The 10 Best Cliff Jumping Spots in Tennessee
Tennessee has 65 documented cliff jumping spots on CliffScout, 41 of them community-verified. These are the standouts — ranked by verification, documentation, and community activity, not hype. Every listing links to a full page with photos, heights, and access notes.
Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau is waterfall country, and its plunge pools power the state's jumping scene. Foster Falls and the Fiery Gizzard gorge, the blue holes around Rock Island State Park, and Cummins Falls near Cookeville are the marquee names — though be aware the state parks actively regulate access, and Cummins Falls requires a gorge permit with closures after rain. Around Nashville, Percy Priest Lake's ledges are the local standby. Plateau gorges flash-flood with frightening speed — people have died at these parks in sudden rises — so never enter a gorge with storms upstream, and treat posted closures as law, because rangers do.
- 1
Blue Hole Falls Verified
Elizabethton
Blue Hole Falls is a series of three to four cascades on Holston Mountain in Cherokee National Forest, northeast of Elizabethton via TN-91 and Panhandle Road; a short, steep half-mile loop trail with wooden steps reaches the… Full guide →
- 2
Melton Hill Park Verified
Knoxville
Melton Hill Park sits on a peninsula in the Clinch River (Melton Hill Lake) near Oak Ridge, reached from Knoxville via Hardin Valley Road; the park has marked signage, two boat ramps, a fishing pier, and a sand swim beach, plus a… Full guide →
- 3
Percy Priest Lake Verified
Nashville · jumps ~30 ft
This pin sits at a well-known informal jump spot on Percy Priest Lake's Lincoya Bay, about 10 miles east of downtown Nashville — access cuts through the Lincoya Bay Apartments off Lincoya Bay Drive to a worn gate and tree line,… Full guide →
- 4
Baby Falls (Tellico River) Verified
Tellico Plains
Baby Falls is a roughly 15-foot ledge drop on the Tellico River in Cherokee National Forest, a quarter mile past the larger Bald River Falls. From Tellico Plains, take TN-165 about five miles, turn right onto Forest Road 210 past… Full guide →
- 5
Bald River Falls Verified
Tellico Plains
Bald River Falls is a 90-foot cascade in Cherokee National Forest, reached via TN-165 out of Tellico Plains and then Tellico River Road (FR 210) — the falls sit right off the road with roadside parking, though spots fill fast on… Full guide →
- 6
Abrams Falls Verified
Townsend
Abrams Falls is a real, well-known 20-foot waterfall in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, reached via a roughly 5-mile round-trip trail from the gravel lot at the Abrams Falls trailhead on Cades Cove Loop Road (no permit… Full guide →
- 7
Greeter Falls Verified
Altamont
Greeter Falls sits in South Cumberland State Park's Savage Gulf area near Altamont, Tennessee, a 1.5-mile moderate hike featuring a spiral metal staircase down to the lower falls and its clear aqua "Blue Hole" pool. The 50-foot… Full guide →
- 8
Cummins Falls Verified
Cookeville
Cummins Falls drops 75 feet in two stages on the Blackburn Fork near Cookeville, ending in a wide swimming hole named Travel + Leisure's 10th Best Swimming Hole in America. Reaching the base requires a required free permit, a… Full guide →
- 9
Upper Waterloo Falls Verified
Cookeville
Upper Waterloo Falls is the shallow, ~5-ft, wide ledge falls on a private stretch of Spring Creek about 15 minutes north of Cookeville, paired downstream with the taller 35-ft Waterloo Falls on the same property. Entry requires a… Full guide →
- 10
Waterloo Falls Verified
Cookeville
Waterloo Falls is a 35-foot falls on Spring Creek about 15 minutes north of Cookeville, TN, operated as a paid river-access venue (Waterloo Venue & Events) rather than a free public spot. Day passes (roughly $10/adult, $5/child)… Full guide →
Exact coordinates, water depths, and community clips for every spot above:
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Cliff jumping in Tennessee: common questions
Where is the best cliff jumping in Tennessee?
Foster Falls and Fiery Gizzard on the Cumberland Plateau, the Rock Island State Park blue holes, and Percy Priest Lake near Nashville are the best-known. Cummins Falls is beautiful but permit-gated and strictly managed.
Do you need a permit for Cummins Falls?
Yes — accessing the gorge and plunge pool at Cummins Falls State Park requires a gorge-access permit, and the park closes the gorge after rain because of flash flooding. Book ahead in summer.
Are Tennessee waterfalls dangerous?
The pools are inviting, but plateau gorges rise fast after storms and several parks have had drownings and rescues. Check the forecast upstream, respect closures, and confirm depth before every jump — pool bottoms shift after floods.
Browse the full list: all 65 spots in Tennessee