A 3-mile moderate hike to a waterfall (paired with Lick Creek Falls on same trail); best April through September.
Loading current conditions…
Based on this listing's approximate location — see the note on coordinates below.
Best used April through September; trail follows Lick Creek parallel to the Cumberland River, with additional small waterfalls visible after rain, per official state tourism page
Princess Falls is located in Daniel Boone National Forest’s Stearns Ranger District area, near Whitley City in McCreary County, close to Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. The waterfall is reached on an almost 3-mile moderate-difficulty trail that also leads to Lick Creek Falls—both waterfalls are on the same route, making it efficient to visit both in a single outing.
The trail follows Lick Creek parallel to the Cumberland River, offering scenic creek and river views along with waterfall destinations. Additional small waterfalls become visible after rain. The trail is best used April through September; winter conditions and other seasons may have challenging water crossings or reduced flow.
No fee is mentioned for trail access. Plan your visit for the late spring through early fall window for the best experience with reliable water flow and manageable trail conditions.
Best used April through September; trail follows Lick Creek parallel to Cumberland River.
You're visiting in winter and prefer reliable year-round water flow.
No fee or permit requirement was published on the managing agency's site when we last checked — confirm current conditions before you go, since these change.
Via a 3-mile round-trip trail rated moderate by the managing agency.
We track 8 waterfalls in Cumberland Falls Country.
There are 3 other waterfalls we track in McCreary. All Cumberland Falls Country waterfalls →
kentuckytourism.com
All facts from Kentucky Tourism's official '12 Gorgeous Waterfalls' page, checked 2026-09-04, describing an 'almost 3-mile-long hike' reaching both Princess Falls and Lick Creek Falls near Stearns and Whitley City. Managing agency is a reasonable inference from the location description; height left null. No closure mentioned; Daniel Boone NF alerts list has no entry for this trail.
Checked September 2026.