Nathan Bedford Forrest SP

Day One: 7.75
Day Two: 6.25


After a slight change of plans this weekend, Lora and I decided to overnight at Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park. I had hiked here in 2007 with the Outcasts.

We started with a visit to there museum. I wanted to show Lora the boats they had in there.

We started at the trailhead behind the Interpretive Center and followed the markings for the ten mile trail. We then followed the blazing for the twenty mile trail. They are working on their markers right now so they are a little confusing. They have not marked the 20 mile trail and it is in need of repair as well. Once you pass the old CCC buildings on the upper Northeast corner and drop down to the river, the trail becomes impassible. Flooding and overgrowth have over taken the trail. We reverted to the trail map and by using the topo, we crossed the creek and turned West to find the trail. This is where we spent the night. It is a good water source and this is where the Outcasts camped as well.

We got to see deer, an owl, a turkey, and a whole mess of little lizards on the trail. That night the coyotes sung to us, one being very close. We enjoyed the campfire into the night.

The next morning after packing up, I checked the topo again to make sure before we headed out. The map shows you heading back down to the river after climbing the ridge. The trail actually climbs the ridge and then follows an old roadbed West before dropping down into a creek valley. Must be a reroute they never changed on the map.

We got to see more deer and turkey today. We were also trying to keep up to the markers when they were available. The signage on the way back is a little misleading as well. You need to follow the signs for the "cabin" to get back to the trailhead. We miss read their map and ended up at a gate leaving the park. Now they have a better map on the webpage which I suggest printing off and taking with you.

The shorter trails are flater. I would rate the longer trails moderate because there are no switchbacks on any of the hills.

We talked to the ranger after we got off the trail and hopefully they will continue to work on their trails.

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