Four waterfalls stepping down more than 250 feet of elevation on the Falling Water River, ending in the big one at the gorge head.
March through May
Big water window
in a typical year
Rain fed
What drives it
Falling Water River
Climatology
Data on this page
Falling Water River is ungauged
Tennessee State Parks
Managed by
their rules govern
Trail status, closures and safety rules belong to each falls' managing agency, named and linked on every page.
The season
What fills Burgess Falls, and when
A plateau river that runs year round but swells sharply with rain. Spring gives the fullest sequence of all four drops.
Typical best flow: March through May
JFMAMJJASOND
What the agency itself says
Located on the Falling Water River, this day-use park is noted for its natural beauty and four waterfalls that cascade down from over 250 feet in elevation.
Rain-fed falls carry the color of their watershed: Blackwater Falls runs amber with tannin from spruce and hemlock bogs upstream, and its volume tracks the last month of Appalachian weather. “Blackwater Falls (15437499241)” by Benjamin Smith from United States, CC BY 2.0
Getting there
Access, in the agency's words and ours
A day-use park with a trail along the rim. There is no access to the base of the falls from the park.
Pictured: Cumberland Falls, Kentucky. Burgess is a staircase of four drops rather than one curtain, and the park publishes two different heights for the last one. “Cumberland Falls rainbow” by James St. John, CC BY 2.0
Common questions
Burgess Falls flow season FAQ
The reliable big-water window is March through May. A plateau river that runs year round but swells sharply with rain. Spring gives the fullest sequence of all four drops.
Falling Water River has no USGS gauge near the falls, so the seasonal pattern above is the flow guide for Burgess Falls, and Burgess Falls State Park (Tennessee State Parks) is the source for current conditions on the ground.
No, the river runs year round. Volume varies a great deal with recent rain.
Burgess Falls State Park (Tennessee State Parks). A day-use park with a trail along the rim. There is no access to the base of the falls from the park. Trail status, closures and safety rules are theirs, and their page is linked on this one; nothing here overrides what they publish.
In their own words: "The top of Burgess Falls requires caution due to unstable and slick rocks. There is no access to the base of the falls from the park." That sentence is Burgess Falls State Park (Tennessee State Parks)'s, quoted verbatim, and their page is the place to check before you go.
Yosemite Falls in May, running on snowmelt that will be gone by late summer. The National Park Service tells visitors the falls can be dry by August, which is why every falls page here starts from its watershed. “Tourists below Yosemite Falls (39832011431)” by Mike McBey, CC BY 2.0
Flow windows are typical-year climatology drawn from the driver and the agency language quoted above, not forecasts. Live readings and per-date percentiles are U.S. Geological Survey data, public domain; the above-or-below-typical line is our comparison and is labelled as such. Access, trail and safety information belongs to Burgess Falls State Park (Tennessee State Parks). National picture: waterfall season across the US → Hero image: “Cumberland Falls rainbow” by James St. John, CC BY 2.0
Places to stay