March 24, 2020 - Waterfall Wednesday - Frozen Head State Park

This guy got pulled out of his natural habitat!

Every year on the last weekend of June, or the weekend before the 4th of July, I am blessed with the opportunity to coach in a regional track meet in Knoxville, TN. As long as the kiddos place within the top 6 of their races, then they move onto the Junior Olympics which is held in one of five different locations yearly.

This year my friend Teddy and I stayed in Oak Ridge, TN, which was within twenty minutes of the track meet and also within an hour or less to Frozen Head State Park. Frozen Head State Park is named for a 3,324 foot peak located within the Cumberland Mountains. As it suggests, the top of the peak is generally iced over or covered in snow during the Winter months.

Emory Gap Falls

This state park like some is a little bit remote and you even have to drive past a state penitentiary on the way there. Kind of like a certain route one might take to get to Fort Pillow Historic State Park in West, TN. There is a good bit of hiking one can do at Frozen Head. Due to the track meet finishing in the early afternoon, Teddy and I only had a few hours to spend. We manage a full two hours and some change though, and it was a very pleasant experience. We drove by and probably about 20 folks camping out in the designated areas. We did stumble upon a local along one of the hiking trails who was actually camping in his own little area.

When you are at a park in the mountains in East TN on a Summer afternoon, you can be assured of one thing. It is definitely not as hot as it might be over in that southwest corner of the state. Much of this state park is covered in trees and you are assured plenty of shade as a result.

DeBord Falls

You have two waterfalls that you can locate along one of the shorter hiking trails in the park. Though they may be small, they are still worth taking advantage of if you need to cool off on a warm Spring or Summer day. The first is known as Emory Gap Falls a 25 foot plunge waterfall amidst the headwaters of Flat Fork on the southeast slope of Bird Mountain.  Emory Gap Falls is one of those spots where you could stand in the water and just enjoy the coolness of the flow on your feet.  You could post up with a book and pen and paper and enjoy the peace it brings you. This little spot is also really ideal for introducing kiddos to waterfalls as well.  I personally wish I had a real camera and not just my phone camera with me at the time of our visit.

The other is DeBord Falls a 12 foot plunge waterfall along Panther Branch, just above the creek's confluence with Flat Fork. DeBord Falls is really cool if you are seeking a little more of a rock hopping adventure. It would be really fun to throw a soccer ball toward the top and see how the water flow pushes the ball down. I would advise caution if you have some younger kiddos with you around this area. You could probably get some really good family shots in front of this area, too.

I will do further research to find out why they have the names they do have. For now I will let you listen to the beautiful sound of waterfalls, Frozen Head State Park style. I know one thing. It doesn't matter how tall, how fierce, or how deep a waterfall may be, it is still soothing to listen to that sound. I hope to go back to Frozen Head State Park one day, not only to get you guys some much better pictures, but to also go on a much longer hike as well. Take care and hopefully there will be some more reading tomorrow.


 Have a listen, and imagine you are there cooling off.