For a very enjoyable hike that leads to a beautiful waterfall with a small swimming hole, check out Stillhouse Hollow Falls, located near Mount Pleasant, Tennessee, between the towns of Columbia and Lawrenceburg.
The trail to the falls, a .7-mile journey in, making a 1.4-mile round trip walk, starts out on a decline on the first section. Though a few loose rocks and roots require some awareness, the whole trip is not incredibly strenuous for those accustomed to a bit of movement.
The majority of the trail is quite shady, a welcome feature on a hot summer day.
Once hikers get down the first big hill and arrive at the creek, they may decide to go ahead and cool off here in the stream, which presents a neat little 5-foot-tall waterfall.
After enjoying this smaller water feature, continue walking down the shallow creek, or get back on the trail, to get to the top of the larger falls, not far away.
The trip to Stillhouse Hollow Falls goes quickly and includes a couple of bridges over the creek, some steps and sections of boardwalk.
Once at the top of the primary waterfalls, enjoy the view from above and then descend down the hollow to the pool at the bottom.
Lots of stairs lead down the hillside, simplifying the descent. Once arriving down to the level ground near the stream below the falls—which soon feeds Big Bigby Creek—a brick chimney still stands with only a square dirt patch around it, likely the site of a structure years ago.
Was this the stillhouse?
No, according to Mike Cothran, whose family used to own the property and who still visits the falls frequently to help pick up trash and take young family members to visit this portion of the Tennessee forest he enjoyed as a boy.
Cothran says his uncle, Russell Cothran, built a small building in the 1960s that served as a hunting cabin, located in a spot where only the chimney still stands.
Mike Cothran
He and Mike’s father would coon hunt, deer hunt and fish on the land, but, while they may have drunk some moonshine on the property, never produced it, as far as Cothran knows. The family never referred to the falls as Stillhouse Hollow, a name that would come later; they sometimes called it Cothran Falls.
The Cothrans sold the land to a nature conservancy in 1989 and the conservancy has since sold it to the state of Tennessee for all to enjoy.
Now, many visitors get the opportunity to come to Stillhouse Hollow Falls and splash beneath this fantastic 75-foot-tall Tennessee waterfall, where mothers tell their sons “be careful!” as they climb on the slick rocks surrounding the plunge pool.
The pool holds just enough water for an adult to fully submerge themselves, offering a shady and cool refreshment, even on a blisteringly hot summer day.
And this area below the waterfalls contains plenty of rocks on which to sit, and shallow, level places for young children and dogs to just get their feet wet.
Pay it a visit sometime and get a little wet in the woods at this beautiful and secluded spot.
Find the parking area for Stillhouse Hollow Falls on Highway 43 in southern Middle Tennessee, 21 miles from the intersection of Highways 31 and 43 in Columbia.
For more information on this and other Tennessee State Natural Areas, call 931-375-6101 or visit tn.gov/environment.
