Day trips from Nashville · Waterfall
Burgess Falls
79 miles from downtown Nashville · about 1 hour 30 minutes
Burgess Falls State Park, Putnam and White Counties, near Sparta, TN
Burgess Falls is a series of four cascades on the Falling Water River, dropping more than 250 feet in total, with the final fall plunging over 130 feet into a gorge. It is one of the most photographed waterfalls in Tennessee and one of the most commonly misjudged.
- Total drop
- Over 250 feet across four falls
- Main fall
- More than 130 feet
- Trail
- About 1.5 miles round trip
Permits, fees and access
Free entry, no permit required for the trail and the overlooks. The one thing to check before you go: the stairway down to the base of the main falls has been closed for an extended period due to slope and structure failure, and reopening dates have moved repeatedly. Assume you are visiting the overlooks unless the park confirms otherwise, and call the park before you drive if reaching the base is the whole point of your trip.
Swimming
Not the draw here, and access to the base has been restricted. Check with the park.
One thing to know first
A lot of people arrive expecting to stand at the bottom of the big fall and find they cannot. The overlook views are genuinely excellent, but set expectations before you load the car.
Access rules, fees and closures verified August 15, 2026 against the agency that manages this place. They change, sometimes without notice. Check before you drive.
The neighborhoods closest to it
If this is the kind of Saturday you want a short drive from your front door, these are the parts of Middle Tennessee that put you nearest to it.
I keep this list because it is genuinely how people spend weekends here, and because almost every guide to it is out of date. If you are weighing a move to Middle Tennessee and want to know which part of it puts you closest to the things you actually like, ask me. No pitch.