennessees-eastern-highland-rim-part-2.html#:~:text=associated%20with%20pits.-,Sinkholes,which%20capture%20and%20transport%20water. - Scott’s Gulf Wikipedia Entry:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott%27s_Gulf - Google Search AI
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