Cummins Falls State Park

Cummins Falls is a 282 acre state park located in Cookeville, Tennessee. It is named after the 75 foot tall Cummins Falls waterfall, which is a park of the Blackburn Fork River. The land had been offered to Sargent Blackburn in the 1790s instead of a paid pension for his service to the Revolutionary War. The land was purchased by John Cummins in 1825, and he built mills that allowed him to be a stop for commerce. It stayed in the Cummins family for over 100 years, and then was purchased by the state.

The trails include ways to the base of the waterfall, and to the top (overlook) of the falls. We did the base. The trails are the Blackburn Fork River Trail (.5 miles), the Falls Overlook Trail (.45 miles), and the John Cummins Trail (.45 miles). To get to the base of the falls, you have to get a permit, either online or at the visitor's center. You start behind the visitor's center, to the Falls Overlook, to the Blackburn Fork River Trail, and then you hike through the water to the base of the falls. They have lifejackets available at the base of the falls if you need it, and you will get wet. I was shocked at how quickly I had to cross the river and wade in water up to my thighs. You will climb over slippery rocks. It's approximately three miles, and difficult climbing back up to the visitors' center, but it is gorgeous and well worth it.