A great, kid-friendly hike to pair with a trip to Leiper's Fork.

Jackson Falls is about an hour south of Nashville down the Natchez Trace at milepost 404.7.  The drive takes you through Leiper’s Fork, which is worth a stop for lunch, coffee, or shop browsing if you have never been.  Otherwise, you continue on through a low-trafficked 2 lane federal trace way which is gorgeous in the springtime and dotted with flowers. 

Once arrived at the trailhead, there is a small parking lot with some rudimentary bathrooms, a few picnic tables protected with shade and accented with a grill.  The trail proceeds from the parking lot down to the falls on an easy inclined paved route with railings.  There are some stairs, however, so I would not say the trail is handicapped or stroller-friendly.  It’s an easy walk though, (my 4-year-old did it with ease on her own) and you arrive at the falls very quickly.  There are upper falls and lower falls as well as a lower creek section.  Rocks are slippery but the water is quite shallow throughout, making most of the falls easily accessible to walk on.  There’s enough room to stop on the side of the falls, in the shade and have a snack or drink of water.  After the falls on your way back to Nashville, there are a few overlooks that you can pull over to and get great views of the valley.  We also stopped at the Gordon House, which is an old brick building near the Duck River.  The stop is short and historically relevant so we had a very quick look.  It is wise to pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the Natchez Trace as you venture home.

Trail: 0.75-mile one-way trail to Baker Bluff and 900' one-way paved, steep trail to the falls
Note: 3 picnic tables, 2 grills

Latitude: 35.69729 Longitude: -87.29378