Jim and I went and explored one of Tennessee's State Parks - Rock Island State Park. We've been talking about how we should be getting out and exploring the state parks. Tennessee does such a great job of maintaining and staffing them. Quite a few have camp sites and/or cabins for rent, but for now we're just looking for a fun way to spend the day. So on Monday we decided to check out Rock Island State Park, it's about a 1-1/2 hour drive from us. We entered through the main entrance and found the Visitors Center, but of course drove by so we could explore a little bit. We found the campgrounds and the cabins, but felt like we were missing the hiking trails. So (you know when all else fails - ask for directions) we went back to the Visitors Center and found the map and took a few brochures. You have to actually exit the main entrance to get to the gorge, falls and walking trails we were looking for.
A short way away we found the gorge. There were numerous small falls and a couple of good sized falls.
Next to th was an old, abandoned cotton mill building. Great Falls Cotton Mill. According to the park ranger, down in the water is the turbine that ran the mill. It ended up under water during the flood of 1902 and is too heavy to lift out of it. I, of course, asked if we could go into the mill building. He said no, the floor is unsafe and they don't allow anyone in there. He encouraged us to go take a walk by it, and to be sure to go across the street from the mill and see the fresh water spring and the spring house, or spring castle.
He also told us how to get to the trails by the falls, and said if we had to choose one, the Downstream Trail was the way to go. It's a little under two miles and definitely worth the time and effort.
Much of the interior of the cotton mill was made of wood. Not only the floors and walls, but the turbine shaft as well. With machinery and oil, fire is always a danger so they made sure to always have a supply of water nearby. Their spring was directly across the street. The spring house was used to store and refrigerate food.
This house definitely looks like a castle and I expected to see Rapunzel looking out the window at any moment.
We found our way to the falls. Amazing! Beautiful! Wow!
The further went, the more we thought - Wow!
The trail was marked at 1.8 miles - it was a 1.8 miles you worked for. The trail was a path through the woods, some of it washed out on the edges, wet, rocky, mossy rocks, tree stumps. Some steps had been built in the really steep sections, but for the most part it was a more-pristine trail through the woods. Most of the trail was above water level - some of it pretty high. Every once in a while you'd get a peek through the trees to a view like this
The end of the trail looped around (not back to the beginning but more like a lollipop) and at the every end it brought you down to the water. We walked out on the rocks a little way and could see the bend in the river.
I feel like the pictures don't do it justice - but they seldom do. It was beautiful and I'm so glad we went!
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