Photos by Sarah Mayo
Just off the Natchez Trace, near its crossing of the Duck River, a beautiful area known as Jackson Falls sits in the Tennessee forest.
Here, a creek plummets in elevation, in two stages, before feeding into the Duck.
Pulling off of the Natchez Trace into the Jackson Falls parking lot, an expansive view of the valley below greets visitors. They can see the mighty Duck River looking directly below near the base of the steep hillside and a few farms far off in the distance.
To get to Jackson Falls a group must travel a good ways down this steep hillside.
The trail from the parking lot to the falls is paved, and not long at all—only a 900-foot journey. It also has handrails installed most of the way.
But portions of it are quite steep.
According to alltrails.com, the trail only has an elevation change of 49 feet from top to bottom, but that is fairly significant when contained within a 900-foot trail.
It really does provide a very quick trip to a wonderful waterfall, considering the time and distance some hikers must go for a waterfall excursion.
It is so brief that some serious hikers question whether this short walk down a sidewalk should even be considered a “hike.” Nevertheless, the path leads to a very beautiful natural Tennessee feature well worth visiting.
Just a few minutes after leaving the parking area, there it is: Jackson Falls.
Approaching the falls and examining it closer, a nature enthusiast notices it begins with an upper portion from which the creek flows downhill at a gentle, maybe 45-degree, angle for a piece. A large, flat portion of the creek sits between the two waterfall areas, and then Jackson plunges another 15 feet or so down as a proper waterfall.
Members of a visiting party appreciate the serene, unique scene, finding themselves in a giant bowl carved out of rocks with the waterfall and creek flowing through.
One could probably follow the creek all the way to the Duck River without much difficulty if they didn’t mind getting their feet wet.
To lengthen the hike a bit, Jackson Falls sightseers can park in the Baker’s Bluff Overlook area, located just one-third of a mile up the road from the Jackson Falls parking lot. Traveling on Natchez Trace, coming in from the north, motorists will arrive at this pull-off area just before the main parking area. A trail leads from here to the paved Jackson Falls trailhead, following the upper ridgeline, offering a view of the impressive Tennessee valley before beginning the descent down to Jackson.
To further explore the area, the Historic Gordon House sits a couple of miles further to the north. This former home of a river ferry operator still stands strong and tall, a striking, large two-story brick structure. The fields, creek and trails around this area provide plenty more room to roam in natural Tennessee beauty.
Discover Jackson Falls about 30 minutes southwest of Franklin, Tennessee, near mile 405 on the historic Natchez Trace, which is 405 miles from Natchez, Mississippi, or approximately 39 miles from the 444-mile-long road’s northern terminus in Nashville, Tennessee.
