Blue Hole — Attraction in Elizabethton

—————————————— Disambiguation: this is different than the "Blue Hole" found at Rocky Fork State Park in Unicoi County (which is much smaller) ! ——————————————

This is a nice swimming hole👙🏊 with more jumping and wading than swimming and fairly easy to get to from the limited parking off the road. It seems to be a popular place with people coming and going. The walk from the parking to the falls has a section that is "nature's stairs" which is tree roots (see photo), then a section of man made stairs that are about knee-high as you step down. No hand rails, and it's always damp. Water is cold but enjoyable. No restrooms. 🚫🚽🚫🚾 No snack bar either, so bring your own brownies, pop tarts, and coffee ☕.

Here are some tips:

1. wear swimming shoes, see photo. Although bearfoot worked for most of our group, those of us with water shoes were able to explore faster and further. Most people wear shoes down the path and take them off at the pool.
2. watch for Gordon, see photo. He's a nice local guy who visits the pool several times a week. He'll show you how to jump off the cliff and where not to. He's very polite and can share the good news with you if you haven't heard it.
3. if you drive there from the Elizabethton area, be advised that Mill Creek Road is a single lane road. I took it when we left, but stick with Panhandle Road for a wider road (and it is not that wide either, so drive slow).
4. bring a floatie, why not?
5. don't drink the water, it's not spring water. It's clean and clear, just not for drinking.
6. one person in my group said to wear a wetsuit because the water is cold, lol.

Note: This location is near Hunter, TN between Elizabethton and Mountain City. Some of the reviews of this location are not the right place. I've flagged them as off topic, but you should be able to distinguish them by this: there is no museum here, no constructed stone walls, and no falls wider than about 5 ft....

Easy to find. Beautiful place with a beautiful waterfall. The large waterfall with the blue hole swimming area is amazing but it can get very crowded... There's very little parking here so when it's crowded you will have to park too the side along a narrow road. It wasn't terrible tho. I enjoyed going up stream where there was much less foot traffic. The very short hike down to the large waterfall is steep but pretty is easy & has a walking path. Going up stream is does require more effort with stepping back& forth through the stream some over & around rocks but still very do able. I am not a seasoned hiker & was able to do it with a 4 year old who is not adventurous & can be timid when doing things like this so by the time we were on our way back I was very exhausted from helping her up & back down but very happy we did it!!! My ONLY BIG COMPLAINT... is that towards the beginning which ever way you go there can be a noticeable amount of BROKEN GLASS that was honestly my biggest concern having 4yr old with me & would be even more concerned had I had my pup with us. Still nice enough that I can...

The road to get here was atrocious. Hardly fits two vehicles on the road at the same time. We drive a 2022 Tundra & my sister has a BMW car. It was terrifying to navigate & find a parking spot.

After we parked, the walk down to the waterfall is definitely a challenge for anyone that isn't in shape. Thankfully it wasn't a long way down. Just not meant for elders or babies or people who aren't in good health.

The water is BROWN- NOT Blue or Emerald or even jade. Looked like human soup. Too many folks there & we arrived at 430p on a Saturday. Certainly not worth the treacherous road to get there.

If you prefer clean water & space to enjoy it, stick with lake Watauga. Or Laurel Falls. Skip this brown hole. The reviews were very misleading.

Maybe this place was great, before everyone discovered it. Leave it for the locals so it...