South Cumberland State Park

State park in Tennessee

35°15′32″N 85°47′20″W / 35.259°N 85.789°W / 35.259; -85.789Area25,539 acres (103.35 km²)WebsiteSouth Cumberland State Park

South Cumberland State Park is a state park in the middle and southeast portions of Tennessee on the Cumberland 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 and coke production facilities of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, as well as a stockade prison it operated that provided convict labor for those facilities.^[4]

Areas

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 a National Natural Landmark.^[5] Crossing in and out of the park's various sections, the Fiery Gizzard Trail is renowned for its beauty and diversity.^[6]

Camping

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.

External links

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

^ "TN Property Viewer". Archived from the original on 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. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
^ "National Natural Landmarks - National Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved March 28, 2019. Year designated: 1971
^ "Fiery Gizzard Trail: Difficult but interesting overnight trail along Fiery Creek Gorge". Secret Falls. Retrieved May 6, 2012.

Protected areas of Tennessee

Federal

National parks	Great Smoky Mountains National Park
National historical parks and sites	Andrew Johnson National Historic Site Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Manhattan Project National Historical Park
National Military Parks	Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Fort Donelson National Battlefield Shiloh National Military Park Stones River National Battlefield
National recreation areas	Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
National Trails System	Appalachian National Scenic Trail Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
National forests	Cherokee National Forest
National Wild and Scenic Rivers	Obed River
National Wildlife Refuges	Chickasaw Cross Creeks Hatchie Lake Isom Lower Hatchie Reelfoot Tennessee
Wilderness areas	Bald River Gorge Big Frog Big Laurel Branch Citico Creek Cohutta Gee Creek Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Little Frog Mountain Pond Mountain Sampson Mountain Unaka Mountain
Other protected areas	Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area Foothills Parkway Gatlinburg Bypass Natchez Trace Parkway

State

East Tennessee state parks	Big Ridge Booker T. Washington Cove Lake Cumberland Mountain David Crockett Birthplace Fall Creek Falls Fort Loudoun Frozen Head Harrison Bay Hiwassee/Ocoee Indian Mountain Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork Norris Dam Panther Creek Red Clay Roan Mountain Seven Islands Sycamore Shoals Warriors' Path
Middle Tennessee state parks	Bicentennial Capitol Mall Bledsoe Creek Burgess Falls Cedars Of Lebanon Cordell Hull Birthplace Cummins Falls David Crockett Dunbar Cave Edgar Evins Fall Creek Falls Harpeth River Henry Horton Johnsonville Long Hunter Montgomery Bell Mousetail Landing Old Stone Fort Pickett Port Royal Radnor Lake Rock Island Sgt. Alvin C. York South Cumberland Standing Stone Tims Ford
West Tennessee state parks	Big Cypress Tree Big Hill Pond Chickasaw Fort Pillow Meeman-Shelby Forest Natchez Trace Nathan Bedford Forrest Paris Landing Pickwick Landing Pinson Mounds Reelfoot Lake T. O. Fuller
State forests	Bledsoe Cedars of Lebanon Chickasaw Chuck Swan Franklin John Tully Lewis Lone Mountain Martha Sundquist Natchez Trace Pickett Prentice Cooper Scott Standing Stone Stewart
State natural areas	Auntney Hollow Barnett's Woods Bays Mountain Beaman Park Big Bone Cave Campbell Bend Barrens Carroll Cabin Barrens Glade Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lee Carter Chimneys Colditz Cove Couchville Cedar Glade Crowder Cemetery Barrens Devils Backbone Dry Branch Duck River Complex Elsie Quarterman Cedar Glade Falling Water Falls Fate Sanders Barrens Flat Rock Cedar Glade & Barrens Gattinger’s Cedar Glade & Barrens Ghost River Grundy Forest Hampton Creek Cove Hawkins Cove Hicks Gap Hill Forest Honey Creek House Mountain Hubbard’s Cave John & Hester Lane Cedar Glades John Noel at Bon Aqua Langford Branch Laurel-Snow Lost Creek Lucius Burch Jr. Forest Manus Road Cedar Glade May Prairie North Chickamauga Creek Gorge Old Forest Overbridge Ozone Falls Piney Falls Pogue Creek Powell River Preserve Radnor Lake Riverwoods Roundtop Mountain Rugby Savage Gulf Sequatchie Cave Short Mountain Short Springs Sneed Road Cedar Glade Stillhouse Hollow Falls Stinging Fork Falls Stones River Cedar Glade & Barrens Sunk Lake Sunnybell Cedar Glade Taylor Hollow Twin Arches Vesta Cedar Glade Vine Cedar Glade Virgin Falls Walker Branch Walls of Jericho Walterhill Floodplain Washmorgan Hollow Watauga River Bluffs William B. Clark William R. Davenport Refuge Wilson School Road Window Cliffs
Other	Buffalo Ridge Refuge Catoosa Wildlife Management Area