Why this park
Nine miles north of Cookeville, Blackburn Fork drops 75 feet into a gorge. The falls come down in two steps, a tall drop and then a shorter cascade over rock ledges, into a wide pool. They rank eighth in size among Tennessee's waterfalls, and people from Jackson and Putnam counties have swum in that pool for more than a century.
That is the picture worth drawing: white water spilling over the ledges, swimmers small at its foot, the walls of the gorge close around them. Blackburn Fork is a state scenic river, and its banks here are wooded with oak, beech, sycamore and hemlock. Above the gorge, a short trail leads to an overlook with a view of the falls, and no river to cross.
The story
The river takes its name from Benjamin Blackburn, a soldier who received the land in the 1790s for his service. In 1825, by the state's account and TennGreen's, John Cummins acquired the land and built a mill on the river. TennGreen adds that he bought it from Blackburn and was a Scottish mill builder. A larger mill followed in 1845, and during the Civil War, TennGreen says, the mill turned out gun stocks for the Confederate army. The great flood of 1928 washed it away, and it was never rebuilt, but the Cummins family kept the land for more than 180 years.
In 2010 the tract with the falls was sold at auction, and conservationists feared it would become home sites. Conservation buyers bought it and held it while the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, now TennGreen Land Conservancy, raised the money with private gifts and help from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. The foundation then sold the land to the state. Cummins Falls became a public park in 2011, and in May 2012 Governor Bill Haslam dedicated it as Tennessee's 54th state park.
The gorge that draws the crowds can also turn dangerous fast. Rain upstream can raise the water in minutes, even on a dry day at the park. In July 2017, after rain fell upstream in Putnam County, a flash flood trapped dozens of people in the gorge, and two women died. In June 2019, less than an inch of rain in a nearby basin raised the water several feet within minutes, and a two-year-old boy was swept away and drowned.
After the second flood, the state put gauges on streams upstream that send alerts to park staff and to two 911 centers, and the park began clearing the gorge whenever radar shows rain anywhere in the watershed. Since 2020 the gorge has required a permit, and the permits cap how many people go down each day.
When to go, and what to wear
Summer is swimming season. NOAA's normals for its station in Cookeville, about 1,090 feet above sea level, put July highs near 87°F and lows near 66°F. The two deadly floods came in June and July, though, so watch the forecast for the country upstream as well as the park. If rain threatens anywhere in the watershed, stay above the gorge and see the falls from the overlook.
Rain falls in every season here, about 60 inches a year, with December the wettest month and October the driest. April brings highs near 70°F and lows near 43°F. October averages highs near 72°F and lows near 45°F, good weather for the trails above the gorge. January averages a high near 47°F and a low near 27°F, so wear a warm jacket, a hat and gloves at the overlook.
For the gorge, dress to get wet. The park recommends sturdy, closed-toe shoes that can get wet, such as an old pair of sneakers, and advises against flip-flops. Wear a swimsuit under quick-drying shorts and a light tee, carry water, and keep your phone in a waterproof bag. The routes down are steep, so the walk out is a climb. Leave a dry shirt and shoes in the car for the drive home.
Know before you go
- You need a permit to go down into the gorge or to the foot of the falls. Permits are limited each day, the gorge opens only in fair weather, and it can close without warning when the water rises.
- The routes into the gorge are steep and rough, over boulders and the rocky riverbed, with several river crossings. Ask at the visitor center about that day's water before you start.
- Children 12 and under must wear a life jacket at the falls and stay with an adult, and the park recommends that children 5 and under not go to the falls. Glass, alcohol, strollers and pool floats are not allowed in the gorge.
- No permit is needed for the trails above the gorge. The short Falls Overlook Trail ends at an accessible overlook.
- Through March 14, 2027, winter hours apply: the park is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the gorge closes at 3:30 p.m., and gorge permits stop selling at 2:30 p.m.
- Permits, hours and gorge closures change, so check Cummins Falls State Park's page before you go.
Sources: Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, news releases of May 21 and May 22, 2012, and "Blackburn Fork Scenic River"; TennGreen Land Conservancy, "Cummins Falls" and "Conservation Spotlight: Top 10 Trail Successes"; Cummins Falls historical marker, Historical Marker Database; The Tennes-Sierran, Sierra Club Tennessee Chapter (September–October 2010); Blake Farmer, WPLN (2012); WTVF NewsChannel 5 (2017, 2019 and 2020); WKRN (2018); FOX 17 (2019 and 2020); UCNow (2020); WSMV (2026); Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (2024); NOAA, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Cookeville station; Wikipedia; Cummins Falls State Park, tnstateparks.com.
