Tennessee’s reputation as a tourist destination largely hinges on the music scene (and nightlife) of Nashville and the distinct cultural heritage of cities like Memphis. But alongside its urban attractions, Tennessee is also an underrated destination for outdoor adventures. After all, Tennessee contains half of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (America’s most popular national park by far), as well as some of the most beautiful parts of the Appalachian Mountains beyond that. Tennessee’s numerous parks and nature preserves feature gorgeous mountains, immense forests, and unique Tennessee attractions like a glass-bottomed boat ride on America’s largest underground lake.
Tennessee’s combination of a mountainous landscape and a temperate climate also means many waterfalls. Each of Tennessee’s waterfalls is a worthy travel destination for its own unique reasons, but some do stand out more than others. Along these lines, one particularly notable (if underrated) Tennessee attraction is the stunning Greeter Falls. Located in the heart of the state’s often-overlooked Cumberland Plateau region, Greeter Falls and its surrounding Savage Gulf State Park feature superb nature trails, exquisite views, and even one of Tennessee’s best natural swimming holes!
Greeter Falls is an underrated treasure of Tennessee’s Appalachian beauty
Of all the waterfalls in Tennessee, Greeter Falls may be the most welcoming. Not only is the waterfall’s breathtaking cascade a sight to behold as it descends a sheer rocky gorge, but its 1.1-mile hiking loop is one of the most popular (and beautiful) trails in Tennessee. Greeter Falls itself consists of an upper falls and a lower falls, which complement each other to create one of the state’s most underrated natural wonders. The upper portion of Greeter Falls is the smaller of the two, though it’s no less beautiful than its larger neighbor downstream. At 15 feet wide, Upper Greeter Falls empties into a shallow pool that mainly serves as a great photo opportunity for hikers. Notably, the currents around Upper Greeter Falls are faster than those further downstream, so this part of the waterfall is decisively not for swimming.
The lower portion of the falls, however, is probably the star of the show. Lower Greeter Falls descends 50 feet down a sharp sandstone cliff into a deep, enchanting pool below. Fortunately, the trail includes a spiral staircase descending the ravine, so hikers don’t need to worry about making the harrowing climb down on their own. Even better, this staircase provides excellent viewpoints (and photo opportunities) of the falls…