Burgess Falls State Park features Burgess Falls, a waterfall located on Falling Water River in Sparta, TN.

There is no access to the base of Burgess Falls from the State Park parking area, but you can hike (0.75mi) to an overlook which looks down on Burgess. You’ll pass smaller falls along the way. To access the bottom of the falls, you have to take a kayak.

If you’re coming from Atlanta, it is a 3.5 hour drive to Sparta, TN.

Here’s the important part though: there is a TIME CHANGE from Atlanta. Sparta, TN is on Central Daylight Time (and Atlanta is on EST), so you’ll gain an hour. You might find this disconcerting if you fall asleep for over an hour in the front passenger seat and then wake up to find that according to the iPhone clock it’s somehow only been 5 minutes since you fell asleep AND you’re less than an hour to your destination.

Once you’ve kayaked to the base of the falls, you can beach your kayak and walk around, but watch out for poison ivy! (See the poison ivy surrounding the rock in the photo above.)

We rented kayaks from Cumberland Kayak outfitters and their rental includes a guide to get you to the falls. The river is not ‘rushing’ and there is not a current to pull you to your destination, so expect to spend an hour actively paddling in each direction from the put-in location. I would also caution against swimming, since the water seems fairly brown and muddy and we spotted no less than 9 snakes on our trip including a cottonmouth.

Here is my itinerary for someone from Atlanta who wants to enjoy Burgess Falls:

• Pack a dry bag, your camera of choice (my Holga images are here!), and a sunscreen shirt (I wore this one from Amazon)
• Bring along an ice chest with bottled waters and your favorite sandwich
• Wake up early Saturday and drive 3.5 hours to Sparta, TN, do NOT forget to account for the time change from EST to CST
• Stop in Sparta at The Coffee Collective for an iced coffee (they open at 8am)
• Meet up with Cumberland Kayak in time for their 9:30am launch; there is not a lot of shade while you are paddling, so I specifically recommend going on the early trip before the sun gets high in the sky
• Enjoy Burgess Falls! It takes approximately one hour to paddle to the base of the Falls, an hour to enjoy the view, and then an hour to paddle back
• After returning to your vehicle, drive to the State Park Day use area at 4044 Burgess Falls Dr, Sparta, TN 38583 where you can enjoy your sandwich, find a real bathroom, and then hike 0.75mi to the Falls overlook- you’ll even get to see a couple of bonus waterfalls along the way
• From there, drive back 1.5 hours to Chattanooga, TN and spend the night (this saves you driving 3.5 hours in both directions all in one day, you’ll drive the rest of the way home on Sunday)
• We stayed at Wauhatchie Woodlands in a tiny cabin. Super adorable, clean, and comfy. Five stars!
• After showers, we went to dinner, and then drinks at Elsie’s Daughters
• The next morning, find coffee at the Frothy Monkey and tool around Chattanooga until you’re ready to head for home (have you been to their aquarium?)

Have a wonderful weekend!