Fall Creek Falls Lake Bike Trail

Lora and I hike the Lake Bike trail from the dam to the lodge and back. Had us a picnic lunch and then headed to the Gorge Hole for some swimming.

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Fall Creek Falls Gilbert Gaul Trail

Today's hike was at Fall Creek Falls on the Gilber Gaul Trail. We started at the Fisherman's Cabins and went to the end of the lake and back. We got to see lots of flowers, a couple of owls, five cormorants, toads, and squirrels. 

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Fall Creek Falls Upper Loop trail

Today we headed over to Fall Creek Falls to check out progress on the Upper Loop trail. We started at the bridge on 284 at Cane Creek. There is still some trees down on this section. They have done some work on the backcountry campground including new outhouses which needed to be done. We stopped at the missing swinging bridge over Cane Creek where they are working on putting a new one in. Slow progress, but it is progress.

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Fall Creek Falls

Lora and I did some exploring today. Back in October while hiking the Paw paw trail we came across a guy working on clearing trees. He told us that they were clearing the Upper and Lower loop trails and hoped to have it open by December. 

We found the new trailhead for the Lower loop trail across from the old school house. It is blazed but not signed. It goes to the Paw paw trail and is signed to head North where it is signed again, but a closed sign is still there. Lots of trees down in that area. Going back to the School house we found a red blazed trail out back and took it. It connects to the old Upper Loop trail and it is cleared. We hiked it to the Rockhouse Creek where the bridge is out. It is laying just down stream. We are assuming that the trail is most likely cleared all the way through, but we will have do some more investigating. 

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Paw Paw Trail Fall Creek Falls

Today's hike was at Fall Creek Falls where we hiked the Paw Paw trail. 

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Fall Creek Falls

Nick and Amy invited us to camp with them at Fall Creek Falls State Park. We had a great time with them checking out all the waterfalls. They came in late on Friday so while we waited on them to arrive, we went to the Inn to check it out, and then to see the big falls. Driving by the lake we saw an eagle perched in a tree.  Nick and Amy got there after dark, got their camp set up and we visited around the campfire. We visited with a couple of guys tenting next to us that were new to the park. They called themselves picture geeks and were taking pictures of the moon, stars, and our campfire. 

Saturday morning we walked around the campground, down to the George Hole, to the Nature Center and back to camp. After lunch we did the exploring of all the falls. That night we had dinner and sat around the campfire until the rain came in. The temperature plummeted so they stayed the night inside the trailer with us. We played Rook until bedtime.

Sunday Lora and I walked all the campgrounds and Nick explored the gift shops with Amy. After lunch we headed home.

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Fall Creek Falls Link Trail

Lora and I went over to Fall Creek Falls SP and hiked the Link trail from the road to the lake and back. It was a beautiful day to hike. We passed the campsites and did a short distance along the lake seeing the Kamarat and Geese.

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Fall Creek Falls - 4th

We headed to Fall Creek Falls with Melissa, grand babies and Dad and Mom. The first day was spent on the creek and the second at the pool. It was a great time!

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Fall Creek Falls Prater Homestead

Fall Creek Falls SP Seasonal Ranger Derek led 7 hikers and one 4 legged hiker on the Prater Homestead trail to Hemlock Falls. It's 2.7 miles to the waterfall. We found a LOT of wildflowers today, along with salamander eggs and frog egg jelly clusters. The temperature got warm today. After we finished the hike, I went to the Crusher Hole to see if the Columbine was blooming. I didn't see any, but there were lots of wild ginger, violets, and a Celandine Poppy. From the rain we had recently, Cane Creek flooded the Crusher Hole area and filled the area with sand. Not sure the wildflowers like the sandy soil.

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Chinquapin Bike Trail

Lora and I did a day hike on the Chinquapin Bike Trail at Fall Creek Falls State Park. This is pretty much the last trail that we have not done. It is an old road bed that does a lollipop style trail. This time of year it is covered with grass. There were lots of squirrels and we scared some turkeys.

Lower Loop / Piney Mt. Bike Trail

Lower Loop trail: 6 miles
Lower Loop trail: 0.2
Piney Mt. Bike Trail: 3.7

Lora and I headed out to Fall Creek Falls State Park for an overnighter.  We started at the maintenance building and took the Lower Loop Trail.  It was a wet morning and still sprinkling.  We stopped at campsite 1 for lunch and then shortly afterwards met some backpackers from Nashville. The three of them had been hiking together all of there lives.  They were out for a two nighter.  We visited them for a while and they said that there next trail was going to be the Cumberland trail.  We told them how much we liked the trail and some of the work we have done on it.

After visiting, we headed down into the gulf which is rather slick in the damp weather.  There were lots of flowers starting to come up and some blooms.  We hiked up to campsite 2, scared off some deer and set up for the night. We listened to two different Gobblers talking while we gathered wood.

We got a warm fire going and enjoyed the evening around it.  We heard owls in the evening and the fog came and went.

The next morning we took the Piney Mt. bike trail down to group camp 2.  Neither of us had been on this trail.  It's an old roadbed through the woods.  We saw deer, turkey, and found eggs in the mud puddles and in a pond next to the trail.  We figured frogs and salamanders. There was two piles of eggs on the land next to the pong as well.

When we got to Group campsite 2, we found they had made a swimming pool out of the river. It had a diving board and everything.  Pretty cool!

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Gilbert Gaul / Link Trail at Fall Creek Falls

Link Trail 3.2
Gilbert Gaul Trail 4.1
Link Trail 3.2
Total Miles: 10.5

Lora and I headed out to Fall Creek Falls to do some trails that we have not done. We started at the Link Trail where it crosses Village Camp Road just inside the South end of the park.

Halfway between Little Fall Creek and Fall Creek Falls lake is Old Corner campsite, a small campsite without water.  It does have an outhouse.

When we got to the lake we found the lake frozen over. There are numerous creek crossings done by rock hopping, but the bridge is out over Fall Creek and they are building a new bridge. So, we had to do an old fashion foot washing in the snow. I was planning on getting a picture of Lora in the creek, but I got caught in a briar while trying to get out of the creek and she was about climbing my back to get out of the creek.

We thawed out as we continued hiking to the Gilbert Gaul trail.  We took it clockwise to the trailhead and then back to the lake. We kicked up a Red tail hawk and pushed him along the lake while we hiked.

The Frazier Rain Shelter looks like an old shelter that has been slowly destroyed over time. There is still a roof and short walls with a bench.

One more time across Fall Creek and then back to the car. On the way out we heard a Great Horned owl calling out.

After hiking we had to take a ride over to the Fall Creek Falls overlook just because we were here.

We got to see deer, a hawk, and hear an owl and the soft whining of Lora as she crossed the creek.

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TTA Fall Creek Falls

TTA Fall Creek Falls.
I met up with the Highland Rim folks at the park. When I arrived, there was a group of people gathered at the Nature Center with Ranger Matt, so I had to see what was going on. He had a work day project to carry lumber to the Lower loop trail to a swampy section that needs a bridge or walkway. It was good to see so many young people volunteering.

 Joan had scheduled a day full of seeing as many attractions as we could see before dark. We started out at the big falls and hiking down to the base of. The temps were still chilly but we warmed up even going down. The base of the falls were covered with ice; so pretty. Lots of folks coming and going on this trail. When we got back to the top we hiked the trail along the gorge to the Nature Center. We stopped at the Rocky Point overlook for lunch, but the wind was whipping and we went back to the top to finish lunch. At the suspension bridge lots of folks were in line to go across. One lady had a monkey, even it was wearing a coat. The dogs in the park were totally confused by the strange looking "dog" and took a wide path around. Getting back across the bridge took awhile standing in line. We hiked back to the big falls and then took a drive around the gorge to all the overlooks. We had to check them all out, Millikan's and Buzzard Point are awesome. Then on to Piney Falls, my favorite. 

It was a beautiful day to visit the park, and nice folks to hike with.  

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Crusher Hole and Fall Creek Falls

Lora spent the day out at Fall Creek Falls State Park.  She did the falls trail and the Crusher Hole.

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Prater Place - Fall Creek Falls

Lora and I went to Fall Creek Falls for their Spring Hike.  There was 13 people plus the Ranger.  We had a great time and met some very nice people from Middle and East Tennessee.

Fall Creek Falls hosts Spring Hike

Mar 22 @ Fall Creek Falls

Meet Ranger Matt at the Nature Center at 9 a.m. CT to carpool to the Prater Place Trail Head. This trail is 2.9 miles one way into Camps Gulf and features beautiful wildflowers in the spring and a small but gorgeous waterfall called Hemlock Falls at the end of the trail. Be prepared for a 6 mile roundtrip hike with a few steep slopes. A parent or guardian must accompany youngsters 12 years old and younger. Contact the Nature Center at 423-881-5708 by Friday the 21st if there have been heavy rains since there is a seasonal creek crossing involved. For more information call 423-881-5708.

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2013 TTA Annual Meeting at Fall Creek Falls

Lora and I attended the 2013 Tennessee Trails Association Annual Meeting which was held at Fall Creek Falls State park.  Lora went up Friday after work and I joined her Saturday morning for a group hike at Fiery Gizzard near Tracy City.  Brent Morris was our hike leader.  He did a great job and covered the history of the area along with some good stories.  John and Nancy were the other couple to join us.  The weather was great and there were a lot of hikers and backpackers on the trail.  We hiked up to Werner Point and back, a 4.8 mile hike.

After the hike we made a trip to the Dutch Maid Bakery in Tracy City.  If you are ever in the area, it is a must visit place.  We picked up some calories for the trip back to camp.

Once each year, Tennessee Trails Association members from all across the state gather for a weekend of fun, food, and fellowship. There were hikes, exhibits, programs, auction and entertainment. The Annual Meeting was held at the Fall Creek Falls State Park and Convention Center, Pikeville, Tennessee. Annual Meeting of the membership we elected Officers and Board Members, heard about TTA developments, and presented several awards recognizing individuals or organizations for their outstanding contributions to the furtherance of TTA’s missions and goals.

Our hosts for this year's event were the Plateau, Soddy-Daisy and Upper Cumberland chapters. The Theme for the 2013 TTA Annual Meeting was: My Heart and Sole belong on a Tennessee Trail.

There were 13 different hikes planned to choose from including hikes with waterfalls, rock houses, serene woods and a historic farm. The hikes varied in levels from easy to strenuous and lengths varying from 2.5 to 11.5 miles. In addition to hiking, there were programs on wildflowers, first aid, leave no trace and birds.

Tentative figures from the meeting;

   - 227 meeting attendees

   - $4400 collected in registration fees

   - $300 collected from bake sale

   - $600 collected from cash bar

   - $4000 (approx) collected from auctions (including the white elephant sale)

2014 Officers

President- Carolyn Miller- Plateau Chapter

Vice President- Levonn Hubbard- Plateau Chapter

Secretary- Diane Manas- Nashville Chapter

Treasurer- Kathy Woods- Nashville Chapter

Membership- Tim Townley- Jackson Chapter

There is a current opening for an East Tennessee Representative due to Levonn taking on the Vice President role as well our Middle and West Tennessee Reps positions will be coming open this year. If anyone is interested in serving or knows of someone who would be good in the position let me know. The regional reps help the chapters, look for opportunities to create new chapters, and assist with public relations for TTA and the chapters in their region.

Life Time Achievement Awards: Jim Schroeder and Martin McCullough 

There were lots of active hikers.  Heiss Mountain to Little Possum Creek had 21 hikers and Wheeler Farms had 45.

The next morning we joined everyone for breakfast at the lodge and then we hiked the 13 mile Upper Overnight Loop.  It was a great weekend with lots of great people.

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Fall Creek Falls 2013

We had the weekend off, so we took our grand babies and daughter camping at Fall Creek Falls.  This was a car camping trip.  They went over Friday evening and I joined them for the weekend.  We did the Cain Creek falls hike to the overlook and then spent the afternoon at the pool.  The next day we hiked to the bottom of Fall Creek Falls and then spent the afternoon at the Cain Creek swimming hole.  We got a lot of time at the play ground as well.  Great weekend!

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Wheeler Farm, Crusher Hole, Lost Creek Cave and Falls

We decided to go hike the Wheeler Farm loop at Fall Creek Falls State Park.  It is a two mile loop trail on a farm that Lora's ancestors actually owned at one time.  It now belongs to the State Park and is accessed off of Hwy 30.  There is a parking area next to a gate which is closed.  The loop starts on the left and the farm is down the road on the right.  The trail descends into the valley with sites to be seen.

When you get to the first sign which says Wheeler Farm Loop telling you to go left, take the trail to the right about 50 yards and you will see Medley's Arch.  It stands at 90' and spans 30'.  There is a small trail off to the right that takes you up to the top of the arch which is not very wide.

Head back to the trail and follow a creek bed down to the fields below which is the farm.  The trail goes through the field and past an old out building to the Wheeler Falls.  We ate lunch here enjoying the falls and flowers.

We went down from the falls and headed back East toward to old home site where a chimney still stands.  You can see the walkway and front porch.  Then we walked back to the falls and followed the road up to the parking area.

From here we drove on to the "Crusher Hole".  Go down Hwy 30 to Hwy 285 at the bottom of the valley and turn right.  Just before the bridge over Cane Creek turn right onto Owl Hole road.  You have to cross a creek on the way in as drive through the creek.  This is where the old crusher was and there are wild flowers all through this area.  We met up with Anthony, Lora's cousin, who was giving a wildflower photographer class.  This led us onto our next adventure.

Anthony took us to Lost Creek Falls and Lost Creek Cave.  You continue up Hwy 285 and turn right onto Hickory Valley road.  Take it to the dead end and turn right onto Big Bottom road or White's Cave road.  Follow it out 4.4 miles and you will see the cave entrance and falls off to your left.  I guess it was called White's Cave at one time too?

Lost Creek Falls is a 60' water fall.  If you go into the cave there is another waterfall inside the cave, but it is back a piece.  My biggest surprise was Lora walking off into a cave.  The last time I tried to take her in a cave she stopped where the sun did and she was done.  The falls inside was running strong.  Very beautiful!

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National Trails Day

National Trails Day June 2
I went to Fall Creek Falls Saturday to hike the Gilbert Gaul Trail. The hike was led by Ranger Matt. We started at the Inn so the Ranger could arrange the shuttle. The trail goes around the edge of the lake. There was lots of signs of beaver activity, we didn't see any beaver. We did see snakes. Ranger Matt saw a black racer in the trail and tried to catch it. It sped into the woods. So the Ranger took a couple of steps into the edge of the woods to try and catch it. I saw another snake and said there's a copperhead! He said No it's a black racer and I said I don't think so. He had almost stepped on it when he realized it was a timber rattler. He picked it up with my hiking stick as I backed up several feet from it. He laid it down on the trail where it started to sing for us. Ewwwww creepy crawley! it was either fat or about to have babies. Ranger Matt explained that the black racer was about to have lunch....rattlesnake sandwich? We saved it!??????and its babies. Oh good, more rattlers in the woods.

We left the Gilbert Gaul Trail to check out the new trail that is being built. It will be called the Link Trail and will link the Overnight Trail to the Gilbert Gaul and backpackers can have the option of another campsite. The trail ended on the south entrance road. The van was waiting for us with t shirts and soda from the American Hiking Society.
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Good Friday Hike at Wheeler Farm, Fall Creek Falls

Friday April 6
Good Friday Hike at Wheeler Farm, Fall Creek Falls.

I asked if anyone was interested in hiking on Good Friday and a few folks decided to come spend some time in the woods at Fall Creek Falls. Cousin Anthony graciously agreed to lead us around Wheeler Farm and the Crusher Hole to see some wildflowers, waterfalls and Medley Arch. There was a beautiful blue sky and birds were singing. We met Sara, Tony and Denise from M’Boro in the Park. Lillian from Upper Cumberland and Ranger Monica met us at the trailhead on Hwy 30. From the entrance to the Park, drive down the mountain toward Spencer. About ½ way down on the left, you will see the parking area and the Wheeler Farm sign.

We followed the roadbed down the hill to the farm and then followed a path toward the Arch. Following Anthony with cameras in hand, we found so many different wildflowers to stop and investigate. A few times we consulted the wildflower guide to confirm some, like Pennywort and Large flowered Skullcap. The Skullcap is rare but grows abundantly in this area, the beautiful Cumberland Plateau. We wandered around the Arch area looking at flowers, and when we came to the Arch, it was very impressive. 90 feet high and 30 feet wide. There is a tulip poplar growing beside it and stretching its limbs up above the Arch and I wonder if it knows how tall it is.

Wheeler Falls was flowing and we climbed around seeing where all the water was flowing from. Lillian says you can go thru a crack to the left of the falls and get on top of the ridge to see the water coming from springs. Something else to explore. We hiked back to the cars and caravanned to the Crusher Hole. It is also part of FCF. At the foot of the mountain turn right on 285 drive a couple miles, turn right on a dirt road. Cross a creek bed.

Ate lunch and then walked around in the woods finding more to take pictures of….Little Brown Jug that looked green not brown, Columbine growing on the rock walls, trees with big lavender blooms (?), Larkspur, more Skullcap.

After the Crusher Hole, Anthony, Monica, and Lillian had other places they had to be so the rest of us went back to the Park to visit the big waterfall. 256 feet tall, highest east of the Mississippi, have to brag, it’s right here at Fall Creek Falls! We hiked to the bottom of the falls and then back up. Lots of folks out today enjoying their State Park.

Thanks Anthony for showing us all the flowers and thanks to everybody else for making it a great hike.

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