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| Piney falls sign | 651 times.
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| Piney Falls is on an easy trail located on the Cumberland Plateau in Grandview, TN (near Spring City). Turn west on Highway 68 and drive up the plateau. Just past the Grandview Community sign is a caution light over the highway. Turn left here on Firetower Road. There is a small gravel parking area at the trailhead. map...
The Upper Falls is about 2 miles from the trailhead. The trail down to the bottom of the Upper Falls follows the edge of the gorge. The sandstone walls are fascinating. If the water flow is not too strong, you can walk on the
trail behind the waterfall. The geology of this canyon is interesting. The upper rock issandstone, the lower layer is made of shale. Look for Lycopodium fossils in the rock at the base of the
falls. Mountain laurel, yellowroot, trailing arbutus,pussytoes, and wintergreen are abuntant along this trail.
A word of caution for you folks who are skittish about snakes. Notice the cavern located just behind the falls. If you hike to this waterfall in the good ole hot summertime you may be lucky enough to greet a resident snake or two (or more?). My husband and I have hiked to this waterfall many times during different seasons over the years, and on almost every occasion in warm weather, we've had a reunion with our friendly neighbors resting on the rocks just behind the waterfall. No need to be alarmed, just say "Hi" and the neighbors will most likely crawl down into the water. Please remember, this is their home!
| 777 times.
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| Upper Piney Falls is an 80-foot drop over the gorge. This is not a good trail for small children due to the high, unprotected cliffsides. | 678 times.
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| Just up the road from the Piney Falls trailhead
is this firetower. The lookout cabin is not open,
but it is possible to climb to the top landing.
Don't do it if you're afraid of heights! The view
from the top is fantastic on a clear day; you
can see the Smokies, the Sequatchie Valley,
Watts Bar Lake and the Cumberland Plateau.
| 527 times.
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| View of the Cumberland Plateau, Cumberland
Mountains, and the Piney River Gorge looking
north from the firetower. This view is spectacular
in the fall! | 608 times.
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| The trail down to the falls is interesting, it follows a sandstone cliff. Some of the overhanging rocks look pretty precarious! We usually find ourselves walking a little faster when we get to this part of the trail! | 528 times.
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| A large rock pile below the cliff, another reason not to linger! | 511 times.
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| The trail goes behind the Upper Falls. The spray is refreshing on a really hot day! | 469 times.
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| Icicles decorate a rock wall along the trail. Winter is a great time to go hiking, there are no bugs, crowds, or sweat! | 624 times.
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| Strange formations in the sandstone rockwall along the trail. | 583 times.
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| Lower Piney Falls is a 40-foot drop. It is not possible to get to the bottom of this waterfall. | 555 times.
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| This tree was struck by lightning; this is why you should never take shelter under a tree during a thunderstorm! | 522 times.
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| There are thin layers of Sandstone along the cliffs, some are nearly paper thin. | 543 times.
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| These may look like a lot of little round pebbles, but they are actually woodrat droppings! They are protected from the elements under the cliff. | 608 times.
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