Students in Dr. Jeannie Long’s Introduction to Environmental Science class recently moved well beyond the classroom with a hike to Gee Creek Falls in nearby Polk County, TN. 

Gee Creek Falls is located in the designated Gee Creek Wilderness within the Cherokee National Forest. The almost four mile round trip hike includes an elevation change of 600 feet, beginning on an old rail bed to the Gee Creek gorge. Along the path are multiple rock formations, sycamore and hemlock groves and cascades. An old flume remnant from the Tennessee Copper Company remains as hikers weave through the deep boulder lined trail.

Sophomore Carly Shadrick from Athens, TN, shared the photos and recommends the hike to anyone looking to explore the beauty of East Tennessee.