Rock Island State Park

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  Madan Nagaraju
3 weeks ago
True to its name, it is rocky but beautiful waterfalls and gorges around. Great Falls, Twin Falls, TVA dam, beach area near the lake, and a lot of amazing hiking spots.It's an hour and a half drive from Nashville. If timed well with post rain visit, this place would be beautiful to enjoy.The visitor center is quite small, but it offers clean restrooms and a small gift shop. The customer service could definitely be better.Cabins are super spacious and could easily fit in about 8 to 10 people.This place is awesome for a day visit, or if you are planning to stay overnight in the cabins or camping - RV and tent campsites are available for reservation.

  Khayla Head
3 weeks ago
Stayed 4 days and 3 nights. The park is huge! There are plenty of areas to picnic and multiple playgrounds. Along with a play field. Plenty of hiking. The park is free of trash and the bath houses are clean too.I made reservations online and called the morning of to verify check in time. Other than the one phone call I never dealt with any staff. When we arrived for check in the "host" was off duty so we just went to our spot. They were "off duty" the entire stay lol we didn't need any assistance though. I did see them drive through the camping area once or twice.Overall a great place! I cannot wait to take the whole family!

  tony shrum
a month ago
This is such a magical place. To see the waterfall flowing out of the side of that ridge is breathtaking. What makes it even better is that you drive 6 miles to the other side of the river and see Great Falls. Twin Falls has more height, but Great Falls is so powerful. You get a Twofur in one trip.

  Nicholas Johns
3 weeks ago
Took a hike along the river side path through the gorge from Powerhouse road. The Twin Falls are stunning and the hike itself very enjoyable. Wear decent hiking shoes though as there are side streams to cross and in places quite rough underfoot.

  Beverly Mathis
6 days ago
I was totally amazed at this beautiful state park. The waterfalls and cliffs are just breathtaking. A must do

  Chris Powell
6 months ago
This place was great. Our favorite trail was the Blue Hole Trail. It's not for the faint of heart and you definitely want footwear that can get wet but it was great. We also really liked the Great Falls Trail. We went down and walked behind some of the waterfalls which was awesome.

  Sarah Antell
a month ago
Beautiful state park, Twin Falls is lovely for a short walk, or you can continue away from the falls for a lovely hike. Lots of little secrets and gems here!

  Dawn Campbell
6 months ago
This is one special place! So much to do, and see! The rangers were on it when we hit the water in our kayak, he practically ran out to the waters edge to make sure we were safe, and had our life jackets on board. Thank you for taking such wonderful care of the park, and the people visiting My only complaint is not towards the park services, but the trashholes (that's what my husband and I deemed people who don't carry out, what they carry in) clean up after yourselves! Take care of these beautiful gifts given to us, such as this park!We stayed in the campground, and enjoyed it.Paddled the beautiful waterfalls, took many trails, and loved itPlayground: All overRestrooms: DecentDog-friendliness: Allowed most places, but not allPicnic area: Grills, and tables everywhere

  Yolanda Gomez
4 days ago
Very beautiful, large park, great hikes! God is good always.

  tina lowery
5 months ago
We visited Twin Falls. I'm not sure how they intersect with Rock Island State Park. I was a little confused as if Twin Falls is located inside Rock Island Park or if they are two separate parks. We didn't hike anywhere other than where we could see the Falls. So I can't say about the other areas. But where we were, the parking is scarce. Maybe 10 spots at the most. There also wasn't any restrooms .Restrooms: There weren't any port a potties or restrooms in the area of the park we were at.

  Debbie Anderson
6 months ago
Rock Island State Park in Warren/White County, TN is a stunning, well maintained, clean park. Nice cabins, campsites, sand beach, hiking trails and a great place for swimming, canoeing, kayaking and boating. There s plenty of space to accommodate boats and the BlueHole is a popular fishing spot. The scenic overlooks and waterfalls are incredibly beautiful. Had a great time exploring the park and the area.Y all should go visit, it s purdy down yonder. #SupportYourLocalStateParks#NeverStopExploring

  Carrie Carter
2 months ago
Beautiful park with great amenities! RV camping is great, the bathhouse is wonderful and always clean and the laundry facility is a fantastic bonus!! Would highly recommend!!

  Montana Kimball
4 months ago
Absolutely beautiful area. There's many things to do/explore. 10/10 recommend taking you're family here for the day.Picnic area: Beautiful picnic area, they have a pizza brick oven, many grills for your use & the lights come on so you can even use it at night.

  Matas Daunys
4 months ago
We enjoyed this park a lot, the visitor center is not only gave us a map, but also gave us some useful tips of what to do and what to see. Overall, we hiked through trails and enjoyed the scenery.

  Sherry Carter
9 months ago
This was my first time visiting this park. I was blown away by the beauty of these magnificent falls. Tucked in the middle of nowhere, but easy to find and easy to view. We also visited the beach area and found it to be just as beautiful with the rock walls as a backdrop. Plenty of shade if needed and loved the giant pavilion. All restrooms were clean and maintained which is always a plus for me.

  Becky Heiner
5 months ago
We were hiking down to the falls, and these amazing small waterfalls kept popping up as we went down the trail. *Warning- we parked at the Historic Cotton Mill and walked to the trail at the end of the parking lot. We took our pup, and it was very difficult in some areas- rocky and uneven ground. We also went over to the Downstream Trail, and it was much more pet and ankle friendly. Can't wait to camp here again!

  Seth Miller
10 months ago
Impressive waterfalls that spring out from the cliffs. Come early and on a week day for parking which is extremely limited. Access down into the gorge is restricted when the Dam right next to it is in use, you can't really plan for that so it's pretty hit or miss. Most of the trails to and around the waterfall are outside of the park. Trails are short and easy to walk, dog friendly when on-leash but there are ticks here so be mindful. Kayaks can also be launched from the park beach. I saw some fishing but don't get caught without a license for that.Now the waterfall itself isn't so impressive when it comes to height and power but it's unique that it springs out of the ground and cliffs allowing it to cascade off the rock. You'll find many springs throughout the area and form mini waterfalls as well. You won't have to hike at all to view the falls. It's just a five minute walk from the parking area (opposite side of the river from the abandoned mill). This is a pretty popular spot so come early to avoid the foot traffic.

  Danette Kuzel
9 months ago
Amazing park! Well kept. There's couple overlooks one the drive further up to the beach where you can bring kayak/ canoe to paddle down the river. There are some places to stop along the way but be careful with slippery rocks. Take a swim. You can paddle up to the rapids. The beach was dog friendly (on leashes) & picnic tables throughout. Restrooms are clean. Hiking was closed when we went so not sure about trails.Playground: Not sure, didn't pay attention if there was one but must have.Restrooms: Clean & had water contains to fill bottles.Dog-friendliness: On leash & allowed on beachPicnic area: Plenty area for picnic!

  Karen Cordova
3 months ago
Such an experience at Rock Island, one of my favorite places to visit in Middle Tennessee. I also recommend, Burgess Falls, Cummins Falls & Fall Creek Falls!

  Hailey Vittetoe
8 months ago
10/10 Waterfalls are seriously insane!! So amazing. There is several ways to get to the most popular falls. Most GPSs will take you to the parking lot right by the gorge trail(by the fairy house). This is a nice spot to see the other smaller falls/rapids from the parking lot, can see the fairy house, abandoned building, read park info, and has bathrooms. HOWEVER this is sometimes closed there is another road that will take you right up to the falls basically the end off the gorge trail. No hiking even necessary to see the falls from the other parking lot. (This is where my pictures are located, down the second parking lot). The visitor center has great information, bathrooms are clean, and staff is friendly. Park is kid and dog friendly. Note: getting right up to the falls is hard for a dog. Could ve gotten closer up than the pic but my dog could get over the rocks.

  Sherry Clay
6 months ago
We have so much fun. The falls are AMAZING!! The trails are beautiful and there are so many things to see.

  Travis S.
5 months ago
Breathtaking must see. Blue hole and Twin Falls were unbelievable and the campsites were immaculate. Two thumbs up Rock Island! Restrooms: Clean and stocked

  Susan Guryanova
7 months ago
Hiking at the Blue Hole and the Eagle Trail were nice. The Blue Hole was a good 8yo+ hike and the Eagle Trail was fun for all ages. We saw lots of mushrooms and insects including some big millipedes.I wasn't impressed with the playground areas or the beach but they were nice for free activities. The playgrounds held water even after the rain was gone and the platforms were slick. The beach allowed fishing in the swimming area. Which worries me because no one wants to step on a fish hook. Thankfully the water seemed clean of such objects. It is super muddy and the water is brown river water. Most of the sand has washed away and the entire beach is clay-sand.

  Brandie
10 months ago
Its a good place to take the kids, especially in the summertime to Swim and they Also have playgrounds for the little ones. A great place to go and See Water Falls And take pictures. It's crowded on the Weekends, but there's Still plenty of room to Swim w/Out being really close to ppl. There are several different areas to go swimming, hike, Camp, Cookout, etc. Just be sure to pay attention to the signs that point in the direction of the designated area you are wanting to go to. Also they have clean Restrooms. We had my Son's b-day party there a Couple of times Which turned out Well. Overall it's a great placePlayground: They do have a Special little area that has A small Playground w/ swings and slidesRestrooms: They have a few different Restrooms but the one thats at the Sand bar ( main Swimming Area ) is clean

  Summer Jones (ANGEL)
7 months ago
Worth it!!!! The blue hole section has plenty of parking spaces, there's a restroom facility at the end of the parking lot, there's a couples of picnic tables to the side of the trails entrance as well, the signs are posted properly and in perfect view for directions, the trails here are very well kept, no trash ,or graffiti on any of the trails,the entrance of eagle trail and blue trail are combined and signs are posted within a few feet directing you in which trail you would like to take, the eagle trail has quite a few signs posted along the trail telling you inform about different trees, and it leads to a few small waterfalls, the views of these though are hard to see due to tree growth in this area, the blue hole trail, is constantly WET, so come prepared, there's a few stairs at the beginning of this trail,and the waterfalls here keep them very wet, so use caution, however totally safe due to the hand rails to hold onto, and metal spiked railing for non slip issues, in on section as well, this trail is ALL DOWN HILL,so you will be climbing up on the way back,to the parking lot,after the Steps of the entrance to the trail it leads to a staircase, then a metal bridge, and then a metal/wooden ladder ramp,then onto climbing nature to see the waterfalls on this area,the east part of climbing down or up ends very quickly after the metal/ wooden ramp, these are surrounded by waterfalls, this whole area is, from the first step to the staircases to the end of the trail, there's water everywhere, please wear proper foot protection, it is also a great place to explore and take great photos from start to finish, plenty of standing to view, places, climbing spots are endless, and at the end of the trail a beautiful river view with a mountain side view running along with the river, very beautiful!! Very worth coming to see, and explore, the waterfalls are at full flow in August, which is amazing !! ** NEXT ** we went traveled to the end of the state park, and discovered a beautiful picnic area ,grills and its seating is next to the edge of the river and mountain side, as well,but no bathroom in this section, still plenty of space for great views, and eating areas, and photos to be taken, **Next** we went to a location right beside this picnic area and Wow,a beautiful long ,very long beach front area ,a huge parking lot, two to be exact, one for those who brings boats, kayaks, surf boards, this parking lot is the first one to your right, the second park lot next to the first one is for normal traffic, due to the first parking lot having a loading and unloading boat dock, you will find all sorts of entertainment here, from the water to the beach, to the fire pits, to the volleyball area, there are bathrooms here, and yes swimming is allowed even for your pets in river, the views are amazing, and you can also find art on the sand that people have left using, rocks, feathers, and twigs, most of the tourists are hanging out here, and still there's plenty room all-around to pitch a canopy, or throw a blanket for picnic reasons, or lay out and sun soak, or take pictures, you'll find people on boats, kayaks, paddle boats, surf boards, dogs swimming and people fishing, and people swimming,and skipping rocks lounging and playing music, all in and around the river as one...it's amazing and the space, is very spacious, even this location and restroom area is kept very nicely. Needless to say I will definitely be coming back to revisit this little yet big state park again !! Well-done TENNESSEE!Playground: It located by beach areaRestrooms: 2 bathroom facilities are located at this location for those who don't camp hereDog-friendliness: Dogs off leash on beach area allowed as much as on the trailsPicnic area: Plenty of places with picnic tables and fire pits as well

  Ray Brown
7 months ago
I recently tent camped for a couple of days at the park and it was wonderful. The campsites are spacious with electricity and water at the front of each site. It's about 70 feet from the electrical to the tent area, so bring an extension cord if you're running devices in the tent. It was great sleeping with the fan on. There's plenty of room between campsites. The bath house was very clean. The rangers were friendly and knowledgeable. There are parking lot overlooks for both the Great Falls and Twin Falls. TVA was releasing water, so hiking in the Caney Fork River Gorge was unavailable. I highly recommend visiting and camping at the park.

  Jeff Mullins
a month ago
Amazing place to hike and check out some large falls. Spend the day and take a hike and enjoy the outdoors. Please consider liking my review/pictures and follow along on all my adventures! Jeff Mullins Photography. It's All About the Adventures!

  Ian M
9 months ago
Rock Island State Park in Tennessee is a hidden paradise for nature lovers. The star attraction? The jaw-dropping Twin Falls waterfall. Standing before its powerful cascade left me in awe. The crystal-clear water gushing over rugged rocks creates a mesmerizing spectacle. The park offers a range of outdoor activities, from hiking to camping. With its scenic trails and stunning waterfall, Rock Island State Park is a must-visit destination for those seeking natural beauty and adventure.

  Emily Thompson
8 months ago
So much to see at Rock Island Falls. Loved the trails and found a cave. We didn t finish the trail, so I m sure there was much more to see than what we saw. Hear they have wonderful fishing here too.

  Lee Roberts
11 months ago
Really loved this state park! Historic cotton mill and Spring Castle, Grand Falls, Twin Falls, Caney Fork River Gorge, and downstream trail were great to see, hike within, and to recreate around! Also stopped to see Great Forks Dam, operated and maintained by the Tennessee Valley Authority.