On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in May, we decided to take the kids and the dogs to Rock Island State Park that is located between Sparta and McMinnville, Tennessee. It consists of 883 acres and it was used to power a cotton textile mill in the 19th century. Rock Island became a State Park in 1969.
To drive back to the visitors center you will drive under a metal arch way that says Rock Island. It is located right beside a store/restaurant. Right past that store is a little antique shop and this was standing next to that store.These old bicycles were located outside the store, as well.There is a train track that you will cross over to head to the visitor’s center. It is located between the store/restaurant and the antique store.This is The Great Falls Gorge and is located between the dam and the powerhouse. It is the first area you will see to pull off for a view. This is a series of waterfalls are visible when the water level is low, when the water level rises, the gorge completely fills up and it submerges the waterfalls.I highly recommend stopping at the visitors center for a map because you can no longer drive across the dam to get to the big waterfalls, and if you are not familiar with Rock Island you will not know where to go. Also, because it is a rural area, the cell phone reception isn’t great.Rock Island State Park has lots to offer, there are 60 campsites, boat ramps, cabins to rent, and this natural sand beach. There is a swimming area and sand volleyball courts located here as well.When you drive back out onto the main road, you want to turn down Power House Rd to get to the big waterfalls. At the end of this narrow road, there are 2 hikes. I would suggest the Downstream Trail to get the best views. This is the view from the top of the stairs at the head of the trail.Downstream trail is a 1.6 mile trail. Here are some stairs located along the trail.Along the downstream trail, there is a small hike off to the right that leads up to a cave, that is seen here. It would be a great area for kids to play.This is another set of stairs located along the Downstream trail.A group photo near the loop of the hiking trail.The path is natural, I would suggest tennis shoes or hiking boots.This is the end loop of the downstream trail. It is a gorgeous view of the river.There is a huge rock to sit on and view the river on the downstream trail loop.Hiking back to the waterfalls!To get down to the waterfalls, you have to climb down the rocks.A view down the river while I was standing on the rocks.This is the Twin Falls, which is a cascade waterfall that falls into the Caney Fork. The Great Falls Dam caused the Collins River to rise and the water began to seep into the underground caverns in the southern area of Rock Island. This in turn, created the water to exit on the northern side of Rock Island, creating the waterfalls.Another beautiful waterfall.The building in this picture is the Great Falls Cotton Mill. The mill was built in 1892 and only operated until 1902. It has been on the National Register of historic Places since 1982.I love this picture of the smaller waterfall.You don’t realize how tall this waterfall is until you see the guy wearing yellow at the base of the waterfall.This was our last close up view before we climbed back up the rocks to get back on the trail.We had a wonderful day at Rock Island, we spent about 3 hours hiking the trail, playing, and climbing on the rocks.
There are 10 trails that you can hike, the Downstream Trail had amazing views and you can get down and play at the waterfalls. There is plenty to do at Rock Island State Park for adults and kids. We had a wonderful day exploring and playing while taking in the beautiful views of the waterfalls.
