Fall Hollow Falls sits just off the Natchez Trace Parkway near the Tennessee town of Hohenwald. Here visitors can experience three separate scenic water features in a very short distance, easily accessible from the small parking area off of the Natchez Trace.
A short paved trail leads outdoor enthusiasts to an overlook not far from the parking area. View a slanted portion of the creek diagonally plummeting downhill into the hollow. At this point the water gently tumbles down the slanted rock face of the creek—this is the upper portion of Fall Hollow Falls.
Hikers can then venture down the stairstep-like rock formations to the lower portion of the falls and stand beneath the free-falling, 20-foot-tall lower section of the waterfall.
The pool at the base of the falls is very small, only a few inches deep. But it can make a nice area for the youngest of waterfall explorers to wade and toss some pebbles in—as small as it is, the pool nonetheless reveals a few fish swimming around. It’s not at all a swimming area for humans, at least not on a recent August day, but cool off all you like by standing directly under the falls while letting the children splash for a moment in a secluded and beautiful setting.
Walk a very short distance from here, stand on a wooden bridge, and take in a second waterfall. It’s not the tallest waterfall in Tennessee, but it makes a very pleasant scene carved into the Tennessee countryside.
The trail loops back up the hill for a round trip that someone in a hurry could complete in 10 minutes. It takes some effort to get back up the hill, but overall the trail is not too strenuous or difficult. Travelers along the Natchez Trace seeking a secluded bit of Tennessee Wilderness, even those who may not have a whole lot of time to spend at the stop, should stop and check this feature out.
One visitor said that the Fall Hollow Falls Trail made a good final stop for a day of exploring the Natchez Trace, perhaps after some other outdoor activities.
The Devil’s Backbone State Natural Area, just north of Fall Hollow Falls, offers some hiking opportunities only a couple of miles up the Trace.
Or, also nearby, an old tobacco barn, open to visitors, stands as a monument to the farming traditions of Tennessee. Drive around the barn to an old dirt road following the cliffside, part of the Old Natchez Trace. Motorists can drive this section for a piece—imagining the journeys of those who traveled the terrain on horses in the 1800s—before the unpaved Old Trace joins back up with the paved highway.
Additionally, Jackson Falls sits 12 miles north of Fall Hollow Falls. Make a day of it. Explore the Natchez Trace; explore Tennessee.
It should make a most excellent scenic fall excursion as the leaves start to change, bursting forth with the red, orange and gold tones of autumn.
Fall Hollow Falls
Fall Hollow Trail, Hohenwald, Tennessee
Near Milepost 392 of the Natchez Trace
Photos by Sarah Mayo
