Description
This waterfall is of low volume but pretty high for a waterfall in this
region. Technically it is mostly a cascade as the water flows down a steep
rock face and only free falls the last 10 feet or so.
I certainly wouldn't drive to Dennis Cove just for this waterfall, but if you
have time between visiting one of the other waterfalls in the vicinity (such as
Laurel Falls or
Dennis Cove Falls), it's worth a gander.
Getting There
Drive east on U.S. 321 out of Hampton, Tennessee for 0.8 miles. Turn
right onto Dennis Cove Rd. The road is marked with a small, brown national
forest campground sign but it's easy to miss. It looks like you're turning
into a residential area and you are. Drive on through and the road will
head up.
Be prepared for a winding mountain road. I know. You're shocked.
About 4 miles from U.S. 321 will be a small parking area on the left side of
the road for the Appalachian Trail and Laurel Falls.
The trailhead is 0.6 miles past this on the right. There is no marked
parking but if you look close you should spot the trail and blue blazes.
The trail is marked as CNF 37. There is room on the right side of the road
to pull over and park here. If you reach the Dennis Cove Campground you've
gone too far. Turn around and go back about 0.2 miles.
Hike Details
It is a relatively short but steep hike at around 0.5 miles and 400 feet
elevation gain. The trail follows Coon Den Branch all the way. About
0.1 miles before the falls you will come across another small waterfall of about
15 feet. I bushwhacked down to it for a photograph. It is the bottom
left picture.
The elevation gain on the hike to Coon Den Falls was fairly steep at the end
as you can see from the hike profile below.
Photo Tips
This is a difficult waterfall to photograph. You are right on top of
the falls so photographing the entire length, especially the top half, is
tricky. Poor light conditions just exacerbated the issue. An early
morning trip here would be best. I was there mid-afternoon and the sun was
shining on the top 1/3 or so of the waterfall.
A normal-to-wide angle lens will be required as you are very close to the
waterfall.
Good luck.
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Coon Den Falls
