Saturday, April 20 – Monte Sano State Park & Preserve Wildflowers. Joint hike with the Nashville Chapter. These parks are uniquely located right in the city of Huntsville and feature a combination of interesting geographic features and great views. We’ll plan our route based on where the blooms are. The trails are moderately strenuous for terrain and elevation change; we are likely to encounter muddy segments. Be at the hiker’s trailhead by 9:00 am CT. Pack snacks, a lunch, bug spray, and sunscreen. Register with Mark for details and updates: midtn@tnhiker.net or (615) 669-3221.
Sunday April 14 – Shakerag Hollow and Piney Point Trails, 4.5 miles, moderate. Sewanee, TN. Shakerag Hollow is famous for spring wildflowers. Piney Point features an awesome overlook of Roark’s Cove. Meet at the University Gates parking lot at 1:00 pm. Bring water, snacks and hiking sticks. Please register with Joan Hartvigsen, jhartvigs@comcast.net or 931-636-2914.
This will be off trail. Difficultly level: Hard and strenuous. Hike will be around the mesas on Pogue Creek. Total distance is 4 miles, however, it’s a hard 4 miles with rocky terrain and steep slopes. Total estimated hike time is 4-6 hours. It will have impressive sandstone rock formations. The Rangers have never taken a group on this particular hike. Should be fun! Sturdy hiking boots and hiking sticks are required. Bring lunch, snacks, (electrolytes) water, bug spray and sunscreen. Depart 7:30 am CDST from the Crossville Cracker Barrel Southeast parking lot. Carpool gas cost $6. Limited to 15 people. You must sign up for this hike, contact the hike coordinator, Deb, text 931-267-2243 or ttaplateauhikes68@tennesseetrails.org.
Moderate-difficult, due to rocky trail is 5.2 miles out and back. This hike has a lot to offer: Rocky Mountain Creek rockhouse, two awesome waterfalls, sinks, early spring wildflowers, a water-carved canyon, sandstone overlooks and the Collins River. 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 southeast parking lot of Central Baptist Church, 1346 S Mail St, Crossville. To register contact Cheryl Heckler at (931) 200-7436 or email to thehecklers@charter.net.
Joint hike with Upper Cumberland Chapter. Today’s hike will be in two parts. First, we will do the Angel Falls Overlook in Big South Fork Park for a total of 3-4 miles round-trip. We will meet at Cracker Barrel’s in Crossville at 7:30 am for those who are car pulling. If you are meeting us at Big South Fork, please meet us at 10:00 at the pool parking lot by the Bandy Creek Campgrounds. The trailhead we’ll be using is at the end of Alfred Smith Road. We will see two overlooks (Fall Branch Overlook and Angel Falls Overlook) on this hike. After that we will proceed by car to the Leatherwood Ford Parking area off route 297 after crossing the river. This trail is 4 miles round-trip and you will see wildflowers in the spring and rapids formed by boulders in the river. Bring lunch, snacks, (electrolytes) water, bug spray and sunscreen. Sturdy hiking boots and hiking sticks are recommended. Persons 18 and over, members and non-members welcome. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. Carpool gas fee is $7. Depart 7:30 am CDST from the Crossville Cracker Barrel Southeast rear parking lot.For more information contact the hike leader contact Evelyne Kornreich 845-325-5749.
Joint hike with Upper Cumberland Chapter. The Old Mac Trails are a continuous gradual up. The return hike is a gradual down. Short Hike: 3-4 total strenuous to moderate miles up and back. Long Hike: 6 total strenuous to moderate miles loop. Sturdy hiking boots and hiking sticks are recommended. Bring lunch, snacks, (electrolytes) water, bug spray and sunscreen. Carpool gas fee is $6.00. Depart 7:30 am CDST from Landers Crossing (former OutletMall), Interstate Drive, Crossville, TN. Contact the hike leader, Stacy Riggs, cell 210-772-8020.