Tuesday, November 28 — Brady Bluff on the Cumberland Trail, 4.8 miles, moderate, 1108’ el. gain. This hike leads to a stunning view of Grassy Cove, a nostalgic scene of rolling farmland, classic barns, and grazing cows and sheep, surrounded by protective mountains.For carpooling/caravanning, meet at the Durham Street parking lot (ball fields) off Dayton Pike in Soddy-Daisy at 8.30 am ET. https://bit.ly/3Qjdc0S Please register with hike leaders Marti & Roy Owensby at sewmarti@aol.com. Carpool cost $6.00.
Saturday, November 25 — Keown Falls and Johns Mountain, 5.0 miles, moderate, 1,023’ el. gain. As we walk along this beautiful trail, we’ll see grand views, especially at the top of the mountain ridge, and, if we are lucky, we’ll see a lively waterfalls. (If the drought continues, at least we won’t get our boots muddy.) For carpooling/caravanning, meet at 8:30 am ET at Wendy’s, left (east) off I-75 Exit 1 (East Ridge). Please register with hike leader John Prescott, (352) 496-0977. Carpool cost $3.00.
Tuesday, November 21 — Bay Point Loop Trail in Harrison Bay State Park, easy, about 4.3 miles, 124’ el. gain. Enjoy awesome views of the bay on Chickamauga Lake on the Tennessee River as we meander through the woods. Hopefully we will still see some fall colors and wildlife, possibly even some deer. Meet at the trailhead, which is near Dockside Café in the park. Please register with hike leader Tim Booth, (423) 400-2011, Tceebooth@epbfi.com.
Tuesday, November 14 — Sitton Gulch Trail to Hemlock Falls, about 3.5 miles, 400-500’ el. gain, easy/ moderate. This trail at the bottom of Cloudland Canyon follows a beautiful and rambunctious creek upstream to a bridge over an unnamed yet quite respectable waterfall. It gets slighted because it is downstream of not one but two immense waterfalls. (They will not be immense unless the drought breaks.) The first, Hemlock Falls, is a little further upstream and a good turnaround point. In addition to these attractions, we may still have some autumn leaves to admire, being further south and at lower elevation. (This may be a forlorn wish.) For carpooling/caravanning, meet at the parking lot just after LaQuinta Inn, right (north) off I-24 Exit 175 at 8:30 am ET. https://bit.ly/3QITAD4 Please register with hike leader Tom McElhone, 805-208-4654 or sarmitta@yahoo.com. Carpool cost $2.00.
Tuesday, November 7 — McGill Creek Section of the Cumberland Trail, moderate 5.6 miles, out and back, el. gain 410’. We will start at the Roaring Creek trailhead near Dayton. This is a forest trail and hopefully the trees will be showing fall colors. The trail initially parallels Brayton Mountain Road with stone steps, a couple of water crossings and a very short section actually on the road. At 1.1 miles the route crosses the road and gradually descends into the McGill Creek Gulf, alternating between old roadbed and single-file sections. At 2.2 miles the creek is reached and shortly after that the bridge. There are beautiful views of the creek from the bridge and the creek bank. The trail to the falls is across the bridge and to the right. From the bridge to the falls the terrain is rocky with ups and downs. At 2.8 miles, we will reach a spur that will take us 200 feet down to the falls and the end of the trail. Bring hiking poles for the rocks and creek crossings as well as rain gear, snacks, and water. For carpooling/caravanning, meet at the Durham Street parking lot (ball fields) off Dayton Pike in Soddy-Daisy at 8.30 am ET. https://bit.ly/3Qjdc0S Please register with hike leader Delores Ladd, 214-422-7206 (text only) or ladddelores@gmail.com. Carpool cost $3.00.
Tuesday, October 31 — Trails at Woodcock Climbing Area, around 3 miles, moderate, about 400’-500’, lollipop. This relatively new climbing area, not far from Dunlap, was developed by the Southeastern Climbers Coalition, which also developed Denny’s Cove. While the primary purpose of the trails is to provide cliff access to climbers, they are also open to hikers. We will see awesome cliffs, great views, a freestanding rock tower, and (if there’s water) a small yet beautiful waterfall. Starting at the top of the plateau, we will take a trail down to the trail that putters along the bottom of the cliffs. Yes, we’ll also have to hike back up to the top, but we’ll just take it slow. For carpooling/ caravanning, meet at the Durham Street parking lot by the ball fields, just off Dayton Pike in Soddy-Daisy at 8.30 am ET. https://bit.ly/3Qjdc0S Please register with hike leader Betsy Darken, (423) 718-2060. Carpool gas cost: $3.