Tennessee Trails Association

Promoting the development and enjoyment of Tennessee trails.

Hike

CANCELED MORE RAIN Cloudland Canyon State Park, Sitton’s Gulch Trail, Rising Fawn, GA

By

May 18 @ 7:30 am – 5:00 pm

Joint hike with Upper Cumberland Chapter. A 6-mile moderate shuttle hike starting at the top along the Rim Trail with views of the canyon then down the Waterfall Trail and finishing on the Sitton’s Gulch Trail. The highlights of this hike will be both Mountain Laurel and Rhododendron blooming, two beautiful waterfalls and the Sitton Gulch Creek. This is a car shuttle so we will leave a car at the Sitton’s Gulch Trailhead on our way to the top Rim Trail. There is a $5 per car parking fee. Depart 7:30 AM CDST from Central Baptist Church 1346 S Main St, Crossville. Don’t forget tick/bug spray and sunscreen. Bring water (electrolytes), lunch, snacks and good sturdy hiking boots and hiking sticks are recommended. Carpool fee is $9. Contact the hike leader Cheryl Heckler at 931-200-7436 to participate.

Cheryl Heckler, text/or call 931-200-7436.

Big South Fork, Sheltowee Trace to Parker MT to Buffalo Arch, KY.

By

May 15 @ 7:30 am – 5:00 pm

Joint hike with Upper Cumberland Chapter. Gorgeous trail, lots of lady slippers. Fairly easy for a 9 mi hike starting from the SheltoweeTrace where it crosses Divide Rd (park on side of road). SHORT HIKE: 4.4 moderate in/out miles to the Rock Creek crossing. LONG HIKE: 9 mi moderate hike to Buffalo Arch and back. Water shoes are needed to wade across Rock Creek. There is a half mile climb up Parker Mt where the 2 mi trail to Buffalo Arch is flat. Depart 7:30 am CDST from Cracker Barrel SW corner of rear parking lot. Carpool cost is $6. Good sturdy hiking boots and hiking sticks are recommended. Bring lunch, snacks, (electrolytes) water, bug spray and sunscreen. For additional information contact the hike leader, Deb, email ttaplateauhikes68@tennesseetrails.org or text/call 931-267-2243.

Deb – txt 931-267-2243

East Lakeshore Trail, Greenback, TN.

By

May 1 @ 7:30 am – 3:00 pm

Joint hike with Upper Cumberland Chapter. Long Hike: East shore of Tellico from Lotterdale branch to Coytee 8.4 miles. Short hike to Stinging Creek 4.4 miles. Both long or short are easy to moderate miles with shuttle. WARNING LOTS OF POISON IVY. OPTION TO EAT AT LOCAL RESTAURANT. Carpool cost is $7. Sturdy hiking boots and hiking sticks are recommended. Bring lunch, snacks, (electrolytes) water, bug spray and sunscreen. Persons 18 and over, members and non-members welcome. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. Depart 7:30 AM CDST from the southwest parking lot of Landers Crossing (former OutletMall).  For additional information contact the hike coordinator, Beth, text/call 928-782-5564 .

Beth

928-782-5564

CT Devil’s Breakfast Table to Peavine Rd, Hebbertsburg, TN

By

May 29 @ 7:30 am – 3:00 pm

Joint hike with Upper Cumberland Chapter. Short Hike: 4 mi moderate in/out. Long Hike: 8 mi moderate sometimes strenuous. Requires a car shuttle. Don’t forget tick/bug spray and sunscreen. Bring water (electrolytes), lunch and snacks. Sturdy hiking boots and hiking sticks are recommended. Persons 18 and over, members and non-members welcome. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. Depart 7:30 am central from The Grove Parking Lot off Stonehenge Lodge Drive in the Fairfield Glade Community (left off Peavine Rd onto Fairfield Blvd then Left on Stonehenge Lodge Drive). Carpool gas cost $2. For additional information contact the hike leader, Deb, text/call 931-267-2243 or email ttaplateauhikes68@tennesseetrails.org.

Deb – txt 931-267-2243

Short Springs Wildflower Hike

By

April 10 @ 9:30 am

Short Springs is a 420-acre natural area located in Coffee County approximately three and a half miles northeast of Tullahoma. The natural area provides excellent contrast between the Highland Rim and Central Basin geology and vegetation. When descending along the Machine Falls trail, a visitor can observe exposed black Chattanooga shale at mid-slope, which is a formation that delineates the Central Basin from the Highland Rim. Thickets of mountain laurel grow on the upper slopes under a dry oak-hickory forest canopy that is characteristic of Highland Rim vegetation. The lower slopes and riparian areas along Bobo Creek support towering sycamore, buckeye, magnolia, beech, and tulip poplar trees with a rich shrub layer and herbaceous cover.

Short Springs is one of the very best spring wildflower locations in the state. In the spring, moist slopes are covered in trout lilies, Virginia bluebells, jack-in-the-pulpit, larkspur, and Dutchman’s breeches. Large flowered trillium (Trillium grandiflora), southern red trillium (Trillium sulcatum), and barren strawberry (Waldsteinia fragarioides) are uncommon plants for Middle Tennessee that occur here. The natural area also supports two state-listed endangered plant species, Nestronia (Nestronia umbellula) and broad-leaved bunchflower (Melanthium latifolium).

This biological diversity is related to the rich forest slopes and ravines, low cascades, springs and waterfalls that support it. Scenic features like Machine Falls drops more than 60 feet and is nearly equal in length across. The Upper and Lower Busby Falls on Bobo Creek are two prominent cascading waterfalls that can be seen from overlooks on the Bobo Creek trail. The steep escarpment with its numerous wet weather seeps are particularly impressive during the moist winter and spring months. Water is a significant feature at Short Springs as it once was the water supply for Tullahoma before construction of Normandy Dam. 

Because of the inability to find parking spaces on the weekends, the hike leader felt that a midweek hike would provide more opportunities for the chapter members to enhance their hiking experience on a mid week hike. 

Attendees will meet at Tollgate Medical Center (1106 Ellison Way, Thompson’s Station, TN) at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.  Other hikers can meet at the Short Springs Natural Area (200 Short Springs Road, Tullahoma, TN) at 9:30 a.m.  Dogs are welcome at Short Springs, however they must be on a leash because of the fragile environment.  If you plan on attending this hike, please let the hike leader know where you will meet her.

Hike leader – Ellen Clark (ercclark@aol.com).

Winding Stairs

By

April 24 @ 9:00 am

Wednesday, April 24. Winding Stairs. Lafayette, TN. 3.6 miles. We will hike the Red Oak to Milk Pail loop. Moderately strenuous with difficult uneven footing in places. There are several small waterfalls and beautiful rock formations. The trail consists of some optional stairs and concrete trail but most of the trail is rock, dirt and gravel with a creek crossing or two. Hiking boots, hiking poles, and water are recommended. Those carpooling or caravanning, meet in Gallatin beside the Gallatin Chick-fil-A in front of Walmart at 9:00 a.m. or meet at the trailhead, 655 Nature Trail Way, Lafayette, TN at 10:00 a.m. There are restrooms at the trailhead. Contact Wayne Drown for additional information (call/text 803-646-0972 or wetdrown@bellsouth.net)

Wayne Drown

803-646-0972.

polygon(703 1, 703 1, 695 1, 694 4, 676 5, 668 5, 664 5, 638 7, 638 7, 620 8, 608 8, 567 10, 567 10, 551 10, 551 10, 530 12, 525 13, 525 13, 505 13, 503 13, 460 13, 459 13, 444 13, 419 12, 419 12, 417 12, 406 13, 377 13, 361 13, 343 12, 343 12, 326 11, 313 13, 297 12, 272 12, 268 12, 268 12, 250 13, 225 13, 220 13, 207 13, 207 10, 194 9, 189 9, 191 28, 155 27, 153 27, 128 26, 126 26, 84 26, 78 26, 73 26, 68 26, 68 43, 60 58, 60 58, 51 77, 55 87, 52 87, 51 87, 49 88, 49 88, 48 88, 40 103, 35 125, 15 135, 20 141, 20 141, 20 142, 21 166, 21 166, 21 166, 20 168, 10 174, 2 176, 0 179, 0 180, 50 182, 56 182, 81 182, 94 183, 94 183, 109 183, 125 183, 128 183, 162 183, 164 183, 178 183, 196 182, 196 182, 227 183, 260 183, 261 183, 292 184, 296 184, 336 183, 336 183, 374 183, 396 183, 407 183, 416 183, 424 182, 448 181, 448 181, 462 181, 465 181, 465 181, 478 180, 503 180, 505 157, 512 152, 521 152, 525 150, 527 147, 532 129, 532 129, 533 130, 556 117, 556 117, 557 117, 558 118, 570 117, 571 117, 586 107, 590 103, 590 101, 590 101, 614 91, 618 76, 622 75, 630 69, 635 64, 637 63, 639 62, 640 62, 641 63, 641 63, 642 65, 642 65, 651 70, 657 60, 673 51, 673 51, 685 55, 696 38, 697 36, 698 34, 702 30, 707 28, 707 28, 707 27, 708 29, 710 30, 711 30, 711 30, 713 29, 713 24, 715 3, 718 1)

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy