Rock Island State Park Trail System, McMinville, Tennessee

The Caney Fork River starts off in the Cumberland Mountains of Northern Tennessee. On its way to the Cumberland River and eventually Tennessee River, it passes through Scotts Gulf, as you might know, if you have followed this blog for a bit. I have hiked in Scotts Gulf before. Leaving Scotts Gulf, the Caney Fork widens on its way to Nashville. Rock Island State Park protects a rugged gorge in an otherwise mostly flat area. Here, the Rocky River flows into the Collins River, right before the Collins River flows into the lake-like Caney Fork River. Further downstream, you'll find a powerhouse and Great Falls Dam - the source of the lake. However, perhaps the biggest beauty of the park is a unique, one of a kind waterfall. Twin Falls flows out of a cave system, and drops into the Caney Fork. This hike occurred on Saturday, September 25th, 2014. My plan was to hike a few trails across the park, encompassing the best features. Each trail is listed below with a small description. 

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Directions: From McMinville, TN to the junction of TN State Route 136 and TN State Route 287 (The center point for hikes at Rock Island State Park): Follow US Highway 70S East to TN State Route 136. Here, turn left onto TN State Route 136 and follow it for 1.7 miles until the junction with TN State Route 287. For directions to each trailhead from this point, follow directions further below in this post.

1st Trail: Downstream Gorge Trail
R/T Length of Trail: 1.7 Miles
Duration of Hike: 1 Hour, 15 Minutes
Type of Hike: Lollipop 
Difficulty Rating: 3 out of 10
Pros: Numerous water features; generally very scenic
Cons: None
Water Features: Twin Falls - 10 stars; Little Falls - 3 stars
Scenic Views: None
Best Season(s) to Hike: Autumn
Trail Blaze Color(s): Downstream Gorge Trail - White; Spur Trails - Blue
Beginning Point: Parking area at the end of Powerhouse Road
Directions: From the junction of HWY-136 and HWY-287: Follow HWY-136 north for 1.2 miles. Right after crossing the Caney Fork River on a bridge, turn left onto Powerhouse Road. Follow Powerhouse Road for 2.2 miles until two parking areas on the right - one large and a smaller one. 

This is probably the most beautiful trail in the park, so if you're going for a trip to the park,  make sure to do this one. That's why I am putting it first. 


This hike begins at the gravel parking area on Powerhouse Road. Take the trail at the far end of the parking. For the first 0.1 mile, it goes steeply downhill to the river. Twin Falls is directly in front of you, and there are several vantage points - both to the left and to the right. My favorite one was on the left. Twin Falls is an amazing waterfall. It is 80 feet high and 200 feet wide.As deceptive as it is, this waterfall didn't exist here all the time. Apparently, there was an unknown cave system here, and when Great Falls Dam was built, the cave system opened up and water started seeping out of it. Originally, Twin Falls was two separate waterfalls, but gradually, the hole became so large that it became one big waterfall coming out of nowhere. I have never seen a waterfall like this before. It is truly unique. 


From Twin Falls, keep following the Downstream Gorge Trail's white blazes westward. Around 0.2 miles, a spur trail to Little Falls heads right. the spur is only 100 yards long, and leads to an interesting "little" waterfall, hence the name. This is actually a small creek that spills acutely down a rock overhang, more like a slide waterfall. However, you can actually walk under this overhang without getting wet, because it is a small cave. On the other side of the cave you get the best view of Little Falls. Retrace your steps to the main trail, and keep going forward on it. Next, there will be three crossings of the branches of the "Little Falls Creek". Each one can be rock hopped. After this, the gorge becomes even more rugged and steep, so the trail ascended some steps and started to follow the steep gorge walls. At one of the staircases, look closely across the gorge - if you have a binocular or zoom lens n your camera, you can see another waterfall coming out of nowhere, out of a hole in the rocks. I am not aware of a name of that waterfall. At 0.5 miles, reach the loop part of the trail. Here, there is an excellent view of the Caney Fork Gorge. The header to this post was taken at this place. It doesn't mater which way to do the loop, but I did it clockwise, so turn left. The trail will be just above the  river for some time, and then, at 0.8 miles, there will be a spur trail to the left that leads to the Blue Hole. This spur trail is only 100 yards, so take it. It leads onto a small beach at the river. This is a beautiful spot, with an amazing view of the surrounding ruggedness. 


Once you have taken in the beauty of the surroundings, retrace your steps to the loop, and keep following it. There will be a brief ascent and then descent ending at the loop junction at 1 mile. Retrace your steps to Twin Falls. For the sake of a difference, instead of taking the route left, go forward past Twin Falls to the powerhouse. The powerhouse is quite a view! Then, ascend the long stairway to the lower parking area, and walk the road back to the original parking. 

2nd Trail: Old Mill Access Trail
R/T Length of Trail: 1 Mile
Duration of Hike: 30 Minutes
Type of Hike: Out-and-back
Difficulty Rating: 3 out of 10
Pros: More waterfalls
Cons: Lots of rocks
Water Features: Great Falls - 5 stars; Unnamed falls on Old Mill Access Trail - 4 stars
Scenic Views: None
Best Season(s) to Hike: Year-round
Trail Blaze Color(s): Old Mill Access Trail - White; Unnamed Falls Spur - Blue
Beginning Point: Old Mill Parking Area
Directions: From the junction of HWY-136 and HWY-287: Turn left and follow HWY-287 for 1.3 miles. The Old Mill Parking Area will be on the right after an old mill. 

The Old Mill Access Trail is nothing much more than, just that, an access. For its first 0.3 miles, it steeply descends down wet, stone steps. They are always wet from all the seeps on the cliffs. At 0.3 miles, the steps end at a tiny spur to a pretty waterfall. It's a small stream that spills over the cliff, but during high water, it can look pretty good. Here, turn right, cross the stream, and proceed through the brush to reach the Caney Fork at 0.4 miles. Then, go a bit downstream and find a place to descend down to water to see Great Falls. It is a pretty nice cascade , as it travels through a narrow passageway. It looks especially beautiful in high water. Also, I have no idea why this trail is rated strenuous. It would get a difficulty rating of 1 if not for all the wet steps and rocks. However, this is the only good access to Great Falls, which is worth seeing, if you're in the park. 

3rd Trail: Collins River Trail 
R/T Length of Trail: 3 Miles
Duration of Hike: 1 Hour
Type of Hike: Loop
Difficulty Rating: 1 out of 10
Pros: Easy; Views of Collins River
Cons: None
Water Features: None
Scenic Views: None 
Trail Blaze Color(s): White
Best Season(s) to Hike: Year-round
Beginning Point: Small, gravel parking area under powerlines on TN-287
Directions: From the junction of HWY-136 and HWY-287: Turn left and follow HWY-287 for 1.7 miles. As you reach the powerlines and a sign, "Great Falls Dam", watch for a small parking area on the left. This is the trailhead. 

The Collins River Trail is generally one of the easiest trails I have done in a long time. Typical to a state park, the trail follows a flat surface on the southeastern end of a peninsula separating the Collins and the Caney Fork. The first mile of the trail stays above the river, with some good views of it through trees. At 1 mile, there is a junction with a Connector Trail that cuts the mileage to 2 miles and passes by an old cemetery. Around this time, you pass under powerlines. At 1.5 miles, pass under powerlines again, and make a gradual turn north, getting closer to the Collins River. There is a bench here to sit and view the water. At 2 miles, the trail makes a sharp turn left. The HWY-287 bridge over Collins River is visible on the right. The trail ascends a bit and then parallels the road to reach a junction with the Connector Trail at 2.4 miles. The rest of the trail is more gentle ascent, although pretty much nothing. The trail tops out on the grassy hill where the powerlines cut through at 3 miles. The parking area is just down the hill. 


In summary, Rock Island State Park has some very nice scenery, and is certainly worth visiting. There's a few trails for excursion too. However, I would not return a second time. I have pretty much seen most of the park's attractions. Below are my pictures and videos.