So Who Really Cares?

Tishomingo State Park, less than 20-minutes south of Iuka, Mississippi, offers hiking, rock climbing, camping, swimming, canoeing, fishing, and exploring.  When the weather is hot and humid, in addition to a lake there is a swimming pool in the park for cooling down.  The park has cabins for rent along with RV hookups and tent camping sites.  There is an entry fee of $4 into the park, payable at the entrance gatehouse. 

Like many parks, this one was built by CCC workers during the depression and features many structures for the 1930’s.  There is even an old pioneer cabin built in the early 1800’s that is open for touring. Tishomingo SP is probably best known for its swinging bridge.

From the entrance, the park road winds through thick hardwood forest and rock formations.  At the far end of the road you will find the Swinging Bridge on the right and a dirt parking area, and just a matter of yards farther the park swimming pool hard surface parking lot.  This also serves as the trailhead for Outcropping Trail.

  

Outcroppings Trail is an easy loop hike a little over two-miles in length starting and ending at the swinging bridge.  The hiker is greeted with moss covered rocks and stream beds, brooks, spill wells, caves, outcroppings, boulders and cliffs, and a nice stretch of path paralleling Bear Creek.   I’d recommend hiking the trail counterclockwise (keeping the river on your right) to get the full effect of the large stone outcroppings.  There is a shorter one-mile version of the hike if you take the trail that bisects the loop (if hiked clockwise) at a very large outcropping the leads down to Bear Creek and back to the bridge.

The centerpiece of the trail is the rock outcroppings, water run-offs, and brooks located on the

There were a couple of water features flowing the late January day I hiked the trail.  It is my understanding that after a big rain you can see a good curtain of water running over the lips that form the water features. There is also a natural spring that has been encased in stones to make a crude fountain.  I am told the water flowing from it is suitable for drinking.

It was my first trip to Tishomingo SP and the Outcropping trail so I spent a lot of time stopping and exploring; the hike took me an hour-forty five minutes, but I think you could complete the loop in an hour without much difficulty.

Flat Rock Trail is tougher than Outcroppings Trail, I would rate Flat Rock as moderate; many large stones embedded in the trail and switchbacks on the path add to the difficulty on the first half of the route.  This trail offers several different terrain features – large rocks, open paths through hardwood trees, and lakes side trails with views of Haynes Lake.

If you are looking for a leisurely hike near Gatlinburg that is suitable for all ages, consider Porters Creek Trail.  On this hike you will have beautiful views of Porters Creek --- a fast moving creek dotted with large boulders and ample rapids, remains of by-gone days in the form of an old homestead and many stonewalls lining the trail, log bridges, a nice little waterfall, and an abundance of flowers and trees.

Porters Creek Trail is located just north of Gatlinburg off Hwy 321.  Turn east off Hwy 321 onto Greenbrier Road (into the GSMNP) and follow the road until it dead-ends, there you will find the trailhead to Porters Creek Trail.

The trail starts at the barricade at the end of Greenbrier Road and starts as a continuation of the gravel road paralleling Porters Creek.  Don't neglect the chance to stop and view the water as you begin the hike.  Eventually you will start seeing stonewalls which are remnants of an old farmstead.  A mile or so into the hike there is a side trail on the right that takes you to an old farm built in 1875.  If you continue on the original trail it turns into a dirt path and becomes a more traditional hiking trail with rocks and tree roots to navigate.  We were there in the winter and the Rhododendron plants are what caught our eye.

At about the 1-1/2 mile mark you cross the creek on a rather large log bridge with a distinctive dogleg.  The views from the middle of the footbridge back over the creek and the rapids are grand.  From this footbridge the trail gets steeper and in about another half mile you reach Fern Branch Falls to the left of the path.  The falls are tiered and listed as 60-ft high.  The water flows over the trail and down the side of the mountain eventually connecting to Porters Creek.

After Fern Creek Falls the trail leveled out and I walked about another half-mile to where the footpath linked back up with Porters Creek then headed back.  The trail continues on to a backcountry campsite just under 2-miles further on. 

We were on the trail late in the day and saw only a couple of hikers but I understand that it is a popular hiking spot year around.

Porters Creek Trail to Fern Creek Falls is rated easy/moderate and I would consider it a hike suitable for anyone of any age.  It is a 4.2 miles out and back hike with an elevation gain of 700-ft.  Give yourself three hours so that you have time to explore the old farmstead and enjoy the scenery.