The Tennessee state park system added a new park, a gorgeous waterfall and a prime swimming hole to its roster last month when Gov. Bill Haslam officially opened Cummins Falls State Park near Cookeville.
The new park, a two-hour drive from Chattanooga, features one of the state’s most beautiful and seventh tallest waterfalls and an adjacent swimming hole that Travel and Leisure magazine named one of the 10 best in the country.
Cummins Falls State Park in Cookeville, Tenn.“It’s just breathtaking. We’re really excited about being able to add this gem to our parks,” says Meg Lockhart, a spokeswoman for Tennessee State Parks. “It was an outstanding example of how public and private partnerships should work.”
The 75-foot waterfall on the Blackburn Fork State Scenic River is surrounded by 211 protected acres of buckeye, sycamore and hemlock trees that are home to eagles, turkey, minks, foxes and quail.
Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation purchased the land through private and public donations before turning it over to the state. With a grand opening in May, Cummins Falls became the state’s 54th park.