(click on the links in the text for more photos)
(click on the links in the text for more photos)
Photos and Text by Will Skelton
A perfect fall day greeted five Harvey Broome Group members (Bill Collins, Bella Merkulova, Diane Edge, Firoozeh Navid-Ara and myself) who dayhiked one of the newest sections of the Cumberland Trail. Called the Smoky Mountain segment, it extends from near Cove Lake State Park, up and over Cross Mountain just west of I-75 and down to Montgomery Fork Creek. The trail currently ends at Montgomery Creek at a well constructed bridge over what was, in September, an easily rock-hoppable creek. We had a bit of difficulty locating the trailhead, although I had scouted the area where the trailhead is located on Cross Mountain. We decided to read the trailhead instructions on the Cumberland Trail website (www.cumberlandtrail.org) a bit too grammatically, and were discussing whether a “dirt/gravel road” is the same as a “dirt road.” We answered yes, and went the wrong way, should’ve gone down an old jeep road that is not, we now know, a dirt/gravel road. The instructions are, we’re advised, being slightly revised. Our dayhike route started at the top of Cross Mountain, at its intersection with Big Bruce Ridge, down to Montgomery Fork Creek, then back up and down toward Cove Lake State Park, a total of about 9 miles.
We were impressed with the tremendous amount of work and skill involved in building the trail; much of the work was done by college students on summer break. The trail will ultimately stretch from Kentucky to Georgia, generally following the eastern edge of the Cumberland Plateau escarpment. The Cumberland Trail Conference is behind this wonderful addition to our hiking opportunities, and is currently raising funds to complete the trail. Send any contributions to:
Cumberland Trail Conference
Attn: Financial Administrator
19 East 4th St
Crossville, TN 38555
(931) 456-6259
It is always amazing that even in late September in Tennessee you can still find wildflowers. We saw at least five varieties, including lots of goldenrod, and promised to come back in the spring since this trail looks to be a particularly good location for flowers. Also saw some early fall colors and typical Cumberland Plateau bluffs. Also surprising that, about thirty minutes from Knoxville (certainly this is one of the closest trails to Knoxville, along with the trails of Ijams Nature Center and House Mountain Natural Area), we saw absolutely no one else (we did hear some all terrain vehicles, but the foot trail is generally well routed to avoid their use and destruction of the trail).
