Day trips from Nashville · Waterfall
Virgin Falls
113 miles from downtown Nashville · about 2 hours 15 minutes
Virgin Falls State Natural Area, White County, 11 miles east of Sparta, TN
Virgin Falls is the strangest waterfall in Middle Tennessee: a stream emerges from a cave, drops 110 feet, and then disappears entirely into a sinkhole at the base. Getting there is an eight-mile round trip that is far harder than the mileage suggests.
- Height
- 110 feet
- Trail
- 4 miles one way, strenuous
- Descent
- About 900 feet
- Time
- 5 to 8 hours round trip
Permits, fees and access
Day hiking is open with no permit. Backpackers are required to use the online reservation system, and camping above Virgin Falls is not allowed. All caves in the area are closed to protect bats from white-nose syndrome.
One thing to know first
At about a mile and a half in there is a cable crossing at Big Laurel Creek, and the state’s own guidance is not to attempt it if the creek is flooding. The footing is rocky and uneven the whole way, and the 900 feet you descend on the way in is 900 feet you climb on the way out, at the end of the day, when you are tired. This is not a family stroll.
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I keep this list because it is genuinely how people spend weekends here, and because almost every guide to it is out of date.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.