Waterfalls of Carter County Tennessee

The geography and climate of the Appalachian region produce many fast running streams and rivers. Whitewater, cascades, and waterfalls are the natural result. Carter County is blessed with a number of scenic waterfalls, including Laurel Falls and the Blue Hole. Nearby across the North Carolina state line is Elk River Falls. Another Carter County waterfall is Coon Den Falls. This is a very high solid rock wall with a minimal stream coming off the edge. It is reached by hiking from Dennis Cove. The trail is easily missed, located along the road between the National Forest campground and the Appy Trail/Laurel Falls trailhead. Laurel Fork runs along the road at this point.

Waterfalls are beautiful. Waterfalls are deadly. More than one person has been killed or seriously injured at local waterfalls. Climbing on the mossy algae slickened wet rocks of a waterfall is extremely risky. The currents underneath falling water can roll you down and under quickly. One poor fellow rolled around for a day at the base of Laurel Falls before his body could be fished out. A tourist at Spivey Falls in nearby Unicoi County fell to his death after stopping to take a picture. These are just a couple recent events. Every waterfall has stories of injuries. Don't become one.

The Blue Hole

The Blue Hole is located at the base of Holston Mountain near Stoney Creek. It's reached by turning on to Panhandle Road off Hwy 91. Shortly after the pavement turns into a gravel Forest Service road, there is a small parking area on the left. Walk down the hill and you can't miss it. This is a popular local gathering spot in the summer and best visited at off peak times. For an adventurous drive, the gravel road will take you to the top of Holston Mountain which reaches 4,285 ft/1306m. Holston Mountain has a network of trails covering the ridge and running off both sides. South Holston Lake can be seen from the mountain top. Several local broadcasters have antennas on Holston as it is the highest point central to the Tri-Cities.

This series of Blue Hole photos was taken on a cool March day when a stray snow flurry was blowing through.

Other Waterfalls of Laurel Fork

Forest Service Trail 39 runs along the mountain stream water of Laurel Fork above the campground in Dennis Cove. Special trout regulations apply to this section of Laurel Fork above Dennis Cove. The trailhead is along the bridge right before the Forest Service campground. It involves several crossings of the creek before reaching these beautiful waterfalls with large splash pools. When the water is low it may be possible to cross without getting wet, but plan for wet crossings. You reach the single fall first after hearing it and tunneling through the rhododendron. The triple cascade is next a short distance up the trail.

The falls may not look large but are loud and impressive up close. It was a sunny August weekday when these photos were taken. We saw one other human on the hike, a friendly trout fisherman. The wet rocks in the third picture are blue from reflecting the sky. The water is cold but feels good on the feet until they get numb, which doesn't take long.

Above these falls the trail runs on to Frog Level. Frog Level is a fairly flat area of land set deep in the mountains above these falls. It's another special place. The change in topography to flatness seems odd. The stream becomes calmer and more like a flat land creek. It's the opposite of what might be expected from ascending a mountain stream.

Here is a 30 second 4.25mb video .avi file compressed with Divx codec.

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