About and data sources

Not a safety service

Chattanooga Falls reports three things: whether a spot is open, what the water is doing, and any official flood alerts. It never says whether swimming is safe. Creeks here can rise fast after rain upstream, even under a clear sky, so check conditions yourself before you get in the water.

How each spot's status works

Is it open? comes from the land manager's own pages. A posted closure always wins. If a check fails or is more than a day old, the spot shows "Status unknown" instead of guessing. We check every few hours. Some Tennessee park pages can't be checked automatically; for those, the status comes from our own dated reading of the park's page, and it lapses on its date.

The water right now loads flood alerts from the National Weather Service each time you open a page. If that check fails, the page says so. Recent rain comes from NOAA's radar estimate. Stream gauge readings show the number and the time it was read, and the site sets no "too high" levels of its own.

Sources used on every page

• National Weather Service: flood alerts and forecasts, loaded live in your browser each time you open a page
• USGS 3DEP lidar: the shading on the 3D views
• USGS The National Map: the aerial photos on the 3D views
• NOAA MRMS rain estimates, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet: recent rain at each spot, loaded live in your browser
• AWS Terrain Tiles: the elevation that shapes the 3D views
• OpenStreetMap contributors: trail lines, falls and parking points

Sources for each spot

Every fact on a spot page also shows its source and the date it was checked.

Foster Falls

1. USGS Water Data API, checked October 26, 2026
2. waterfallhikes.com, checked against USGS lidar, checked October 26, 2026
3. Measured by Chattanooga Falls on OpenStreetMap trail lines, checked October 26, 2026
4. Measured by Chattanooga Falls with USGS 3DEP lidar elevation, checked October 27, 2026
5. Chattanooga Falls site owner, who has hiked it, checked October 26, 2026
6. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) - Fiery Gizzard swimming page (lists Foster Falls under waterfalls), checked October 26, 2026
7. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) brochure, checked October 26, 2026
8. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) FAQ, checked October 26, 2026
9. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com), checked October 26, 2026
10. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) policies (system-wide), checked October 26, 2026
11. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) trailhead wayfinding map, checked October 26, 2026
12. OpenStreetMap (map points and trail lines), checked October 26, 2026
13. National Weather Service flood alerts and forecast, loaded live when you open the page
14. Photo: Chad Madden on Unsplash

Greeter Falls and Blue Hole

1. USGS Water Data API, checked October 26, 2026
2. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) waterfall page, checked October 27, 2026
3. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) swimming page (0.5 mi each way, doubled), checked October 26, 2026
4. Measured by Chattanooga Falls with USGS 3DEP lidar elevation, checked October 27, 2026
5. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) hiking page trail cards, checked October 26, 2026
6. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com), checked October 26, 2026
7. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) FAQ, checked October 26, 2026
8. OpenStreetMap (map points and trail lines), checked October 26, 2026
9. National Weather Service flood alerts and forecast, loaded live when you open the page
10. Photo: Sarah Swainson on Unsplash

Fall Creek Falls

1. USGS Water Data API, checked October 26, 2026
2. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com), checked October 27, 2026
3. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) hiking page (0.35 mi trail length, doubled as out-and-back), checked October 26, 2026
4. Measured by Chattanooga Falls with USGS 3DEP lidar elevation, checked October 27, 2026
5. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) - Fall Creek Falls swimming page lists other wading/swim spots, not the base of Fall Creek Falls, checked October 26, 2026
6. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) policies (system-wide), checked October 26, 2026
7. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) - Fall Creek Falls visitor FAQ (PDF), checked October 26, 2026
8. OpenStreetMap (map points and trail lines), checked October 26, 2026
9. National Weather Service flood alerts and forecast, loaded live when you open the page
10. Photo: Sarah Swainson on Unsplash

Little River Falls

1. NPS Little River Canyon (water safety page) + USGS Water Data API, checked October 26, 2026
2. Little River Canyon National Preserve (NPS) waterfalls page, checked October 27, 2026
3. Measured by Chattanooga Falls on OpenStreetMap trail lines, checked October 27, 2026
4. Measured by Chattanooga Falls with USGS 3DEP lidar elevation, checked October 27, 2026
5. Chattanooga Falls rating, from our measured climb, checked October 27, 2026
6. Little River Canyon National Preserve (NPS), checked October 26, 2026
7. Little River Canyon National Preserve (NPS), checked October 26, 2026
8. Little River Canyon National Preserve (NPS), checked October 26, 2026
9. Little River Canyon National Preserve (NPS), checked October 26, 2026
10. Little River Canyon National Preserve (NPS), checked October 26, 2026
11. OpenStreetMap (map points and trail lines), checked October 26, 2026
12. National Weather Service flood alerts and forecast, loaded live when you open the page
13. Photo: Sam Dellaporta on Unsplash

North Chickamauga Creek Gorge Blue Hole

1. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) safety page link + USGS Water Data API, checked October 26, 2026
2. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) 2026 brochure (PDF), checked October 26, 2026
3. Measured by Chattanooga Falls with USGS 3DEP lidar elevation, checked October 27, 2026
4. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) park page alert, checked October 26, 2026
5. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) hiking page, checked October 26, 2026
6. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) FAQ, checked October 26, 2026
7. Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com) policies (system-wide), checked October 26, 2026
8. OpenStreetMap (map points and trail lines), checked October 26, 2026
9. National Weather Service flood alerts and forecast, loaded live when you open the page

Lula Falls

1. USGS Water Data API, checked October 26, 2026
2. Lula Lake Land Trust, checked October 27, 2026
3. OpenStreetMap (map points and trail lines), checked October 26, 2026
4. National Weather Service flood alerts and forecast, loaded live when you open the page

Glen Falls

1. USGS Water Data API, checked October 26, 2026
2. Measured by Chattanooga Falls on OpenStreetMap trail lines, checked October 27, 2026
3. Measured by Chattanooga Falls with USGS 3DEP lidar elevation, checked October 27, 2026
4. Chattanooga Falls rating, from our measured climb, checked October 27, 2026
5. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (NPS) Superintendent's Compendium (last updated July 27, 2026), checked October 26, 2026
6. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (NPS), checked October 26, 2026
7. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (NPS), checked October 26, 2026
8. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (NPS), checked October 26, 2026
9. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (NPS), checked October 26, 2026
10. OpenStreetMap, checked October 27, 2026
11. OpenStreetMap (map points and trail lines), checked October 26, 2026
12. National Weather Service flood alerts and forecast, loaded live when you open the page

Cherokee and Hemlock Falls

1. USGS Water Data API, checked October 26, 2026
2. Wikipedia, checked October 27, 2026
3. Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites, checked October 26, 2026
4. Measured by Chattanooga Falls with USGS 3DEP lidar elevation, checked October 27, 2026
5. Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites, checked October 26, 2026
6. Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites, checked October 26, 2026
7. Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites, checked October 26, 2026
8. OpenStreetMap (map points and trail lines), checked October 26, 2026
9. National Weather Service flood alerts and forecast, loaded live when you open the page
10. Photo: Loc Giang on Unsplash

DeSoto Falls

1. USGS Water Data API, checked October 26, 2026
2. Alabama State Parks (ADCNR) DeSoto Falls trailhead map, checked October 27, 2026
3. Alabama State Parks (ADCNR), checked October 26, 2026
4. Alabama State Parks (ADCNR), checked October 26, 2026
5. OpenStreetMap (map points and trail lines), checked October 26, 2026
6. National Weather Service flood alerts and forecast, loaded live when you open the page
7. Photo: Loc Giang on Unsplash

Big Soddy Creek Gulf

1. USGS Water Data API, checked October 26, 2026
2. City of Soddy-Daisy, checked October 27, 2026
3. Measured by Chattanooga Falls with USGS 3DEP lidar elevation, checked October 27, 2026
4. WDEF, checked October 26, 2026
5. OpenStreetMap (map points and trail lines), checked October 26, 2026
6. National Weather Service flood alerts and forecast, loaded live when you open the page

Ozone Falls

1. USGS Water Data API, checked October 26, 2026
2. TDEC Division of Natural Areas, checked October 27, 2026
3. Measured by Chattanooga Falls on OpenStreetMap trail lines, checked October 27, 2026
4. Measured by Chattanooga Falls with USGS 3DEP lidar elevation, checked October 27, 2026
5. Tennessee State Parks, checked October 26, 2026
6. OpenStreetMap (map points and trail lines), checked October 26, 2026
7. National Weather Service flood alerts and forecast, loaded live when you open the page
8. Photo: Justin Campbell on Unsplash

Benton Falls

1. USGS Water Data API, checked October 26, 2026
2. USDA Forest Service, Cherokee National Forest, checked October 27, 2026
3. Measured by Chattanooga Falls with USGS 3DEP lidar elevation, checked October 27, 2026
4. USDA Forest Service, Cherokee National Forest, checked October 26, 2026
5. OpenStreetMap (map points and trail lines), checked October 26, 2026
6. National Weather Service flood alerts and forecast, loaded live when you open the page