The final stop of the 2023 Goofballs and Waterfalls tour explores two waterfalls in Frozen Head State Park – Debord and Emory Gap Falls.
Frozen Head State Park is located in Wartburg, Tennessee; which is also home to a stop on the Trails & Ales tour. In fact, this state park is located near several interesting spots ranging from The Obed National Wild and Scenic River, Oak Ridge’s Manhattan Project National Historic Park and Historic Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. Shoot, even The Cumberland Trail runs through park of Frozen Head State Park.
One Trail – Two Waterfalls
Though I love The Cumberland Trail, this part of Frozen Head is not part of it. Not to worry, as the trail you’ll be reading about gives you the opportunity to visit two waterfalls.
If you pull these hikes on AllTrails, they will appear as two different options. Though that is true, these trails are technically connected!
Max and I last hiked this part of Frozen Head State Park back in June of this year (2023). The area was experiencing a draught during the time and the irony was that the day we hiked, there was a high chance of rain. Most of our hike was overcast, but it didn’t rain in the area until hours after we left.
Frozen Head Waterfall #1: Debord Falls
Hiking to Debord Falls from the parking area is a little over half a mile. Upon reaching Debord Falls, there is an overlook from the trail. As you can see in the picture, the falls were pretty calm during our trip.
Once we hiked down the falls area, we took a few photos and played in the North Prong Flat Fork. Since the North Prong’s water levels were low, we were able to spend some time goofing around and explore the area.
Hit the Trails with Salomon Xa Pro 3D
An all-weather, waterproof trail shoe equipped with Gore-Tex and offers an incredible fit.
I’ve wore these on the AT, Cumberland Trail, and spots in Iceland.
I highly recommend these waterproof bad boys!
Frozen Head Waterfall #2: Emory Gap Falls
Once we finished playing in the North Prong, we hiked back up the trail and made our way to Emory Gap Falls. By this point, we had encountered a few other families hiking the trail, who delivered interesting news to us.
Emory Gap Falls is dry.
– Every family we encountered
They were right. The place was dry as a bone! Max and I decided to hike around the area and find a spot to eat lunch. To make it fun, we ate our lunch where the waterfall would normally be flowing. We figured why not take advantage of the situation and eat in a “rare spot.”
After lunch we explored the area that would normally be difficult to reach if the waterfall had been…active. We even went off trail for a moment and think we stumbled onto an older trail or path that was no longer in service.
Check out Frozen Head
Waterfalls or not, Frozen Head State Park is a must if you’re within a day trip distance. Though we only saw one small attempt of a waterfall during our hike, Max and I were able to let out our goofball personalities, resulting in a fun hike. We were able to explore several areas around the trails and totaled 4 miles of hiking by the time we got back to the Jeep.
Have you and your goofballs been to Frozen Head? If so, tell us about your experience.
Receive Limited Series Notifications
Stay up to date by receiving notification when a limited series update has dropped. Simply fill out the form, and you’ll receive an email notification with the latest limited series post.