Obed Segment CT - Daddys Creek

Day One: 7.1
Day Two: 7.1
Total Miles: 14.2

Well we finally got a chance to go back to the Obed Segment of the Cumberland Trail to finish this segment. We started at Daddy's Creek or Devils Breakfast Table trailhead and headed East to camp at the same spot we camped a few years ago coming in from the other side.

When we got to the parking area, we found it full of kayakers which was surprising because it was so cold. We finally got some good documentation on miles between points at the Kiosk.  No maps have all the labels nor the miles written on them which we have been disappointed with.

The trail goes through the Daddys Creek Gorge along the bluff walls and then rises on top for some beautiful overlooks.  The rock formations are wonderful all through this hike.  You drop back down into the Obed Gorge and follow an old train rail bed along the river.  You go up Turkey Creek gorge where you find the beautiful Bills Falls at the second bridge.  The limbs are over grown in front of the falls and I had to get Lora to hold some down while I took a picture of the falls.  You continue along the Obed river and there is some flat areas that show no signs of camping that are marked "camp" on one map.  From there you climb back out of the gorge at Anvil Rock and continue along the edge of the gorge.  We stopped at a no name creek that we camped at before between the Obed Overlook and the Omigod Overlook at 7.1 miles.

Just as when we hiked the other side, you have to really look for the trail markers so you stay on the trail.  We removed numerous trees, branches, and broke limbs to clear the trail as we hiked.  This is a very beautiful trail that really needs hikers on it to keep it maintained.  There is a lot of chainsaw work and lopper work to be done.  I could not talk Lora into carrying either tool for some reason.  Just before we got to our camping spot we saw new trail markers.  Hopefully the other side has been cleared as well as marked since we hiked it.

We did have some slick areas where the icicles had been melting and refreezing on the ground.  On the way out we passed a couple that was day hiking.

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Obed Wild and Scenic River Trail

Obed Wild and Scenic River Trail…..7.1 Miles….Difficult
Day two:
Obed Wild and Scenic River Trail…..7.1 Miles….Difficult
Total Miles……20 Miles


The Obed trail is rated as extremely difficult 14.2 mile trail. It does have some difficult sections, but over all it is a good hiking trail with beautiful sights. We started hiking from the Nemo Trailhead and made it to an unnamed creek between Omigod and Obed overlooks where we stayed the night. There is camping at the Nemo Trailhead if you wanted to get an early start the next day. We got on the trail around 10am my time which was after we stopped at the visitor center in Wartburg.

The trail starts following the Emory River and then follows the Obed River. You do not hike along the river, but rather along the bluff next to the river. So you start out going up hill. There are beautiful rock bluffs and some old mining areas. We enjoyed lunch right on the trail.

The first going down to the river is if you visit Alley Ford campsite about two miles in. After Alley Ford campsite, you really need to pay attention to the blazes as they are now few and far between and you can get off the trail as we did on a regular basis. You know the old Outcast short cuts.

You get some tricky climbing and descending parts of the trail on the way to Breakaway Bluff. Breakaway Bluff is a beautiful overlook of the Obed River. After the overlook you are hiking a lot of old roadbed and once again you must keep a look out for the markers. Yes, a few more shortcuts were taken. There are a lot of down trees along the roadbed, which you either climb or skirt around. There were plenty of water crossings this time of year, so water source was not a problem.

As we were working our way through the brush down to unnamed creek, we came across a doe that was standing by the trail just watching us. We had time to enjoy looking at her and took a picture. She wasn’t but about twenty feet from us and stayed there until after we left. It was getting time to camp, so we crossed the creek and set up camp.

It was a wonderful evening of enjoying the fire and company while watching the stars and very bright moon. You didn’t even need a light to walk around. We even had an owl talk to us.

The next morning we slept in and enjoyed camp before heading back out. We thought about hiking to the end of the trail, but decided to catch the other 7.1 miles on another trip. We took a couple more of those Outcast shortcuts on the way out. No telling how many miles we really hiked.

On the way out, we were blessed with being able to see three red tail hawks flying out over the river. We got to see squirrels, chipmunks, and woodpeckers. We hiked down to the Alley Ford campsite for lunch and enjoyed the beautiful afternoon.

After we got off the trail and had a root beer float in Wartburg, we drove to the Lilly Bluff Overlook and hiked the .3-mile trail to the overlook. It is a very nice park and they built benches and a handicap walkway at the overlook.

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