Ruby Falls

Ruby Falls is an underground waterfall located 1,120 feet below the surface of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee, reached via elevator descent into Lookout Mountain Cave. Discovered in 1928 by cave explorer Leo Lambert and named for his wife Ruby, the falls cascade 145 feet from a cave ceiling fracture into a subterranean plunge pool, making Ruby Falls the tallest and deepest commercially accessible underground waterfall in the United States. All visitors experience Ruby Falls via guided walking tours departing every 10 to 15 minutes from the visitor center lobby. After descending by elevator to the cave level, tour groups of typically 20 to 30 people walk a half-mile paved and lit pathway through cave passages decorated with natural limestone formations — stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone curtains, and rimstone pools — before arriving at the falls chamber. The final approach passes through a narrow corridor that opens dramatically into a spray-filled cavern where the lit waterfall cascades against the cave walls in atmospheric colored light. The cave maintains a constant temperature of approximately 60 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, making it comfortably cool in summer and noticeably chilly in cooler months — a jacket is recommended regardless of surface conditions. The total walking distance underground is approximately half a mile, with minimal elevation changes along the paved path. The Lookout Mountain setting makes Ruby Falls a natural combination with Rock City (five minutes by car) and Point Park (National Park Service Civil War site, $5 USD). The visitor complex above ground includes a 26-story observation tower with panoramic Chattanooga cityscape views, a cafe, and a ropes course activity area. Online booking is strongly advised on summer and fall weekends, when timed tours can fill hours in advance.