Week #5: Northrup Falls
Week #5 of the Spring Hiking Challenge takes us to Colditz Cove State Natural Area, and Northrup Falls.
After stepping up the intensity a bit with last week’s hike to O&W Bridge, which closed out the first month of the Spring Hiking Challenge, we’re dialing it back this week with a short, quick, easy hike to Northrup Falls.
Northrup Falls is the crown jewel of the Colditz Cove State Natural Area, located just outside Allardt. It was long one of the most underrated natural features of the northern Cumberland Plateau, but has exploded in popularity in recent years. We first visited this beautiful waterfall as part of 2017’s Twenty Week Hiking Challenge.
There’s no doubt that Northrup Falls is at its best when it’s at full flow … and there isn’t a stream anywhere around the region that’s anywhere close to full flow right now, amid what has been our driest spring season in 19 years. The waterfall may not be as spectacular as it usually is during the spring months, but it still makes for a great hike. So, let’s get started with Week 5 of 14.
Northrup Falls
Trailhead: Colditz Cove
Trail Type: Loop
Payoff: Waterfall
Difficulty: Easy
Length: 1.42 miles
Elevation Gain: 108 feet
Colditz Cove is a 165-acre state natural area surrounding Big Branch Creek just outside of Allardt. To get there, take S.R. 52 west from Elgin to Allardt. Just inside the Allardt City Limits, turn left onto Northrup Falls Road (if you reach the “great pumpkin” water tower, you’ve gone too far). The parking area for Colditz Cove is on the right.
The first part of the trail is out-and-back, leading to a loop trail that circles Northrup Falls on top of the canyon that Big Branch Creek flows through, then drops into the canyon for an up-close view of the falls.
540 feet: Notice the old road trace that the trail crosses. This old road once led to Big Branch Creek. The forest so far has been mixed hardwoods with an understory of mountain laurel and holly, among other species.
0.13 Mile: The trail crosses a footbridge over a small wet-weather branch and marshy area.
0.20 Mile: The trail begins to enter a thick forest of hemlocks. The forest type changes dramatically here.
0.25 Mile: A sign placed by Pickett State Park — which manages Colditz Cove — describes the threat that the hemlock woolly adelgid is posing to this forest and other hemlock forests across the region, and what state botanists are doing to combat the pest. At this point, you can hear Northrup Falls if you listen.
0.29 Mile: The trail reaches an intersection. This is the loop part of the trail. Go right to complete the trail in a counter-clockwise direction. Almost immediately, the trail will split. The left fork is an unauthorized trail created by hikers venturing off the original trail, but both lead to the same place. You’ll also get your first look at Northrup Falls.
0.36 Mile: The trail crosses Big Branch Creek just above the waterfall via a wooden footbridge. The Northrup family that once lived here operated a grist mill above the falls. On the opposite side of the creek, the thick hemlock forest continues. Notice how the hemlocks are so thick that little can grow in the understory, due to the lack of sunlight that penetrates the canopy.
0.48 Mile: Look at the tall white pines that begin to mix in with the hemlocks.
0.51 Mile: The trail drops over some rock ledges and begins its descent into the gorge that encases Big Branch Creek below Northrup Falls. If you look to your right, you’ll also notice another stream drainage, though you can’t see the stream itself. This is an unnamed fork of Big Branch Creek. Keep your eyes peeled in the gorge area! You probably won’t see these secretive critters, but this area is known to be home to several rare animals, including: the Black Mountain dusky salamander, the woodland jumping mouse, the smoky shrew, the pygmy shrew and the southeastern shrew.
0.53 Mile: Rhododendron becomes the prominent species in the understory as the trail travels the base of the bluff line. The trail will follow this bluff line to the waterfall.
0.59 Mile: The trail crosses a wooden footbridge that, like most of the footbridges along this trail, has recently been rebuilt by Pickett State Park staff.
0.62 Mile: If you listen, you’ll hear not only the sound of Northrup Falls splashing into this small canyon in your right here, but also the sound of running water in your left ear. You might first believe that you’re hearing an echo off the bluff wall. But if you step up to the large rock to your left and look behind it, you’ll notice a spring flowing out of the rock wall.
0.65 Mile: Even in dry weather, water seeps from the rocks, creating a thick cover of moss and lichens on the rocks. Just ahead, the jumbled rocks squeeze the trail against the bluff line.
0.70 Mile: The trail reaches Northrup Falls. The trail goes behind the falls, where it’s always muddy and wet. Notice the inviting swimming pool at the base of the falls.
0.86 Mile: The trail finally emerges from the huge rock shelter behind the waterfall. It will continue to follow the bluff line for a while.
0.92 Mile: Look at the narrow crack through the rock to the left, which creates a natural passageway. You’d have to be a small child or painfully thin to fit through the crack, but it’s a neat feature nonetheless.
0.97 Mile: Notice the thick stand of cave alumroot growing inside this shallow rock shelter.
1.0 Mile: The ascent back to the top of the gorge begins. It’s just a short climb, and the only part of the hike that’s remotely difficult.
1.18 Mile: Reach the trail intersection that signals the start of the loop. Turn right and retrace your steps to the trailhead.
Scavenger Hunt: This week’s virtual scavenger hunt is for a site along the hike that we also looked for the first time we did it back in 2017 — a huge white pine that is one of the largest you’ll find anywhere on the northern plateau. Unfortunately, the tree has died since that 2017 hike, but it still stands for now. You’ll know it when you see it — it’s massive! It was likely more than 200 years old when it died. Here’s a hint: It is located after you enter the canyon. If you find it, snap a picture and tag it with the hashtag #SpringHikingChallenge to be entered in this week’s random prize drawing. We’ll announce what prize we’re going to give away on social media.
Historical Context: This area was originally called Northrup Falls, after the Northrup family that operated a grist mill upstream from the waterfall. In 1984, Arnold and Rudy Colditz donated 42.5 acres of property to the state, more than doubling the size of the state natural area surrounding Northrup Falls. It was named Colditz Cove in their honor, and has since grown to 165 acres surrounding one of Tennessee’s most spectacular waterfalls. The Colditz brothers played a big role in Scott County’s past. Their father was a German immigrant to the northern Cumberland Plateau named Maximilian Bernhard Colditz. He was born in Dresden, Germany, but migrated to the United States and became a naturalized American citizen. He moved his family to the German settlement of Allardt and opened a general store there. Arnold and his younger brother, Rudy, were two of six children in the family. They moved to Oneida in 1923 and established Colditz Brothers Motor Company. It was an International Harvester dealer in the 1940s to the 1960s. Together, the brothers were instrumental in persuading both Greyhound Bus Lines and Western Union Telegraph to locate offices in Oneida. The brothers also owned the large farm on Coopertown Road near its intersection with Leatherwood and Station Camp roads. Arnold Colditz served as mayor of Oneida in 1938 and 1939. He died in 1991.
Make It Better: On your way back to Scott County, swing right off S.R. 52 onto Peters Ford Road and follow it into the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area where Crooked Creek empties into the Clear Fork River. There are no trails to hike here, but it’s a beautiful area to explore and even wade in the river, and there’s a picnic area if you pack a lunch.
Be Careful For: The bluffs along the canyon below Northrup Falls are unprotected. Use caution with pets and small children.
Please Remember: Hikers are encouraged to obey the “Leave No Trace” ethic. “Leave only footprints, take only memories.” Please do not litter! Also, remember that while all trails in the Big South Fork are dog-friendly, all dogs must be leashed and kept within six feet.
Document Your Hike: Record your participation on this week’s hike by taking a photo of you and your group and tagging it with the #SpringHikingChallenge hashtag on social media (make sure the post privacy is set to public!) or emailing newsroom@ihoneida.com.