Benton Tennessee cave/cavern @ Cherokee National Forest

[Pullnglide]

I searched and came up with 15 results for Tennessee but none about my question. A few weeks ago I was up in Benton at a campground across from Lake Ocoee. There are waterfalls up there that many people hike to as there are trails everywhere. It was about a 2 mile hike to said waterfall. You come to the first one and you can go up the hill and keep going and the waterfalls continue. We came to a area where there are sheer cliffs and a "pool" that has an overhang of rock and looks to be an overhead environment. Temperature was about 40 degrees so I wasn't going in. Anyone ever been up there and know what I'm talking about. I may take a mask up next time to see what is going on there but carrying scuba is pretty much out of the question.

[Webmaster]

You're into the metamorphics there, I wouldn't expect much in the way of cave development. But, if it goes it goes.

Were you up at Chilhowee?

[Pullnglide]

I'm not sure what campground I was at but if your heading toward the river it was on the left past the lookout point if that means anything to you. I wouldn't imagine it could be much down there, it was just quite interesting!

[moose_grunt]

The campground across from Lake Ocoee sounds like Chilhowee. Up a mountain with a little lake to walk around? If so, then the first set of falls would be Benton Falls, but I'm not sure about the second set--I never went past the first.

[Pullnglide]

Chilowee rings a bell. I don't remember walking around a lake, there is a creek that we crossed several times back and forth. The falls we were at, there is a small one with a quite larger one behind it. If you go up the hill to the left and around to the right and back down the hill then you come to several more falls which leads to the subject of this post. There is then a wall that can be climbed (a little dangerous) that leads to 4 more falls and we stopped there. I wouldn't imagine too many people go that far.

[FW]

I don't suppose you got GPS coordinates for the falls, or even the campground?

[WEPIV]

During our summer trips to western NC we sometimes hike in with a mask so we can check out things like this. Did it this past summer outside of Cashiers and found only a rocky bottom but it was fun and refreshingly cool!

[Pullnglide]

Sorry I don't have GPS coordinates. You can probably stop at any store around the lake and they can tell you where to go, I think it's a fairly popular place. I'll take a mask next time when we go back but it's gonna have to be when it warms up!