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Summer has arrived to Tennessee and the state parks are calling. Just recently, the Tennessee State Parks announced the designation of some new parks bringing the grand total to 60. We are still working on our goal of seeing all of the state parks. We couldn’t pass up on seeing the newest park to join the list.

The newly designated Scott’s Gulf Wilderness State Park is a great park to enjoy. It felt like stepping into a hidden wonder land with gushing waterfalls and trails through the trees. There are different areas of the park and we decided on the Lost Creek Falls and Cave area. It is a perfect place for family friendly hiking as the trails are moderate and not too long.

Visitor Information

The state park is just outside of the city of Sparta in White County. As of right now, there are not a lot of signs directing visitors to the park so turn on directions to get there.

There is no entrance fee to the park. But if you want to hike through the Lost Creek Cave, you will need to get a permit at least 3 days in advance.

Facilities are limited as the park is expanding with more to be added in the future. There are primitive camping spots available.

Trail Guide of the Park

Scott’s Gulf Wilderness includes 9,500 acres of land with a great variety of trails to explore. No matter a person’s physical abilities or hiking interest, there is an area of the park that suits the needs. (See the Park Map here). The state park also has a put in point for the Caney River at Mitchell Ford.

• Trails with minimal distance (0-1 mile):
  • Beecher Wallace Homestead
  • Welch’s Point Viewpoint
• Trails with low distance(1-3 miles):
  • Lost Creek Falls and Cave
  • Hardie Trail
• Trails with moderate distance(3-5 miles):
  • Dog Cove Trail
  • Rylander Falls Trail
• Trails with long distance(6+ miles):
  • Virgin Falls Trail
  • Caney River Trail

Beecher Wallace Homestead

Our first stop was to the Beecher Wallace Homestead, which is operating as the park office for the time being. The building itself was closed as they were working on getting the inside organized as a visitor center. A sign on the door gave directions to some of the trailheads. There is so much of this park we wanted to see, but with the time we had we were limited.

Lost Creek Trail

We decided on a short distance hike to see the Lost Creek area of the park. This has long been a favorite part of the area, even before becoming a state park. Turning down the gravel road down towards the bottom of the gulf we were enveloped into the green expanse of trees.

From the parking lot, we first went left to see the Lost Creek Falls from the top. The river flowed over the steps of rocks before making its final crash down into the waterfall below.

After seeing the waterfall from above we then took the path to the right to see it from below. Even after all these years in Tennessee, I am always amazed how just how green a place can be.

We came to the Lost Creek Falls, tucked away in a hidden corner of the park. What a gift to have the park almost to ourselves. There are a lot of waterfall trails in Tennessee, but this one might be one of our new favorites.

The waterfall is surrounded by small caves and crevices that have been hollowed out by the water over the centuries. Visitors can go explore these smaller caves, just be mindful of the water levels and slippery moss within.

With one last view of the waterfall we continued up the trail to the other side of the the little pocket of park of Lost Creek. This part of the trail is full of smaller waterfalls and streams, moving water with a much more gentle force than the waterfall.

As much as we loved the main waterfall, all the smaller waterfalls through the rock crevices were the real delight of the trail. This is probably one of our favorite things about the state parks around here is the play between water and rock.

The last part of the Lost Creek area is the cave. This massive cave system is one of only 6 caves in the state that allow visitors. The cave is only open from May 1- August 31 in an effort to protect the bats that call the cave home.

Visitors to the cave must have a permit, registered for and approved 3 days before your visit. Visitors will need to sign a liability waiver and adhere to the Clean Caving Guidelines.

We really loved seeing this corner of Scott’s Gulf State Park today. It was a great way to kick off summer being wrapped up in the fresh greens and water of the park. With so many trails to enjoy, I’m sure that it won’t be long before we come back to see more of it.

Thanks for coming along on this visit to the Lost Creek area of Scott’s Gulf Wilderness State Park. May your soul be filled with the greens of summer.

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