Short Springs Natural Area

Will definitely be one of my main waterfalls that I visit. It’s a tad more hiking than at Manchester where we always go, but not horrible. Plus there’s wonky man made and nature made steps throughout the big hike. So that helps. Can’t wait to see it once it’s had a good rain, because it’s beautiful now without having a good rain. Either way I’ll take it and be back soon!!

Short Springs Natural Area is a hidden gem for nature lovers! The hiking trails wind through lush forests, leading to stunning waterfalls and captivating rock formations. I felt like I was in a fairytale. The highlight? Machine Falls, a picturesque cascade that's a true spectacle.

Pro tip: Wear comfy hiking boots, and don't forget your camera to capture the magic. The peacefulness of this place is rejuvenating, and it's a reminder of the natural beauty we must protect. If you're seeking serenity and a dose of wilderness, this is it.

Short Springs is a hilly, water laden wonderland of scenic waterfalls, river bridges, endemic floura and picturesque views. Parking is limited. There is a notable elevation change and due to storm there are a number of trees uprooted that sometime reroute trails.

Machine Falls is excellent year round. It's always exciting to see it in different seasons and beautiful everytime!

Always a great trail; out this time testing new trail shoes. Saw deer for the first time in this area back near Adams Falls, super neat! A bit of blow down on the back end as well though a great day for a hike. Mild weather and not many people out on trail today!

This state natural area has a great trail system with multiple streams and waterfalls. Water was flowing well in spite of very dry weather because these streams are spring-fed. Machine Falls was beautiful, cool, and relaxing on a very warm day.

It's a nice hike. Some of the trails can be steep and challenging. Don't forget to bring water.

Great little hike for the family. Three different loops available, all approximately 1 mile, we’ll marked trails, close to Tim’s Ford. We we’re looking for something fun to do near the lake on Fall Break. Machine Falls is the best waterfall if you can only hike one loop.

Gorgeous waterfalls! The climb up/down to the big waterfall was definitely moderate. Not suitable for older, limited mobility individuals and tough for the 7 y/o kid with us. My dad and aunt wouldn’t have been able to make it down and back, so luckily they turned back before we got there! Our pups had an absolute blast, highly recommend visiting. So beautiful.. and very well-maintained trails!

Such a incredibly beautiful area with several hiking paths and waterfalls. The hike I took was medium level, walked through water over rocks to get to the waterfall. I recommend good hiking shoes and aqua shoes or socks. It was so beautiful at the waterfall. So tranquil and amazing. This was a truly memorable and amazing experience.

What a beautiful day for a hike! Definitely wanna bring a little extra water because this trailhead is a bit long and the terrain is steep at times. Nestled in the Tullahoma hills you’re surrounded by nothing but trees and little waterways. The falls were splendid and there weren’t too many people we ran into even though there were a lot of cars. Definitely intermediate hiker trail. But if you’re a beginner looking for an adventure, I’d recommend this trail to you for sure! Try having a homemade sandwich from City Sandwich Company afterwards!!

A great place to visit a little hard to get to if not steady on your feet or have trouble climbing hills or rough stairs

Great place to see some nature scenery

Beautiful hike, wear good hiking shoes but don’t miss the opportunity to walk through the shallow water by the falls. Clear trails but there is some hills and short climbs. Lots of spiders. Very cool water falls and other water ways. The plants are beautiful too, greenery everywhere! Short hike (1.5/2 mile loop) that’s definitely worth it.

Such an interesting hike! Some areas were ROUGH!! The hike down hills were not so bad but going back up hill, holy moly. Be prepared if you're not used to it. The waterfalls were amazing to finally get to,but it was challenging again you have to have the right shoes on and be able to step stones. There's a walkway above somewhere but we didn't find it. Lots of mushrooms on the trail and some super neat bright orange ones. Some trails are short and some are very long. Bring water.

This hike is moderately difficult at few patches but rest of the hike is fairly easy. Even my both parents (85 years old) came halfway through and returned when the steep slope started.

I have hiked many times here, as this is the closest to my home. Even if I have 2 hours time, I just come here and relax. If you are going for the first time, you may miss the entrance of this beautiful natural area. Remember to look for a water tank, which is adjacent to the road. You have to park your vehicle here and cross the road to access this area.

Machine falls is beautiful. You can take lots of wonderful pictures here.

Get there early if you want to get in a full days hike. I arrived about 8 am on a Sunday morning with there only being 2 other vehicles in the parking lot. When I left about 3 hours later the parking lot was overflowing.
This is a great place to hike with great water falls and moderate level hiking trails. Very easy to navigate. Make sure to take a picture of the map before you leave the parking lot. This makes it very easy to find your way to each water fall and trail head.

Machine falls is such a magnificent sight to see. The hike is mostly flat but makes a steep decent for the last little bit. I had it all to myself Sunday morning and it was so tranquil I felt I walked into another world.

It’s got some tough parts, with one really tough section on the way down to (or up from) machine falls. But, overall, it’s pretty nice with some climbs, great views, waterfalls and creeks. As a person with bad knees, I would not call it easy and there are places where I probably couldn’t have done it without a trekking pole. However, it is do-able and worth the effort.

This place is a hidden gem! Such a cool hike. Definitely not a good choice for super small children or ederly due to the difficulty of getting to all of the falls and the large drop offs near the edges of the trails. We went on a weekday and there was around 7 cars in the parking lot by the water tower. Entrance to the hikes is across the street from the parking lot. The trails aren’t very large but that makes for a nice hike feeling more included in nature rather than having a wide path. To get to upper and lower busby falls you have to be adventurous. The terrain is definitely for those who are comfortable using their full body to climb and maneuver over and around rocks and trees. It’s not really a trail that leads you to the upper and lower busby falls. It was really cool to see the falls though up close. You can see busby falls from the trail up top but the drop off is pretty sketchy so we stayed away from the edge so you don’t get a very good view from up top. Machine falls is about a mile hike in and the last 2 minutes are down a really steep makeshift stairway. Machine falls was incredible though. The falls are around 60’ tall. Picture don’t do it justice. Seeing it In person was incredible and unreal. I didn’t expect it to be so impressive. Overall this place is a great hike if you’re in okay shape and looking for a slight challenge. You won’t be disappointed. This is some of the clearest water I’ve ever seen on a hike. It was honestly just as mesmerizing as the falls.

This beautiful place is only 20 minutes from where I stay. I took 4 miles loop Machine falls trail. Trail marks are clear and very easy to navigate. According All trail app, this supposed to be easy but I think need to change to moderate in my opinion. There are many kinds of wild flowers and the Machine waterfall was beautiful.