Friday, January 17, 2025
Little River Trail – Gatlinburg, TN (GSMNP)
Friday, January 31, 2020
Outcropping Trail and Flat Rock Trail at Tishomingo State Park
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.
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| Pioneer Cabin |
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.
The first thing I noticed was the long anchoring cables and large sandstone façade of the suspension towers connected into a semicircular arch. Hikers must pass through this arch to access the bridge that spans Bear Creek and the Outcropping Trail trailhead on the opposite side.
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.
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| Jean's Overhang |
The centerpiece of the trail is the rock outcroppings, water run-offs, and brooks located on the
upper portion of the loop. Jean’s Overhang, a sandstone outcropping about halfway through the hike, offers a great place to stop and enjoy the surroundings; in the winter you can see Bear Creek down to the south. Jean’s Overhang is also an area favored for rock climbing; this overhand has a crack route rated 5.11a (YDS) and has other opportunities of bouldering.
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.
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| Encased natural spring |
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.
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| Water crossing |
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| Path beside Bear Creek |
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| Water trickling over ledge |
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| Stream at trailhead |
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.
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| Channel formed by rock walls |
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| Path through hardwood forest |
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Fern Creek Falls on Porters Creek Trail GSMNP
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.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Hen Wallow Falls Trail GSMNP
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| Great Smoky Mtns |
Great Smokey Mountain National Park straddles the Tennessee - North Carolina state line and is the most visited national park in the USA. On a long weekend in mid-January we travelled the length of the state of Tennessee, from the flat lands of western Tennessee to the mountains of eastern Tennessee, to visit Gatlinburg and do a little hiking in the GSMNP.
We stayed at Buckhorn Inn, a Bead & Breakfast just east of the town of Gatlinburg, which gave us convenient access to Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and the national park.
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| Buckhorn Inn |
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| Rhododendron along trail |
At the 2.1-mile marker there is a wooden sign directing you to a descending trail on the right to Hen Wallow Falls. This is the steepest part of the hike down to the base of the falls. As usual, you hear the falls well before you see them, but eventually you round a corner on the path and there is the waterfall. Hen Wallow Falls are listed as 90-ft high. It said to be 2-ft wide at the top where Hen Wallow Creek becomes the falls and fans out to about 20-ft at the base of the falls.
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| Hen Wallow Falls |
With the exception of the hike up from Hen Wallow Falls to the trail junction the return trip is all downhill. We made the trip back about 20-min faster the the hike up, completing the hike in exactly 3-hours.
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| Path at trailhead |
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| Path leading up from falls |
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Hiking Fall Creek Falls State Park in the Fall
Mid-November provided perfect weather for hiking at Fall Creek Falls State Park, situated on the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau in middle Tennessee. Sunny skies and a crisp temperature of 44-degrees greeted me when I arrived at the park. I entered through the north entrance (Hwy 30) and parked at the Cascades Nature Center where the trailhead for the Woodland Trail and Gorge Overlook Trail is located.
There was a demonstration going on when I entered the nature center to get a trail map. A park ranger was explaining how they rehabilitate rescued raptors. The ranger was holding a leather strap that was attached to a hawk’s leg as the hawk sat on her heavy falconry glove called a gauntlet. She explained the types of raptors native to the area and how they work with injured birds. The nature center presents the geology, ecology and history of the park with static displays, demonstrations and movies, and also houses a nice gift shop.
The trailhead is just below the nature center and starts on a long swinging bridge that traverses the Cane Creek Cascades, which was the first set of falls I encountered. A short climb takes you to the top of the ridge where the trail splits into the Woodland and the Gorge Overlook Trails (both trails link back together before reaching Fall Creek). The Gorge Overlook Trail is slightly longer by about a quarter-mile and offers several side trails with views of the Cane Creek Gorge. I took the Overlook Trail and quickly came to the first overlook. It provided an excellent view of the Cane Creek Fall (85-ft) and the Cane Creek Cascades (45-ft). Other overlooks on the trail were less impressive as the views of the gorge were obscured by heavy foliage.
Linking back up with the Woodland Trail after a little more than a mile, the leaf covered path started a gradual decent to a plank bridge over Fall Creek, then back up to the top of the parks signature falls, Fall Creek Falls. The path continues to a nice wooden-fenced overlook directly opposite the falls where you can really enjoy the vista.
From here, I traveled a half-mile trail to the base of the falls. This was the part of the hike I enjoyed the best. The trail is labeled “moderate” but even with some large boulders and scree to traverse, it is not difficult, and part of the way down is via a staircase.
Don’t forget to look up while on the trail to observe the rock outcroppings and trees growing out of the rock faces. At the base of the falls you get a better perspective of the magnitude of the falls. Listed at 256 feet, the plunging Fall Creek Falls is noted as the highest free-fall waterfall east of the Mississippi River. Just a small amount of ice was visible at the top of the small fall and ice and slush were starting to form at the base, but the larger fall showed no signs of freezing.
In the winter the falls become ice curtains and are beautiful. If you enjoy winter weather, January or February would be a good time to view the falls.
Returning from the bottom of the Falls via the trail, I revisited the overlook then backtracked to the two trails junction and returned by way of the Woodland Trail. Please note that neither trail is blazed, but there are periodic wooden signs with identifiers. After a short hike I ended back where I started at the swinging bridge. I crossed to the far side of the nature center to a second overlook of the Cane Creek Cascades to enjoy one last look.
My hike route took about 3-hours and covered 4-miles and would rate this hike as “easy” and doable by anyone of any age. There was a lot of time spent stopping to take photos and enjoy the surroundings. If you were hiking for fitness and not enjoyment you could cover the distance in less than 1-1/2 hours.
I did not realize that just a short distance up the road was the Cable Trail. This trail leads to the base of Cane Creek Falls so I missed out on this experience. Reading after the fact, the trail is listed as “moderate/difficult” and requires some scrambling over rocks. There is a cable to assist you in climbing down and back out. The distance is listed as 6/10-mile each way.
Tuesday, September 03, 2019
Seven Hollows Trail at Petit Jean SP Arkansas
Seven Hollows, the trail the marked the beginning of Petit Jean State Park's existence in 1923, takes you through a multitude of different ecosystems, hardwood, pine, brush grass and rock, massive rocks. Follow the white trimmed blue diamond blazes on this 5-mile loop trail (officially 4.5-miles plus 0.5-mile to the Grotto. Principle features are a natural stone arch, a grotto with waterfall, and turtle rocks.
Hiking clockwise, the well marked trail starts deceivingly as a flat sandy path but soon turns to an extremely rocky and root infested zig-zag
The first noticeable feature, a natural stone arch, is just before the 1.5 mile-marker, on the left side of the trail. Take time to walk through the arch and explore the rear side of the structure.
Though the hike has limited elevation change (a little over 500-ft), the hike's difficulty stems from the root and rock strewn terrain.
At the apex of the loop trail there is a side spur of approximately a quarter-mile requiring a little scramble over rocks and logs to a nice grotto fed by a nice little waterfall during spring and rainy weather.
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| Right-side of Grotto |
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| Dry fall at left-side of grotto. |
Much of the last half of the hike is over solid rock surfaces with the blue blaze arrows painted directly onto the rock. Large cliffs on both sides of the trail form a canyon with 100-ft ledges of either side. At some points on the trail you are in the canyon and the next minute you are on the top of the cliff.
There is much to see and explore on the hike. I would recommend you allocate about 4-hours to give you time to explore. The trail is hard on the feet; be sure to wear good boots, not sneakers.
There is much to see and explore on the hike. I would recommend you allocate about 4-hours to give you time to explore. The trail is hard on the feet; be sure to wear good boots, not sneakers.
Monday, July 23, 2018
DuPont State Forest - a little off the beaten path but a great destination.
DuPont is situated less than 20-miles from
Hendersonville, NC which is due south of Asheville. From Asheville give yourself 75-minutes to
get there. Most of the drive is on two-lane roads.
From the ranger station there is a well maintained, well marked, 3-mile
trail that takes you to two beautiful waterfalls and a nice covered bridge. The trail is relatively clear of roots and
rocks allowing you to actually enjoy the surroundings and not constantly
looking at your foot placement.
High Falls, at 125-ft is the first waterfall you will encounter by taking the trail counter-clockwise. Go past the fall’s view point on the main trail about 50-yds to take a path down to the bottom of the fall. To get your best view you may need to get your feet wet or bushwhack through some muddy shrubs.
A little over a mile further up the trail is Triple Falls. There is a nice stair case with several landings taking you down to the ledge of the lowest tier of the falls. The ledge is roped off denying actual access to the water, but you are close enough to get the spray. The climb out is 122-stairs. Take the spur trail toward Hooker Falls and you can take a path to the water for wading.
There are covered picnic areas situated throughout the park and we saw a couple people fishing and others swimming down stream from the falls. The loop trail from Triple Falls takes you back to the ranger station through the woods.
This is a great hike for families. The park is dog friendly. I understand that in winter when the falls freeze it is gorgeous.
Cummins Falls State Park
One of the newer state parks in Tennessee, Cummins Falls
State Park opened in 2012. Just north of
Cookeville, the park is centered around the 75-ft high Cummins Falls and the plunge
pool at its base.
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| Blue line signifies short-cut route to river. Click to enlarge. |
A little over an hour east of Nashville off I-40 exit 280,
the park is an easy day-trip. From the
I-40 exit, the park is less than 13-miles.
The parking area at the park has restrooms and a small ranger cabin. The day we were there a large fly tent was
set up with a vendor selling barbeque and there was a general store just
outside the park entrance if you needed refreshments on your way out.
The trailhead was well marked giving you an option for a
short-cut to the river in lieu of the main trail that takes you first to an
overlook. We
hiked to the falls via the overlook which added some distance to the trip to
the base of the falls. After we descended a couple 100-ft to the water we
followed the a trail that paralleled the creek for a while before having to
wade about a half-mile upstream to the falls. You cannot get to the falls without getting
your feet wet, so if that is a concern this would not be the hike for you. The trail crosses the river twice, but I ended
up wading most of the river portion of the trail because it was easier than the
narrow rocky trail that paralleled the stream.
This was a great experience and we loved fantastic plunge pool at base of falls. Park Service has plenty of life jackets for kids or those incline to use one. We, along with many others took full advantage and cooled off in the pool, climbing the tiered falls.
I’m in my 60’s, my son is in his 30’s and we had a great time. I would recommend this to anyone of any age. Just be aware that you have to wade in some knee deep water (I wore boats & changed into water shoes, others wore trail sandals; flip-flops are not recommended).
On the return route we took the short route back to the trail head cutting off maybe 1/2-mile.
