Distance: 2.9 kilometers
Altitude gain: 95 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Start of the trail: Yamacraw
Characteristics: Cascade
Unfortunately, we have reached the end of the waterfall season in this part of the world. With the exception of a few behomoths like Cumberland Falls, most of the area’s waterfalls have slowed to little more than a trickle, as heavy rains in late winter and early spring have become a distant memory. .
This means that Princess Falls cannot be seen in all its glory at this time of year. The best time to visit this incredible waterfall is earlier in the year – after the spring greenery has started, but before the summer drought sets in.
Still, the hike to Princess Falls is worth it, not least because it really doesn’t require a lot of effort. It’s an easy round trip hike on flat ground, with less than 100 feet of elevation gain over 2.9 miles.
To put that in perspective, last week’s hike to Needle’s Eye – if it climbed from the O&W – featured nearly 500 feet of elevation gain in less than half a mile to begin with.
So, yes, it’s fair to say that the hike to Princess Falls is a leisurely stroll through the woods, which will likely be a welcome respite for participants of the twenty-week hiking challenge who are still catching their breath after climbing the John. Muir Trail and the tiring knee-deep descent on the so called “Oh Poop” trail back to O&W Road.
Located on the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail, the hike to Princess Falls begins at the Yamacraw Bridge on Hwy Ky. 92 west of Whitley City. The hike itself begins in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, but the waterfall is located in the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Princess Falls is formed by a rock ledge along Lick Creek not far from the Big South Fork River, creating a curtain of water that falls 20 feet into a pool below.
The Sheltowee Trace trail that hikers will take to reach Princess Falls is named after Daniel Boone, the remarkable American explorer who pioneered these lands. Sheltowee was the name given to Boone by the Shawnee tribe after being adopted by Chief Blackfish. It means “Big Turtle”.
Boone, who charted the route through the Cumberland Gap that was used by over 200,000 Americans as they moved west from North Carolina to Kentucky and Tennessee, was not much of a friend with the Kentucky Shawnee Indians, however. Quite the reverse, in fact. He was captured by members of the tribe during a trapping expedition in 1769. Later, his eldest son James was brutally tortured and killed by Shawnee warriors in a massacre in Powell Valley, not far north. of Claiborne County.
Boone later fought the Shawnee in the Dunmore War of 1774 and in the Revolutionary War. In 1776, the Shawnees captured Boone’s daughter, Jemima, and two other teenage girls. Boone continued the party and saved the girls in an episode made famous by the fictional account, The Last of the Mohicans.
In April 1777, Boone was wounded in a Shawnee raid on Boonesborough led by Chief Blackfish.
The following winter, Boone led an expedition of men to find salt for preserving food and was taken captive by the Shawnee. He helped convince his comrades to surrender rather than fight, and convinced the Shawnees not to attack Boonesborough, saying the women and children camping there would be ready to surrender in the spring.
This is how Boone was “adopted” by the Shawnees. It was a tribal custom to adopt prisoners to replace fallen warriors. Although Boone lived happily with the Shawnees for several months, he escaped in June 1778 when he learned that the Warriors were planning to attack Boonesborough. He returned to the fort in five days to warn the settlers of the impending attack and helped the Whites defend the encampment against the Blackfish warriors during a 10-day siege.
After the battle, Boone was court martialed because it was believed he had changed his loyalty. But he was acquitted and his testimony in court helped make him a legend.
Still later, Boone’s brother was attacked and killed by Shawnee warriors. Believing to have killed Daniel Boone, the warriors behead his brother and take his head as a memento.
This is the story behind the Sheltowee Trace. Meanwhile, Princess Falls also has Native American overtones. It is named after Princess Cornblossom, the legendary – and possibly mythical – War Princess Cherokee.
As legend has it, Princess Cornblossom was born in 1765, the daughter of Chief Doublehead, or Chuqulataque, of the Cumberland Cherokees. She married Big Jake Troxel, a merchant from Wayne County, Ky. The Troxels had seven children, but died in the Yahoo Falls Massacre of 1810 – a completely different legend, probably also a myth, that tells the story of helpless Cherokees, mostly women. and children, murdered by Indian hunters under the leadership of John Sevier.
One of Big Jake and Cornblossom’s daughters was Catherine “Katy” Troxel, the first wife of Jonathan Blevins, who was among the early white settlers of the Big South Fork settlements on the Tennessee side.
Before the internet made genealogical research easier, the legend of Princess Cornblossom was widely accepted. However, as the descendants of Troxel researched their families and exchanged notes via the internet in the late 1990s and early 2000s, they began to doubt the validity of the legend.
Today, the Yahoo Falls massacre and the very existence of Princess Cornblossom are questioned by historians.
Genealogy experts say Cornblossom is unlikely to have existed as there is no evidence to support this claim, and Cherokee women did not carry the title of princess; there was no royalty in the Cherokee tribe. Jacob Troxell, they say, probably did not marry an Indian.
The legends of Princess Cornblossom and the Yahoo Falls Massacre began with a 1958 book written by a descendant of Troxel. This book was Cornblossom’s first documentation.
Nonetheless, Princess Falls is a beautiful waterfall and the trail to it is quite scenic.
Getting There: Take the US Hwy. 27 north to Whitley City, then turn left onto Ky. Hwy. 92 and continue for approximately 6.3 islands to the Big South Fork River. Just before the Yamacraw Bridge there is a parking lot and a trail. The Sheltowee Trace leaves the highway on its north side.
Fun fact: The Sheltowee Trace is traced by a turtle. Sheltowee means “Slow Turtle,” and was the name given to Daniel Boone by the Shawnee.
Be careful for: The trail is muddy in places, especially after a rain. If you’re exploring the area around Princess Falls, watch out for slipper rocks.
Do it better: Because the only thing better than a waterfall is two waterfalls, continue your hike up Lick Creek to Lick Creek Falls. From Princess Falls, you will exit the Sheltowee Trail and follow the creek walking east along the Lick Creek Trail, until you reach a spur trail leading to the waterfall. After reaching the waterfall, retrace your steps to Yamacraw. The total hike to both waterfalls is 5.5 miles with an elevation gain of 614 feet.
Share the adventure: Tag your photos on Facebook and Instagram, # 20WeekHikingChallenge, for a chance to win prizes (please ensure your post’s privacy is set to public in order to be eligible for a raffle.
Do not forget: Obey the Leave No Trace ethic by “taking only memories, leaving only footprints”. If you pack it, please pack it!