Tuesday, 11-18-25, was cloudy and windy, but the high temperature was forecast to be 64 degrees and we were itching for a hike. Stone Door Ranger Station is a beautiful hour and a half drive from our front door, and we were hoping for more fall color views.
Lovely Laural Falls is a short .1 mile hike from the ranger station down steep rock and wooden stairs. The Fall colors we’d hoped for were on the ground and the moist leaves made footing slick.
Laural Falls plunges 80 feet off a sheer overhang that doesn’t look safe to stand on, judging from the large chunks of fallen cliff face at the bottom.
Karen opted to wait on the Laural Falls overlook platform instead of hiking the heavily leaf-covered trail to mug for a picture at the top of the falls.
Chattanooga’s elevation varies from 676 to 722 feet and our leaves are still dropping. The rim overlooking Savage Gulf is 1,726 feet, which is enough elevation change to zap the leaves earlier. When the leaves drop, it opens up the view for seeing through the woods. This rock chair perched on the bluff makes a good spot to appreciate the panorama.
The hike to Stone Door is only two miles round-trip. The gap in the cliff face is 10 feet wide and over 100 feet deep. Karen is standing at the top of the steps, which are uneven, irregular in shape and size, and require close attention to navigate.
Animals, including buffalo, American Indians, and pioneers, used the crevice to descend through the escarpment to reach the Savage Gulf valley below. Of course, they had to navigate the steep slope without the convenience of hand-placed stepping stones.
A bonus to hiking at Stone Door is eating at Collins River BBQ and Cafe in McMinnville, TN, which is a 30-minute drive from the Ranger Station. Not only does Collins make terrific BBQ, their made-to-order pork rinds come to the table still crackling and popping from the fryer capping an excellent, random Tuesday adventure.