South Cumberland State Park
| South Cumberland State Park | |
|---|---|
 South Cumberland State Park points of interest. Clockwise: Greeter Falls, the trail down Stone Door, Laurel Gulf Overlook, Stone Door Scenic Overlook. | |
 | |
| Type | Tennessee State Park |
| Location | Franklin,Grundy,MarionandSequatchiecounties |
| Coordinates | 35°15′32″N85°47′20″W/ 35.259°N 85.789°W |
| Area | 25,539 acres (103.35 km2) |
| Website | South Cumberland State Park |
South Cumberland State Parkis astate parkin themiddleandsoutheastportions ofTennesseeon theCumberland Plateau.
The park is one of Tennessee's newer state parks, established in 1978. It is a collection of nine discrete tracts scattered across Franklin, Marion, Grundy and Sequatchie counties, totaling approximately 30,899 acres (as of 2020).[1]Twelve trailheads provide hiking access to most sections of the park,[2]which protects a series of unique ecosystems on the escarpments and in the ravines of the Southern Cumberland Plateau. There are over a dozen large waterfalls in the park,[3]the tallest of which is Foster Falls, in Marion County. The Grundy Lakes unit includes industrial archaeological remains of the coal mines andcokeproduction facilities of theTennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company,as well as a stockade prison it operated that providedconvict laborfor those facilities.[4]
Areas
[edit]
Distinct areas contained within the park include:
- Savage Gulf State Natural Area (until 2023 when it was separated into a new state park)
- Fiery Gizzard Trail
- Grundy Forest State Natural Area
- Grundy Lakes
- Denny Cove
- Carter State Natural Area (Lost Cove [ "Buggytop" ] Cave)
- Foster Falls
- Sewanee Natural Bridge State Natural Area
- Hawkins Cove State Natural Area
- Sherwood Forest
Savage Gulf State Natural Area has been named as aNational Natural Landmark.[5]Crossing in and out of the park's various sections, theFiery Gizzard Trailis renowned for its beauty and diversity.[6]
Camping
[edit]Camping may be done at the park's Foster Falls Campground, which includes 26 tent/pop-up camper sites and 93 backcountry campsites throughout the park.
See also
[edit]External links
[edit]- South Cumberland State Park
- Tennessee Natural Areas - Savage Gulf
- Tennessee Natural Areas - Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lee Carter Natural Area
- Tennessee Natural Areas - Grundy Forest
- Tennessee Natural Areas - Hawkins Cove
- Friends of South Cumberland State Park
References
[edit]- ^"TN Property Viewer".Archived fromthe originalon July 20, 2011.
- ^"Trailhead and Trail Info - Friends of South Cumberland State Park".
- ^"Waterfalls - Friends of South Cumberland State Park".
- ^"Ghosts of Lone Rock".Sewanee: The University of the South.RetrievedSeptember 19,2022.
- ^"National Natural Landmarks - National Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)".www.nps.gov.RetrievedMarch 28,2019.
Year designated: 1971
- ^"Fiery Gizzard Trail: Difficult but interesting overnight trail along Fiery Creek Gorge".Secret Falls.RetrievedMay 6,2012.
 | ThisGrundy County, Tennesseegeography–related article is astub.You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
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- State parks of Tennessee
- Protected areas of Grundy County, Tennessee
- Protected areas of Sequatchie County, Tennessee
- Protected areas of Franklin County, Tennessee
- National Natural Landmarks in Tennessee
- Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company
- Middle Tennessee geography stubs
- Tennessee geography stubs
- Southern United States protected area stubs