Ozone Falls State Natural Area (Blog Hike #215)

Trail: Rim of Falls Trail

Hike Location: Ozone Falls State Natural Area

Geographic Location: between Crossville, TN and Harriman, TN (35.87744, -84.81447)

Length: 0.2 miles

Difficulty: 0/10 (Easy)

Dates Hiked: May 2007, May 2015

Overview: A very short, very easy hike to a spectacular waterfall.

Area Information: https://www.tn.gov/environment/program-areas/na-natural-areas/natural-areas-east-region/east-region-/na-na-ozone-falls.html
Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=426347
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Harriman to the east, take I-40 west to SR 299 South (exit 338).  Exit and go south on SR 299.  Take SR 299 south to US 70 and turn right on US 70.  Take US 70 west 4.5 miles to the small gravel parking lot for Ozone Falls State Natural Area on the left.  From Crossville to the west, take I-40 east to US 70 (exit 329).  Turn right on US 70.  Take US 70 east 4.6 miles to the parking lot described above.  Park in this lot.

The hike: Established in 1973, Ozone Falls State Natural Area protects a small 26 acre pocket of land containing picturesque Ozone Falls.  According to park resources, the name Ozone comes from the “stimulating quality of the air created by the mist that is generated after the long plunge of the water.”  Whether the air is any better around the falls is uncertain, but the visual and audible impact of the falls is certainly stimulating.

            Before this area was protected by the state, grist mills and saw mills populated the area above the falls, supporting the economy of the town of Ozone.  The last of these mills washed over the falls in 1900, so the forest around the falls is now old growth.  That forest and the falls are accessed by a pair of trails, one of which goes to the base of the falls.  The other one, the one described here, stays on the rim and gives a falls-high perspective of the falls.

Information board at trailhead

            Begin at the information board on the right (west) side of the parking area.  The Plunge Pool Trail exits to the right and leads a steep, rocky 0.75 miles to the base of the falls.  Our hike begins by heading straight ahead across bare rock.  This trail has no significant elevation change, but the rock makes for an uneven treadway, so be careful where you step.

            After only 200 feet, you arrive atop the cliff that forms the left flank of Ozone Falls.  Water drops 60 feet in a single column into a large blue-green plunge pool.  I visited this falls during a drought, and the water volume was still fairly high.  The grey cliffs on either side of the falls reach heights of 100 feet and frame the falls perfectly.  There are no handrails at this overlook, so make sure you don’t get too carried away with the scenery that you forget where you are on the rock.  Also, you need to keep children in firm tow.

Ozone Falls

View from top of falls

            You could simply return the way you came, but to explore the creek above the falls, turn left and hike the short Rim of the Falls Trail, which leaves the cliff and steps off of the bedrock onto softer soil.  Poison ivy lurks at this point, so watch your step.  The forest above the falls is dominated by a combination of Virginia pine and oak.

The trail leads to an access point for the creek that would make a nice point to wade; the creek is too shallow for swimming.  Also, if you brushed against the poison ivy mentioned before (as I did), use the water in this creek to wash off the resin and avoid getting an itch.  From this point, the trail curves left and ascends gently to arrive at the parking area and complete the hike.

Creek above Ozone Falls