Morristown TN Area Trips --Easy Roadside Waterfalls

Rainbow Poop Emoji 

Morristown TN Area Trips --Easy Roadside Waterfalls 

Dana & Kenny Koogler

Saturday February 16, 2019

Pictures are here beginning with frame 122

Roadside Falls Assortment 

  The forecast called for a dreary, rainy Saturday.  What it really said was showers off and on all day.   We had to get out and do some waterfall hunting, but no one wants to be out in the cold and wet all day.   We talked it over and opted for a large list of roadside waterfalls in the Morristown vicinity to our north.  We had visited there several times over the Summer and really enjoyed it.  We still had a long list of exploring to do!   We figured with as many as I had on the list we'd either have a full day.  We also reasoned that no further from the car than any of them were if it really began to pour down we could just call it quits and settle for whatever we'd been able to accomplish when we tired of it.   

    I really like Morristown and that area.  It is a nice place and very quiet and country.

We visited Hamblen County and Grainger County primarily with a little Claiborne and Hancock Counties thrown in.   Almost all these falls are on private property so we did not know what access was going to be like.   We knew with all the rain we've had they'd at least be rolling and worth seeing.   

     We started off on the east end and worked our way to the west.   Fall Branch Falls 

is a pair of 2 waterfalls in Hancock County. I noticed that while it is listed on private property there is a VFW post at the top of the falls with a parking lot.  A path leads down to the falls.  I had also seen 

a fellow's videos of the falls and it appeared it is one of those places folks still visit.   We found it without any trouble.  We parked at the VFW building and no one was around.  We walked down over the bank to the first falls.  We then discovered that at the bottom of the hill sits a cabin!  Right by the falls.  It is posted No Trespassing.  No one was around so we walked down to where we could get a half way view of the bottom drop and got a quick photo. We did not linger or press our luck.

These people have put an eagle up in the trees at the falls.  They consider this their personal falls and property so we got the message.  The upper falls was not as touchy to visit.  At least we'd managed to see both of them.  

Lower Falls

Upper Falls

Topmost cascade of Fall Branch Falls

   Next we moved on to Matfield Falls. It was in a rural , residential area, but did not appear to have any homes immediately next to it.   It was so close to the road Kenny had to drop me off and come back for me.   It was on such a quiet dirt road that we took a chance on just parking and walking over to it.   Very little traffic.   It was quite pretty, but not very big.  It was made prettier by the high water volume.
The following series of images is Matfield Falls starting at the top drop and working my way down to the lower cascades.

 Top view of Matfield Falls above and below

 You can see how close to the gravel road the stream is.  You can also see the road is damaged by flooding.

 The stream bed is very different looking here!

 Above and below the final two cascades before the end of Matfield Falls

We had managed to find Matfield Falls and visit it.  Next we moved on to Yellow Branch Falls. This one had intrigued me the most out of all we planned to see today.  It has three drops and I had seen photos of it and a fellow's drone footage video on You Tube. It was beautiful! 
 I have included the video below and you can get a look at Yellow Branch Falls as if you are flying down over it!  Very dramatic.   The property is for sale if you want to buy it!  

   We did not have any trouble getting from Matfield Falls around the loop road and finding Yellow Branch Falls. We came to the lowest drop and it was quite pretty.  It apparently had a bridge crossing in front of it in the past.  One abutment still stands while the other lies below the falls on the bank.

 Lowest drop of Yellow Branch Falls

 Bridge support lying in the creek bed.

Side view of the falls and the one remaining bridge support.

   We moved on up the road and the stream was pretty, but had some litter along it.  It looked like stuff flooding had washed down stream. Not necessarily stuff dumped at this point. The next series of photos is Yellow Branch and its falls and cascades.  What a shock we were in for.

 You can see a little bit of trash along the banks and caught in the limbs over the creek. I saw a basketball sitting in the middle of the stream.

Basketball has washed away.  This must be the middle falls? 

 Just up from that was the awfulest mess of trash dumped down over the bank.  It was sickening.

 Trash everywhere... and the upper falls

 Upper Yellow Branch Falls is actually quite pretty were it not for the trash.

 Topmost drop of Yellow Branch Falls also pretty.  People can be absolute pigs.

   We found Yellow Branch Falls and next visit we'll go back with gloves and lots of trashbags!
I admit I was so disgusted that while I could have gotten a closer front shot of the main and largest drop of the falls.. I'd have had to wade through all that garbage to do it.   I just was not willing to do it.   It was gross.   No telling what is in that mess.

      We had a little bit of a drive to the next falls.  Cedar Springs Creek Falls was out in the Thorn Hill community close to 

Joe Mill Falls.   We had looked for Cedar Springs Creek Falls back in June, but took a wrong turn and did not find it.   Today we spotted it easily.  The leaves were off the trees and the water volume was high making it hard to miss.  It was across Big War Creek and emptied into it.  It lay on the far side of a pasture field.   We went down to a house nearby that appeared to have a path constructed to a view of it across the stream.   We did not believe they owned the property the falls was on, but most likely owned the fields where we could get a view of it.   No one was home so finally we just took a chance and walked out across the field to see the falls.   It was pretty alright. The field was so boggy it took some care to work your way around the places that had turned into ponds surrounded by spongy ground. 

Above: Cedar Springs Creek Falls at high volume.

   We were so close to Joe Mill Falls we decided to stop and take a look.  It was not part of the original plan, but was worth a stop.  Someone's rainbow poop emoji float had gotten away from them and washed downstream. It swirled around and round in the plunge pool.   It was a funny sight.
Below: Big War Creek runs the length of the pasture we crossed.

Below: Joe Mill Creek Falls with the rainbow poop float swirling round like in a toilet bowl.
 

  We moved on next to Bullen Valley Falls.  Though it had a decent water flow I just did not feel impressed enough by this falls to even get out of the car.  We headed down the road and saw McGinnis Falls which was a roadside waterfall.  It was kind of pretty.   It is about a 20 ft falls. 

Next we drove a bit further and saw two falls on Puncheon Creek.  Both on private property, but visible from the road and not that impressive.   I did not take pictures.  

   Last of all for the day was Bridgeport Church Falls.  It drops into Cherokee Lake.  It looks like when the lake levels are normal it may not even be a falls period.  It was publicly accessible.

 Above and below:  Bridgeport Church Falls upper drop and the main drop pictured below.

   The day had turned out to be sunny and nice.  I was glad for the sunshine, but wished we'd had a backup plan for real hiking instead of this roadside waterfall thing.   I was craving hiking.. not this.  

It was better than being home on the couch, but I guess that was why after so many roadside small waterfalls I was just over it.   Worries over access. The size of the falls not being that great and without the pleasure of at least hiking and getting some exercise was not very satisfying to me. 

I was over it.   We stopped to discuss what to do next and figure what was going to be the best way to get home.  Both of us despise the long, boring drive home down Rutledge Pike. It is monotonous. 

I told Kenny I liked the idea of going back through Morristown to eat and do some shopping.  

He was in agreement so we found a short cut to a main road.   What was a bonus for me was getting to see a historic old building I'd see photos of on Flickr.   Total surprise as I did not have any idea where it was located! 

Above: Historic Dotson School in Washburn, TN.  Circa 1904

     We made our way to Morristown and as we got close Kenny asked me to get on Google Maps and look up places we might want to get some late lunch.    It was already 2 :30 p.m.   I was in the process of doing that when he recalled he and his co-workers had eaten lunch in a really good restaurant once.  He remembered where it was, but not the name of it.  He headed in that direction figuring we'd try it.  I was game, but I continued to scroll down the list of establishments.   I came to one that said Davy Crockett Restaurant.   I laughed and immediately said in my dumbest, hick accent "What's your name?" About the time I said it we pulled into the restaurant parking lot and lo and behold.. it was Davy Crockett Resturant!  I lost it.  I listen to too much John Boy and Billy Big Show in the mornings.  The saying What's your name Puddin' Tame? Ask me again and I'll tell you the same. What's your name? Davy Crockett. Ask me again and I'll pee in your pocket.   I can't make this stuff up.   It doesn't take much to amuse me. I am simple minded.  LOL.... I finally composed myself enough to go in and eat and act like I had some sense.    It was a really great place to eat.   

Above: The Davy Crockett Restaurant.  If you're ever in Morristown stop in and try it. You won't be sorry.  

  Once we had lunch we hit up the Morristown KARM thrift store.  I had been once before and really liked it.  There is one in Jeff City, but I was not real impressed with it. Today I left the thrift store with bags of good stuff!  It is a great place to find designer women's clothing for a bargain basement price.   We drove home much faster on the interstate. We ended up having a good day and saw lots of pretty waterfalls.   I would go back again, but it would help if I had been getting to do lots of hiking already.  Then roadside falls would be easier to put up with.  Or a mixture of hiking to some and roadside ones.  

     Below is a video of Matfield Falls

   Wish List of Area Falls I'd Go Back to See on Any Repeat Trips

Beeler Mill Falls 12' 

Simmons Falls 18' 

Waterfall Creek Falls ( no photo, no info, no height is what makes me want to check this out)

Lawson Falls 40'

Yellow Branch Falls-- I would return with a clean up effort and make myself take some photos of the upper drops.

Cloud Creek Cascade( once more.. the lack of a photo, info or height makes me want to see this one)

All these would be doable from the Morristown Area and the hub more toward Cherokee Lake.

**Note to self** Regrets --Not taking photos of Yellow Branch upper falls, Bullen Valley Falls, Yellow Branch Missionary Baptist Church, and not going up to see the pretty old house near Yellow Branch Falls. 

**Edited to Add** Anything struck through above is now completed at a later time.  Would still like to see Waterfall Creek Falls, Cloud Creek Cascade & the house above Yellow Branch Falls