page_title: Burgess Falls State Park
section_title: Access
hierarchical_section_title: Burgess Falls State Park / Access
caption_attribution_description: A profile view of Burgess Falls at Burgess Falls State Park near Cookeville, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. This view is from a stairway built by the park that connects the trail atop the bluffs with the gorge below.
context_page_description: Burgess Falls State Park is a state park and state natural area in Putnam County and White County, Tennessee, located in the southeastern United States. The park is situated around a steep gorge in which the Falling Water River drops 250 feet in elevation in less than a mile, culminating in a 136-foot cataract waterfall.
  The Burgess Falls State Natural Area, which covers 350 acres, is managed by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
context_section_description: The entrance to Burgess Falls State Park is located just off Tennessee State Route 135 roughly halfway between Cookeville and Sparta. The park is open year-round, but is closed on days of high precipitation due to the Falling Water River's volatility.
  A 1.5-mile (2.4 km) loop trail follows the bluffs along the south bank of the gorge, starting at Falling Water Cascades and ending at a platform overlooking Burgess Falls. Little Falls and Middle Falls are also visible from the trail. A stairway leads down to the overhang of Burgess Falls and continues down into the gorge. A second loop trail follows the ridgeline southwest of Burgess Falls.
  The Burgess Falls State Natural Area includes Burgess Falls Lake and part of the forest on the both sides of the river in the lake's vicinity.
caption: Profile view of Burgess Falls, showing the walls of the gorge
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