Jackie Steffan — 4 Miles — 2.5 Hours — Moderate — 912 ft. Elevation Gain —
One thing I love about hiking is the ridiculous names we give to hikes; many hikes are named after a nearby river, an interesting feature on the trail, or simply the peak you are hiking. Every once in a while you get something unique and fun – enter Coon Den Falls. Coon Den Falls is a 4 mile loop that follows the Appalachian Trail and Coon Den Falls Trail. The highlight of the trail is its namesake, Coon Den Falls. The main falls are 60 feet tall with a series of smaller cascades leading into a creek below. While we have yet to see a racoon on this hike, the waterfall is incredible. As always with waterfalls, I recommend visiting after a good rain for the best flow.
Getting There
From I-26
- Take exit 24 and drive towards Elizabethton
- After 4.7 miles, turn right onto W G St.
- At the end of W G St, take a right onto Gap Creek Rd
- Continue on Gap Creek until it intersects with US-19 E, take a left at the intersection
- After about 2 miles, turn right onto US-321 in Hampton, there is a gas station with a Dunkin at this turn
- Drive 0.8 miles and turn right onto Dennis Cove Rd (this is more of a fork than a turn)
- Continue on Dennis Cove Rd for about 4 miles until you reach the Dennis Cove Trailhead and parking area on the left side of the road
The Hike
The hike to Coon Den Falls starts across the street from the parking area. Continue on the Appalachian trail, following the iconic white blazes for about 2 miles. On this section, keep your eyes peeled for wildflowers and mushrooms. When we visited in late spring, we saw lots of trillium and one lone morel mushroom, there are also the remnants of an old barn.
Near the trail high point, you’ll walk along a wooded ridge that has some openings to give you glances of the beautiful southern Appalachians. Our latest visit included some unique fog. After about 2 miles, you’ll reach the intersection with the Coon Den Falls Trail, take a left at the junction.
Congratulations! You’ve completed most of your elevation gain; however, the trail gets a little tricky here with some steep descents down a rocky path. The rock formations are super neat here though! After about a mile, you’ll reach a short spur trail on the right to Coon Den Falls.
When you’re done admiring the falls, continue another 0.3 miles along the trail back to the road. Once you are there, follow the road to the left back to the trailhead. There isn’t a shoulder on the road, so be careful and listen for cars. Luckily, there is not much traffic here and the cars we did pass gave us a wide berth.
If you’re looking for more hiking and waterfalls, the Dennis Cove trailhead will also take you to Laurel Fork Falls! Just take the Appalachian Trail in the opposite direction. Stay tuned for a future post on this hike. The longer Laurel Fork Falls hike from a nearby parking lot (Hampton trailhead) can be found here.
