mouse creek falls

What an enjoyable hike! Getting to the trailhead is very easy. Take exit 451 (Waterville Road) on I-40 and follow the road to the stop sign. This is Route 32/Mt. Sterling Road. Go straight and you will see a National Park sign. The road narrows and turns to crushed rock and is very smooth. There is a small parking lot near the Ranger's Station, but continue to the larger parking lot for this trail. Unfortunately, the restrooms are all closed for the season (signs say November to March). If you think you'll need to take care of business, bring TP and a bag to put it in when you're done so you can take it out of the park. Anyway, our trip to Mouse Creek Falls took a total of 3 hours - two hours walking and one hour enjoying the scenery. We stopped at a water fall about 1.5 miles along the trail, thinking it was Midnight Hole Falls. It wasn't, but it was beautiful. The water was crystal clear. We hiked a few more minutes and found Midnight Hole - also very cool, but we liked our first stop better. We then continued on the trail until we found Mouse Creek Falls. We came to a spot with easy access to the river and thought we were there (hoping we weren't because the falls weren't big like we were expecting). We decided to continue for a bit more and found a hitching post for horses . . . and there was Mouse Creek Falls. Absolutely beautiful! We sat on a rock by the river and enjoyed some snacks before heading back. Our handheld GPS confirmed it is 2 miles from the trailhead to Mouse Creek Falls, There is also a 500 to 600 foot increase in elevation, but it's not really noticeable. The trail is wide and easy to walk. There were a lot of leaves on the ground so we had to be careful for rocks and sticks and horse poop. We did see a few pretty birds and a snake but no other wildlife. We saw maybe a dozen people during our hike. Definitely recommend this trail for anyone.

We were on our way home from a trip to Falls Creek Falls in TN and decided to stop here on the way. It is easily accessible from I40 getting off at the Waterville Exit in TN and then going over the state line at the power plant. I put in the falls on my Google maps and when we made a wrong turn it just adjusted for that so do yourself a favor and put Big Creek Campground which is where you will park anyway. The trail is very easy it looks as wide as a small truck. It is rocky in posts so it can be a bit rough on the feet. This is a nice leg stretcher, it isn't really steep and it is a shared horse trail (NO pets allowed).. The trail is very obvious and you can't get lost though once on the trail there are no signs letting you know you are at Midnight hole (1.5 miles) or at Mouse Creek falls (at 2 miles) but there is a sign at the beginning of the trail letting you know those are on the trail. It took us about a half an hour to get to Midnight Hole but we were really moving (not running but very fast walking). It isn't really steep either, we were surprised how many people we saw on the trail and there was horse poop, it is a pretty active trail that follows big creek. Notice how tall and straight the trees are on the trail. Also there are flush toilets and water fountain at this place.

We took this hike to enjoy some nature and see a waterfall prior to heading into Hartford to do some white water rafting. It was a fun hike, slightly challenging at times because it had rained before we started and things were quite slick. Loved listening to the rushing water below as we hiked high above the stream.

Mouse Creek Falls is 2 miles up from the Big Creek Trailhead, about half a mile past the Midnight Hole. The hike is easy because it is an old road and not steep. At about two miles, you will see a horse hitching post on the left side of the trail with a well beaten path to the creek. The falls are a cascade with a 50-foot drop on the far side of Big Creek. If you follow the Big Creek Trail just another quarter mile you will come to a bridge over Big Creek with a calm pool below. This is a beautiful spot to picnic on the rocks next to the creek.Please leave it cleaner than you find it.

This hike was rated a moderate in difficulty 4 mile round trip hike, but we did not find it difficult at all. Nice walking trail that is shared with horses, beautiful nature at its best! On the way to the falls you will come to Midnight Hole,it is a deep beautiful pool below falls. This is a beautiful spot to sit and enjoy or swim. Then on to Mouse Creek Falls which are just as pretty. After your hike you can enjoy the nice Big Creek picnic area.

Nice 2 mile hike. Peaceful, away from the busier parts of the park. You hike right along the rushing water. Falls are very nice-- although we learned that just because it is sunny at the bottom of the mountain does not mean it is sunny at the top!