Lula Lake and Falls

Lula Lake and the Cascade

One of the most beautiful places on Lookout Mountain is the gorge where Rock Creek tumbles down a 25-foot cascade into a round pool, nearly 100 yards in diameter, named Lula Lake.  The creek then flows on a few hundred yards to a sheer drop over magnificent Lula Falls. When I was in college I spent many happy days hiking around the cliffs and swimming in the lake. Later, it was a favorite spot for picnicking with family and friends. Unfortunately, the area was closed to the public in the 1980s.

 

The Chickamauga & Durham Railroad, completed in 1892, wound 17 miles up the mountain to the coal mines at Durham, with a trestle crossing Rock Creek just above the upper cascade. The railroad was closed in 1951, and the tracks were taken up in 1952. But in 1956 it was still possible to drive my car up the old railway bed from Nickajack Road to Lula Falls. 

Now under the control of the Lula Lake Land Trust, a non-profit organization which, in conjunction with other agencies, seeks to preserve and protect approximately 8,000 contiguous acres on Lookout Mountain, the lake and falls are open to the public on the first and last weekends of each month, April through November, and the first and last Saturdays only, December through March. Unfortunately, swimming is no longer allowed, but hiking is better than ever, with access to 60 miles of trails. Much of the road into the Trust area follows the old railroad bed. This is one of the lesser-known, yet most beautiful natural sites in the Chattanooga area.

Most of the waterfalls in the southern Appalachians are cascades, where the water runs down a steep slope. Lula Falls is one of the relative few with a sheer drop.

Lula Falls: A 100-foot straight drop into Rock Creek Canyon

Both photos were made with a Fuji X-Pro1 mirrorless digital camera. The lens was the Fujicron 27mm f2.8 -- a lens I really need to use more often.

Photographs and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.