State Park

Looking out from the overlook over Fall Creek Falls Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee. From this angle, and in a two-dimensional photograph, it is difficult to judge the size of the waterfalls here. So I suggest you see the previous Fall Creek Falls post that includes photos from the bottom of the falls to help you get a better feeling of the size of these falls. We had stopped by the overlook when we first arrived.

Rushing water pours over the rocks at the middle falls at Burgess Falls State Park in Tennessee, from our Tennessee Waterfalls trip. At Burgess Falls State Park, there are actually three falls and some cascades along the Falling Water River. The photo in the first Burgess Falls post was of the lower falls, which are the largest in height. The water that you see here in this photo is headed to the lower falls next.

Rushing water roars over Great Falls on the Caney Fork River at Rock Island State Park in Tennessee, another park that we visited on our Tennessee Waterfalls trip. The horseshoe-shaped Great Falls was a fascinating sight, as the rushing water appeared to be quite turbulent, creating a loud roar as it fell. The falls were so wide that I could not fit them into one photo, so here is another view:

Looking out over the waterfall down below at Cummins Falls State Park in Tennessee during our Tennessee Waterfalls trip. It is difficult to judge the height of these waterfalls, but this one is 75 feet tall, which to me is a pretty good size, because, as I have mentioned before, we don’t have waterfalls of any size near where we live. You can at times access the base of the falls.

Water rushes over the tallest waterfall at Burgess Falls State Park in Tennessee, as seen during our Tennessee Waterfalls trip. Burgess Falls was the first of four Tennessee State Parks that we visited on our Waterfalls trip, and it was worth the visit. We walked along the trail that runs alongside the appropriately-named Falling Water River. Could there be a better name for a river with waterfalls? I can’t think of one.

Water cascades over the falls of Fall Creek Falls past trees and large rock formations at Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee.1 Fall Creek Falls is a waterfall at the center of Fall Creek Falls State Park, which also features other waterfalls as well. The main waterfall (the namesake falls that you can see in the photo above), is 256 feet tall, making it the largest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains.

During our October 2023 trip to Florida, we took a day to visit Blue Spring State Park. We packed a picnic lunch and set out to see what we could find. We were not disappointed! When we arrived, we were greeted by this large live oak tree, with a palm tree growing in the middle of it. And lots of Spanish moss all around, of course. What a cool find! And this was just in the parking lot.

Kayakers paddle down the Silver River at Silver Springs State Park in Florida, as seen during our October 2023 Florida Trip. We saw lots of kayakers while we were at Silver Springs. But we also saw signs warning of alligators and snakes in the area, and there is not much in a kayak to protect you from either of those. So maybe kayaking is not for us. There were also lots of stand-up paddleboarders, and that looked like fun, too.

A glass-bottom boat glides over the clear spring water at Silver Springs State Park in Florida, as seen during our October 2023 visit. Silver Springs was for many years a popular roadside attraction park, but its fame declined when the big theme parks moved into the state. Fortunately, some years ago the state of Florida took over the park and turned it into a state park, preserving its natural beauty for years to come.

A wooden boardwalk winds through cypress trees along the edge of the lake at Reelfoot Lake State Park in Tennessee. Recently, a group from our church went to eat lunch at Boyette’s, a catfish restaurant near Reelfoot. Nothing against the rest of the group, which are all fine people, but Laura and I decided to take our own car instead of riding the bus and then see if we could find any adventures after we ate.