Fire Tower - Fall Creek Falls

 Fall Creek Fall is full of beauty! You can find anything from waterfalls and hiking trails to food and lodging, Fall Creek Falls definitely has it all! While visiting this weekend, I finally was able to get back to a place within the park that I have been wanting to see for some time now! The Fire Tower at Fall Creek Falls!

When it comes to Fire Towers,, we always check first to ensure it's ok to go up them. Some in the state you can go up at your own risk and some are entirely off limits. After checking with a park ranger and getting a little information we were off to our destination! You can find directions on google maps by searching "Historic Fall Creek Falls Lookout Tower". You will have to go down a backroad that is really only wide enough for one vehicle but we were able to go down it with our car. We did drive slowly as there were some nice size holes in the dirt road. We finally got to a gated road off on the right side and parked by the gate. The gate was closed so we had to walk up the road. It was a pretty good incline the whole way but was around a half mile. 

This 80-foot Fire Tower was built in 1895 along with 4 other towers, but this is the last of the towers that stands today. It has a very interesting history and if you'd like to know more about it you can follow this link: History of Fire Tower FCF

The fire tower gives you an incredible 360-degree view of the park. The day I went up to the top the wind was blowing pretty hard but the structure was holding strong and stable and made for a memorable experience. You do need to be very careful where you walk and step on the Fire Tower steps and observation area. We were told to stay out of the observation house at the top by the Park Ranger, which we did. After seeing it in person I can definitely see why they told us this, as the inside floor is in crumbles and would be very unsafe. Below is a view looking inside from the doorway.

  The view, sunny or cloudy, is breathtaking to say the least!

After spending a long time just enjoying the view, it was time to reluctantly start heading back down to the ground.

Overall this was an incredible view and a wonderful experience. Remember to use caution and enter at your own risk. Also, remember to look around and breathe in the whole experience of visiting Fall Creek Falls! 

**This is not an all-inclusive list of everything you need to know before you go. Just some highlights on some important things to know. Be sure to know the difficulty of your hike vs. your skill level, have proper directions and know the rules before you go for your best experience here in middle Tennessee. Research, Prepare, Adventure!***

Kayaking Adventures of Tennessee