South Cumberland State Park

South Cumberland State Park is a state park in the middle and southeast portions of Tennessee on the Cumberland Plateau.

South Cumberland State Park
South Cumberland State Park points of interest. Clockwise: Greeter Falls, the trail down Stone Door, Laurel Gulf Overlook, Stone Door Scenic Overlook.
TypeTennessee State Park
LocationFranklin, Grundy, Marion and Sequatchie counties
Coordinates35.259°N 85.789°W / 35.259; -85.789
Area25,539 acres (103.35 km2)
WebsiteSouth Cumberland State Park

The park is one of Tennessee's newer state parks, established in 1978. It is a collection of nine discrete tracts scattered across Franklin, Marion, Grundy and Sequatchie counties, totaling approximately 30,899 acres (as of 2020).[1] Twelve trailheads provide hiking access to most sections of the park,[2] which protects a series of unique ecosystems on the escarpments and in the ravines of the Southern Cumberland Plateau. There are over a dozen large waterfalls in the park,[3] the tallest of which is Foster Falls, in Marion County.

Areas
Savage Gulf State Natural Area, August 2012

Distinct areas contained within the park include:

  • Savage Gulf State Natural Area
  • Fiery Gizzard Trail
  • Grundy Forest State Natural Area
  • Grundy Lakes
  • Denny Cove
  • Carter State Natural Area (Lost Cove ["Buggytop"] Cave)
  • Foster Falls
  • Sewanee Natural Bridge State Natural Area
  • Hawkins Cove State Natural Area
  • Sherwood Forest

Savage Gulf State Natural Area has been named as a National Natural Landmark.[4] Crossing in and out of the park's various sections, the Fiery Gizzard Trail is renowned for its beauty and diversity.[5]

Camping

Camping may be done at the park's Foster Falls Campground, which includes 26 tent/pop-up camper sites and at 93 backcountry campsites throughout the park.

See also

References
  1. https://tnmap.tn.gov/assessment/
  2. https://www.friendsofsouthcumberland.org/trailhead-and-trail-info.html
  3. https://www.friendsofsouthcumberland.org/waterfalls.html
  4. "National Natural Landmarks - National Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2019-03-28. Year designated: 1971
  5. "Fiery Gizzard Trail: Difficult but interesting overnight trail along Fiery Creek Gorge". Secret Falls. Retrieved May 6, 2012.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.