The parking area is very easy to get to. Hiking down into the trail is a bit tough. The stairs are very much in need of repair and steep. Though we were for sure up for the challenge. It was a very pretty hike. Though we had seen some pictures of people down in the gorge itself swimming and exploring under the falls but we could not figure out how to even come close to getting there. For the avid hiker who knows more about the area/map/trail reading you may be able to figure it out. But on a 85 degree day we chose not to and just enjoy the view from across the mountain. It was a super pretty view! I am sure the fall itself is really awesome up close as well. Just not able to get there this time of year for us.

The trail to Julia Falls Overlook starts at Signal Point Park on Signal Mountain, Chattanooga. If nothing else the view of the river from the park is pretty, but the trail itself is treacherous. We turned back at the first missing rung and shaky hand rail.

this was a really nice small hike we did with our kids, we actually continued on to edwards point which is even more amazing.

The trailhead can be accessed from Signal Point. The parking lot is generous & there's bathrooms. To the right of the Signal Point overlook is the trailhead for Julia Falls & Edwards Point. I wasn't the only one perturbed about the lack of a good map at the trailhead info board. Another thing is the mileage to Julia Falls is wrong. According to the board, Julia Falls is .9 miles. On every hiking page I looked at it's .5 miles. This turned out to be right, but I doubted myself & hiked further than I wanted to. So, you start down the horrible stairs nicknamed the mousetrap. Very steep & rough. The trail is pretty tough. On the hiking page I looked at it was rated 3 stars out of 5. I would definitely rate it 4. Lots of mud/roots/rocks. You climb over a lot of it. There were downed trees also. Finally, you get to the bluff where you can see the Tennessee River gorge. Very nice! Across from this is Julia Falls. There's no sign. I hiked about .3 further, but turned around. The 3rd downed tree did it for me! Hike back & drag yourself back up the mouse trap.