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Virgin Falls is one of Tennessee's premier waterfalls, and it is definitely one of our favorite overall hikes! We especially love hiking here in the spring, this was April 21, 2024, when the wildflowers are blooming and the waterfall is roaring. Mile for mile, I think this is one of the most scenic hikes in Tennessee. The trail starts out flat for about the first 1 - 1/2 miles and is an easy walk through the forest.
Big Branch Falls is the first waterfall you encounter, albeit a small one. After Big Branch Falls, the trail descends to a cable crossing over Big Laurel Creek. What I love about this trail is that you're continually hiking next to the creek, and this section is full of wildflowers. The next major highlight at is Big Laurel Falls, a beautiful waterfall that spills over a huge cavern opening. Walking in the cavern behind the waterfall is truly awe-inspiring!
We usually hike to Virgin Falls first, and stop at Big Laurel Falls on the way out. From Big Laurel, it's about a 1.5 mile hike to Virgin Falls, with an uphill section leading up to it. There's nothing quite like seeing this waterfall in person. After flowing from a cave at the top, as you can see in the picture below, the waterfall drops 110 feet then returns underground. The geology here is fascinating! We love having our lunch break here by the falls. The trail circles around and above the falls where you can see the cave at the top that the water flows from. This is a fun area to explore if the water isn't too high. You can continue on the trail and work your way down multiple different paths back to the area in front of the falls. From here, it's a mostly uphill trek back to the trailhead. I tracked us at 8.3 miles on this hike. There are a couple spur trails that we did not take on this hike. I've marked our route in red on the clickable map below and the optional spur trails in yellow.
Our video from this hike - including aerial shots - Virgin Falls
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