River to Clouds Trail

Tuesday, January 23 — River to Clouds Trail, about 5 miles, moderate. There are actually only a few new pieces of this freshly designated 34-mile trail from the Tennessee River to Cloudland Canyon, including the first mile or so at the beginning of our hike. We will start at the northern terminus in St. Elmo, off Old Wauhatchie Pike near Church St. We’ll be passing by some of the domesticated climbing boulders that have been corralled into this corner of Lookout Mountain. Then we will make our way up to Guild Trail, which has taken over the bed of an abandoned narrow-gauge railway, along with its classy bridges. Guild Trail busts all the way through several Ruby Falls parking lots to make its way around the nose of Lookout Mountain and up to Cravens House, but we won’t get this far. The mystery of this hike is the location of the turnaround point. Check the weather forecast and choose appropriate layers; wear hiking shoes or boots; bring food and water; and gather up hiking poles, rain jacket, and sunscreen as needed. Please meet at 8:30 am ET at Food City in St. Elmo, in the area of the parking lot straight ahead off TN Ave. https://bit.ly/3C3Um9L  There will be no carpooling because we are going to walk the three blocks from the parking lot to the trailhead. Please register with hike leader John Prescott, (352) 496-0977.