Free Planned Activities at South Cumberland

Keli from LaVergne emailed me today: Hello, I would like to attend one of the up coming hikes (to Stone Door) and wanted to know if there was a need to register or if there was any additional information that I might need. This will be my first visit to the Park. Thanks!!

Good question Keli and hooray on your first visit to South Cumberland.

Planned activities at South Cumberland do not require registration. It is important to show up on time!

There are a couple of exceptions to this. The rappelling program offered every few months requires registration and the canoeing programs offered during warm weather often require registration. We do our best to make sure this is clearly stated on the activities page.

If you sign up for our email newsletter we will advise you each time new activities go online. Join the Friends and help support the Park.

Best wishes,

Ron Castle

Dogs in the Park

A prospective Park visitor asked a couple of days ago, can I bring my dog on one of the planned activity hikes?

The answer is yes, dogs are welcome in the Park and on the trails provided they are on a leash or lead.

See the planned activities at http://www.friendsofscsra.org/activities.htm

A safety note regarding dogs and the many trails in the Park which are close to the edge of the bluff: you need to have your dog closely restrained and heeled when passing others on these trail areas or when you are being overtaken from behind.

My two border collies, Bandit and Candy, love being on the trails. There are so many new things to sniff!

Cheers,

Ron Castle

Savage to Hobbs to Alum Gap to Stone Door - WHEW!

Darren G. and a small group of able bodied friends are planning a trip to the Park the first week of February and are asking for some trip planning advice about seeing a good part of the park in three days. The first overnight at Hobbs Cabin, coming up through Stone Door on day three.

Savage Ranger Station to Hobbs is a good walk, a little easier on the Plateau Trail but a little longer. Starting at 10 AM you should have enough daylight. It is getting dark here before 5 PM but the days will be a little longer in early February.

The Connector Trail is the most challenging trail in the Park and the trip down from Hobbs is steep. A good walking stick is a nice partner to have on trails like this. If you start early, Hobbs to Alum Gap is doable but if you hike to Alum, unless you go back down the Big Creek Gulf Trail and come back up, you will already be above the Stone Door at Alum, they are about the same elevation. You could take the Big Creek Rim Trail from Alum Gap to Stone Door, go down and back up the Door. There are very good photo ops at Stone Door with one of the best scenic overlooks in Tennessee or anywhere else for that matter.

Hobbs Cabin to Stage Road campsite would require a backtrack part of the way to get to the Stone Door on day three. Hobbs Cabin to Stage Road is doable in one day, no problem.

As far as I am aware, all of the stream crossings along the Connector Trail are now on bridges and should be AOK so long as we don't have a frog strangler rain. The park is still dry from our severe drought, although recent rains have helped. Read this blog comment from Ms. April regarding the water conditions she and friends experienced last week.

http://www.friendsofscsra.org/2007/12/trip-to-park-between-christmas-new.htm

Be careful to keep your water bottles filled as you go along, you could hit an unexpected dry spot at any campsite.

If weather or other conditions slow you down, you could always do your second night out at Sawmill, do a rock hop day hike up Savage Creek and back to see the old growth timber, and come out Stone Door on day three from Sawmill.

Sage advice? Take your time, smell the planet and take lots of photos. There is much to see in the Park if you take time to look.

Have fun, be safe,

Ron Castle