Imagine trying to find a waterfall and all you had to go on was a rock and an Instagram check-in at a campground. That's pretty much all I had to work with when I first was made aware of the waterfall on Cove Branch in the Catoosa Wildlife Management Area near Crab Orchard, TN. It was those few clues along with pictures of the falls that caused me to file it near the top of my 'I want to see that list.' Unfortunately for me, those folks weren't sharing any helpful information intentionally.

Daddys Creek from the parking area. The Cumberland Trail climbs that ridge and has a view off the cliff.

This wooden bridge didn't look really trustworthy so we walked the short distance over to pick up the Cumberland Trail.

The post said there was no mention of it in books, maps, websites, etc but yet the falls were huge. How could they stay hidden for so long? Of course as pictures of the waterfall spread amongst the outdoor community, an old post from a group of Cumberland Trail builders featured a picture of the same "newly discovered" falls and all eyes turned to Daddys Creek Gorge and it's prized waterfall that even showed up on Google satellite imagery. 

Early into the hike we crossed this small wooden foot bridge over a tributary of Daddys Creek.

One of the only other trail descriptions list this as the Trail of 1000 steps. It wasn't quite that bad but it definitely was a work out.

With the location pinned down, it was just a matter of time before we were going to see it for ourselves. This past Sunday happened to be that time and we piled into Katie's car early that morning for the three hour ride into Cumberland County, TN. Jesus (aka John) is always kind enough to let me ride shotgun while he serves as chief navigator from the backseat. On our trip down, he drew up a mapped route for our GPS devices on his laptop marked with possible entry and exit points from the gorge. 

John walks along the CT next to Little Cove Branch.

Icicles clung to the cliffs making for some wonderful photo opportunities.

Katie along the cliffs of the CT.

While reading about the area we would be hiking I learned a portion of the uncompleted Cumberland Trail passes close to the area where the falls would be but also found mention of another waterfall on Little Cove Branch. Jesus decided to start us near those falls where we could see several waterfalls on our trip plus get some good hiking in as well. 

John ducks off trail in pursuit of our first waterfall of the Daddys Creek hike.

Katie takes the lead. She wants to be at the base of that beauty!

Katie shows the size of the 60ft Little Cove Branch Falls.

Three hours goes by fast when you travel with John and Katie and soon we were closing in on Crab Orchard, TN and since we were a little ahead of schedule we decided to stop by an old favorite and check out Ozone Falls. Anytime you can leave your car and five minutes later be standing at a 110ft high waterfall I recommend it. We played around for a few minutes stretching our legs and taking pictures before riding the final 30 minutes over to the trail head. 

John and Katie take a break after our first successful find of the day.

The steepness coming out of Little Cove Branch to meet the main trail.

The Catoosa Wildlife Management Area spans over two counties and is funded by hunters and fishers licence fees. As we bounced along the gravel roads that run along the perimeter of the gorge I could feel my excitement building. Katie's must have been building too as she sped down the bumpy road, more than once I had to hold the oh shit bar and brace for impact. Thankfully, we stayed on all four wheels and in a cloud of dust we slide into a large gravel lot alongside Daddys Creek. 

John and Katie alongside an impressive rock formation the CT passes as it leaves the gorge of Little Cove Branch.

When they start pointing it typically doesn't end well for me.

Immediately I was impressed with Daddys Creek with it's bright green hue and roaring waters it was certain we wouldn't be able to cross it on foot. Luckily a lowly wood bridge spans it's depths and served as our access to our trail....if we could find it. I unfolded from the car and stretched while John and Katie scurried back and forth checking their bags. I picked up my pack and it felt noticeably heavy to me. It had been well over a month since I had carried all my gear myself but with being medically cleared from my surgeon and oncologist, I was grateful for that weight.

Katie beneath the rock tower for scale.

The side profile of the rock tower reminds me of a Sphinx.

After my emergency appendectomy, it was revealed the culprit was a cancerous tumor that had caused my pain. An appointment with an oncologist was arranged with a few miserably long weeks of waiting. The day of my appointment I sat on a cold table and starred at a waterfall picture hung on the wall. I wondered if life was going to change so that I wouldn't be able to adventure and I felt tears swell in my eyes. The doctor eventually arrived breaking my trance on the wall and delivered the news....the surgery had been enough to medically say I was cured and all of the cancer was contained to the appendix. The relief I felt can not be put into words but the motivation was tenfold. I was back.

After over 200+ stairs we leveled off and followed close to the canyon rim of Daddys Creek for several miles.

Several social paths leave the main trail for views down the gorge and we took the time to visit each one of them.

Across the bridge I climbed the ridge looking hard for our trail. Suddenly I noticed a double blazes and a small metal sign tacked to the tree that said "foot travel welcome" I had found the Cumberland Trail. I waited for John and Katie to join me and we dropped over the bank and across a wooden bridge over a tributary of Daddys Creek. From there the trail climbed steeply to meet the gorge rim and then dropped us into the next small canyon that Little Cove Branch flows through. Unfortunately there isn't a bridge over the creek but a large tree had fallen just upstream from the flagged crossing that allowed me to keep dry feet. As soon as we crossed the creek, we paralleled a large cliff wall with icicles dangling high above our heads. Several times during this stretch some would break loose and crash dangerously close to where we were walking. We couldn't look up to see them coming because the ground below our feet was solid ice as well. 

Katie and her super sized burl.

At the main view above Daddys Creek we could hear our objective about 100 vertical feet over the edge of the cliff. We wouldn't be going down from this side!

As the trail swings away from Little Cove Branch and up through a rocky pass in the cliff line we could see the other waterfall we were looking for a short distance upstream. A mild trail looks like it will eventually be completed with a few cut laurel and flags but it peters out and it's a steep side hill climb out to the base of an impressive 60ft free fall into a bright green pool. Katie scrambled over behind the falls and I took a few pictures before we retreated under a rock overhang before rejoining the main trail.

The Cumberland Trail is magnificent through this stretch as a series of 200+ steps lift you through a natural stone door in the cliffs. Above you is a monster boulder balanced on a pillar of rock. We took our sweet time through this section and took plenty of pictures. Once you return to the rim of the gorge, the hike is relatively tame and boring for long stretches. With level ground and a hankering for adventure we blistered the miles as we followed high above Daddys Creek getting ever closer to the waterfall that seemed so far away just weeks prior. 

John in the rock hallway just before crossing Cove Branch.

John walks below some frozen laurel next to Cove Branch.

Occasionally we would find something of interest to us, like a social trail that would lead out to a view off the cliffs or a large burl on one of the smallest trees we had ever seen. Finally after over three miles of hiking we came to a split in the trail. I glanced at my GPS and surmised we were at the overlook directly above Cove Branch Falls. As we followed the spur out to check we saw the only other people would meet that day, an elderly couple that had hiked from Devils Breakfast Table parking as well. The first words out of the man's mouth was "there's a waterfall over there." I didn't care anything about the overlook at that point but for thoroughness we checked it out anyway. Sure enough, as I inched over to the cliff edge I could see the lower half of THE waterfall. We all exchanged high fives and retreated to the main trail for a trip to the base. 

Katie crosses a large rock slab before the Cumberland Trail would abruptly end.

Katie picked up some flags leading us toward Daddys Creek and around the cliffs we were just on top of.

We were in for one more Cumberland Trail treat before the main event, as the trail approaches the creek it passes through a rock hallway reminiscent of the channels back in Virginia. The trail then crosses Cove Branch a good distance upstream from the falls, it was really hard to keep dry feet here but we found just enough rock exposed to hop across. Even more impressive than our dry feet was how of all of John's red lines as what he called "possible routes" and the Cumberland Trail matched up precisely. Impressive considering the Cumberland Trail doesn't show up on our maps. As I walked along starring at my yellow arrow mirroring the red line on John's map I almost tripped over the dead end of the Cumberland Trail. We huddled briefly as we looked at our options, flags continued away from us but were leading further from the falls. I suggested dropping off the ridge to our left and pick up a drainage that headed toward Daddys Creek that didn't look overly steep on topo. Sure enough as we dropped into that drainage we found a new set of flags heading right for our waterfall. We followed along until they ended near Daddys Creek but by that point you could hear the waterfall. Katie stayed high above us along the cliff wall while John and I meandered on a course closer to Daddys Creek angling our way up through an ankle breaking field of Talus as the waterfall came into view through the trees. By some miracle all our varying paths dumped us through a laurel chocked chute of mud and rock and as the branches parted we found ourselves along the deep pool at Cove Branch Falls.

John kicks it in high gear heading toward Cove Branch Falls aka Fire Rake Falls. These rocks were so loose and he was moving so fast i don't know how he didn't break his neck.

My first look at Cove Branch Falls.

I don't think any of us spoke a word the first few minutes. John quickly crossed the pool and vanished behind a large rock to eat lunch and tie off his hammock. Katie set her sights on a narrow ledge that split the upper and lower drops of the waterfall and disappeared back into the laurel while I found a rock to sit on to attempt photos with the spray barreling down on me. Alone on the rock, I said a small prayer of thanks for all that I had blessed with. I'm in full belief that people that prayed for me was one of the determining outcomes of my doctor's report. Again, water ran down my face, not from tears, but from the unrelenting mist of Cove Branch Falls. The whole scene was spectacular. The waterfall fell in two distinct drops and filled the greenest pool I had ever laid eyes on. On either side massive cliff walls rose high above the falls and all the rocks were adorned with a healthy coat of moss. Most impressive of all was not a single piece of trash, no cut branches, and no sign of foot traffic. It was easy to see why someone would mistake it as newly discovered.

In typical Katie fashion she had to see the waterfall from every angle. Here she is high.

And here she is low.

Katie reached the ledge and inched out to a point dangerously close to the lower drop. I focused my camera and fired off several shots. Thankfully one of the pictures was free of water spots. When she returned she joined John for lunch but it involved getting wet feet. I decided to stay alone in the mist and dug my emergency blanket out of my pack to serve as a wind break shelter while I ate lunch as well. Its hard to believe it but that little foil blanket kept me warm, dry, and comfortable while i could still see though it and admire the falls. Once I had my lunch, I was warm and full of energy again. I was gonna get on that ledge too!

John and Katie are so small next to the falls. Can you find them?

This one is going to hang in my living room alongside the Appalachian Queen. Both waterfalls were major thought consumers over the last year of my life.

The climb up wasn't too terrible just a little steep and muddy but once I was on the ledge I had to be cautious of ice and falling ice. I worked my way out to a large tree growing on the rock and wedged in against it for more pictures and video. I caught John and Katie's attention so I would be sure to have photographic evidence of my act of stupidity. I decided to wait on the ledge since we had to climb out anyway and eventually John joined me and we waited on Katie to make it through the laurel. We followed in the shadow of the towering wall looking for a different exit point than we came in. Once again John had nailed it on the maps finding and marking correctly a small vertical draw that would get us above the cliff.

Papa Bear makes it to the ledge!

Pretty sweet view from up top too!

The upper drop was photogenic just by itself.

It was the first time I had attempted to use my Christmas gift from John, and I anxiously strapped on Katoosa nanospikes to my boots. The traction was instantly better and we picked our way up the ravine reaching a small rocky shelf where we had to take turns scooting up and over our final obstacle. John went first and secured  a small strap and dropping it down for Katie. She vanished above me as well and it was my turn. I crawled out to the edge,found the rope, and with a big pull, I was out of Daddys Creek Gorge.

Katie is in this picture. Look to the far right.

Looking up above my head on the ledge.

The return to the main trail wasn't easy as we had to fight through a stretch of briars and dog hobble before bursting into open woods. Once on the main trail, the hard part was over. The sun was already fading and clouds lit up with orange and pink hues. We didn't need it but we were rewarded with a gorgeous sunset as we marched back toward Devils Breakfast Table. Complete darkness caught us for the final mile of the day and we had to use caution returning through the cliffs around Little Cove Branch. Once we reached the car we took turns changing into our clean clothes and keying in the nearest Mexican restaurant. On the road we raved of our day and how wonderful it was but within a few hours we had already set our sights on a new goal. To be continued....

John found a small cave on our way out.

Katie in the narrow ravine that would lead us out to the main trail and some hard earned bean and cheese dip. Peace out, Daddys Creek!

Happy Trails!