Climb at Blue Hole Falls

From TN 91, turn onto Panhandle Road. Follow Panhandle for 1 mile and park in the parking lot to the left. 

Waterfall

Follow the path to your right downwards until you encounter wooden stairs. The main waterfall will be to your right less than .1 mile from the parking lot. There are two other waterfalls (one above and one below the main) that flow from the main waterfall.

The main (middle) waterfall features a clear blue swimming hole roughly 10-15 ft. deep. You can jump from the top of the waterfall (~10 ft.) or from the upper left cliff (~20 ft.). If jumping, be extremely careful as there is not much room for error. 

There is plenty of room to swim in the water, lay out on the rocks, or set up a hammock. The creek that feeds the waterfalls is worth exploring up and downstream as it winds through the rocks and forest.

Rock Climbing

From the parking lot, follow the path to your left for less than .1 mile. You will encounter a large cliff overlooking the waterfalls. Anchor to any tree overlooking the cliff. Rappel down or follow the cliff ledge until you can scale down to the bottom. The wall is not maintained so it may be overgrown with plants in some areas, but there is plenty of room to climb. Most routes range from 5.6 to 5.9 but are not officially marked. There are trees to set up a hammock at both the top and bottom of the wall. 

From the bottom of the main wall, follow the creek downstream for less than .1 mile until you reach a second wall on the right side of the creek. Trek up the hill to the right of the wall until you can walk out on the rock ledge and anchor to a tree. This wall is an epic place to climb or rappel as it overlooks the entire Blue Hole Falls area.

Blue Hole Falls is a great place to bring beginner climbers. The walls feature terrific beginner routes while the beautiful scenery and waterfalls help complete a perfect first-time experience.