Laurel Falls is a 75-foot plunge waterfall on Laurel Creek in Rhea County, Tennessee, inside Laurel-Snow State Natural Area on Walden Ridge, about 3.7 miles north of Dayton. It sits on the Cumberland Plateau at the end of a moderate hike on the Cumberland Trail.
The falls
Laurel Creek drops in a single vertical plunge, in a region where plateau creeks pour over sandstone caprock into gorges. The World Waterfall Database puts the height at about 75 feet from lidar data. Earlier surveys listed 80 feet, a figure still used in other state descriptions.
Getting there
The trailhead is at the end of Richland Creek Road north of Dayton. From US 27, take Walnut Grove Road northwest for 0.7 mile, turn left on Back Valley Road and after another 0.7 mile turn right at the Laurel-Snow sign; park at the end of the road. The gates are open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and overnight parking needs a permit.
The trail starts on an old coal-hauling railbed that runs wide and flat beside Richland Creek. At mile 1.7 it crosses a metal bridge over Laurel Creek and forks: the right branch climbs 0.7 mile to Laurel Falls, about 4.8 miles round trip. The section is rated moderate. Laurel-Snow State Natural Area is managed by Cumberland Trail State Park.
When to go
The falls run well except in the dry peak of summer, when the flow drops.
On site
Past the falls the trail turns steep and rugged, fords the creek and ends at an overlook named for William Jennings Bryan; high water can make the ford impassable, and hikers should take care at stream crossings and near the tops of waterfalls. The Richland Mine entrance near the start of the trail is unsafe; stay out. Leashed dogs are allowed, and fishing is permitted. Camping is limited to designated sites with registration, including the Laurel Creek site 0.9 mile up the Laurel spur.
History and name
Logging and deep coal mining went on here in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and the trail follows the mine railbed. Part of Richland Creek was dammed as the Dayton Reservoir for the town's water supply; a short side path at mile 1.2 leads to the old dam. The state designated the 2,259-acre natural area in 1973.
Nearby
Snow Falls, at the end of the left fork, is about 0.8 mile away. Paine Creek Falls lies about 1.3 miles away, Pickard Falls about 2.2 miles and Sale Creek Falls about 2.5 miles.
Distances are straight-line.