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HERE'S WHERE YOU GET INTO THE GREAT OUTDOORS: » Ranger-led Hikes & Programs » Ranger-led volunteer activities |
HELP THE PARK YOU LOVE!
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Help us finish an important segment
of the access trail to Greeter Falls! What days could you help? Please email FSC Trails Chair John Collins ASAP and let us know which days you're available. You can also RSVP to John for any scheduled Trail Day (see below).
Currently Scheduled Trail Days:
Sat., July 9, Sat., July 16, Sat., July 23, Sat., July 30 (August dates to come!) ...PLUS your available dates! All dates 'weather-permitting'. We’ll meet at the Savage Gulf West (Greeter Falls) trailhead at 8:00 am. We are starting a bit earlier to take advantage of cooler morning hours!
Bring work gloves, garden loppers (if you have them; handy for snipping small roots!), and wear sturdy shoes. We'll plan on working 4-5 hours each day. Don't forget to bring plenty of water and a high-energy snack. There are tasks for all ability levels -- most do not involve moving rocks! |
Project Status:
We have completed a section of new trail that will replace a very worn-out and eroded section of the Greeter Falls Access Trail (photos of old trail below). It will be connected to the existing trail via a new staircase that will be constructed later this summer -- details to come! Take a look at our Photo & Video Progress Reports to see the latest... COMING ATTRACTIONS: This Summer ... We'll be fine-tuning various segments our Greeter Falls Trail Improvement Program that are in need of improvement; and, pending arrival of materials, the start of work on a new staircase structure that will connect sections F and G! If you have carpentry or construction skills and would like to volunteer for staircase work, please email FSC Trails Chair John Collins!
Please check this page regularly for any schedule changes!
The past two years have seen unprecedented number of new visitors coming to South Cumberland State Park. With all that visitation came wear and tear on our trails.
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Give back to your Park: Become a Trail Friend!
WHY: The park's most popular trailheads have seen a dramatic increase in visitors over the past year, and many hikers are ill-prepared for SCSP's trails.
WHAT: Trail Friends are volunteers who are positioned at some of the most popular trailheads in the park, offering hiking tips, trail updates and other useful information.
HOW: Learn more about becoming a Trail Friend! Email Trail Friends Coordinator Dave Matherly or visit the Trail Friends page.
WHEN: Trail Friends work most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the park's busy seasons. Two-hour and four-hour shifts are available.
WHERE: Trail Friends typically staff the Savage Gulf North (Stone Door) in the Beersheba area; Savage Gulf West (Greeter Falls), near Altamont; Savage Gulf East (Savage Falls), Fiery Gizzard North (Grundy Forest), in Tracy City; and Fiery Gizzard South (Foster Falls), between Tracy City and Jasper.
YOU SHOULD BRING: A friendly smile and a working knowledge of the trail. The Friends will supply the rest! Share Your Love of the Park!
WHY: The park's most popular trailheads have seen a dramatic increase in visitors over the past year, and many hikers are ill-prepared for SCSP's trails.
WHAT: Trail Friends are volunteers who are positioned at some of the most popular trailheads in the park, offering hiking tips, trail updates and other useful information.
HOW: Learn more about becoming a Trail Friend! Email Trail Friends Coordinator Dave Matherly or visit the Trail Friends page.
WHEN: Trail Friends work most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the park's busy seasons. Two-hour and four-hour shifts are available.
WHERE: Trail Friends typically staff the Savage Gulf North (Stone Door) in the Beersheba area; Savage Gulf West (Greeter Falls), near Altamont; Savage Gulf East (Savage Falls), Fiery Gizzard North (Grundy Forest), in Tracy City; and Fiery Gizzard South (Foster Falls), between Tracy City and Jasper.
YOU SHOULD BRING: A friendly smile and a working knowledge of the trail. The Friends will supply the rest! Share Your Love of the Park!
SCSP Introduces New Names for Trailheads
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SCSP Manager George Shinn has announced a new naming system for the park’s 12 trailheads. “We are such a large, spread-out park that it is difficult for new visitors to grasp where the trailheads are, in relation to the park’s major features,” he explained. “This new naming system, which we developed in cooperation with the Friends group, is more logical and geographically-based. It will make it much easier for visitors to quickly grasp where our trailheads are, in relation to each other, and in which part of the park each trailhead is located.” Shinn noted that it will take time to switch over all of the park’s existing directional signage and update maps, but steps are already underway to begin that process. “The Friends' website is the first resource that has been completely updated to reflect the new names,” he said. “The Tennessee State Parks website has also posted the new trailhead map, and should be fully up-to-date in the near future.” The new, official trailhead map also includes the park’s most popular features and highlights, listed below each of the new trailhead names. A free copy of the new map, which includes driving directions to each trailhead and other useful information, is also available for download from the Downloadable Maps page of this website.
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Click on the map to see an enlargement.
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Join our Trails Team!
The FSC Trails Team assists Park Managers and staff with assessment, design, construction, maintenance and/or rerouting of nearly 100 miles of world-class trails and trail structures in South Cumberland State Park. The Trails Team also assists the park with SCSP wayfinding (directional) signage and mile marking. The Trails Team welcomes all volunteers, and has opportunities for adults of any age and physical ability! Learn more by visiting the Trails Team page of this site.
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In 2021, FSC's Trail Friends program had 21 active volunteers who donated their time at the park's most popular trail heads, offering assistance to hikers. The Trail Friends offer park visitors a cheery welcome and useful information about the park, the natural surroundings, and the specifics of the trails. Trail Friends staff five of the busiest trailheads in the Park, and also walk these trails, answering questions and providing assistance as they go. The Trail Friends team is always looking for enthusiastic new members! Learn more by visiting our Trail Friends Initiative page.
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See what our Trails Team has been up to:
Email FSC Trails Team Chair John Collins to find out how you can help!
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Here's a new video about all the great trails, and things to see & do in South Cumberland State Park:
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Please join us in saying Thank You
to all of our Sponsoring Partners!
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TRAILS & TRILLIUMS SPONSORING PARTNER
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GOLDENROD GALA SPONSORING PARTNER
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FRIENDS OF SOUTH CUMBERLAND SPONSORING PARTNERS
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Mr. John Canale |
Mr. Doug Ferris
& Dot Neale
South Cumberland celebrates 44 years!
On July 1, 1978, South Cumberland State Park was dedicated with less than 10,000 acres. Four decades later, it is the second-largest State Park in Tennessee, at more than 31,000 acres. Today, the South Cumberland State Park is visited by nearly 650,000 people each year, and thanks to your support of the Friends, is as wild and spectacular as ever, with new trails and new ways to enjoy the park now available through the hard work of our Friends volunteers! Please take a moment to support the work of the Friends of South Cumberland State Park!
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Shop Online and help the Park with every purchase!
When you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon donates a portion of your purchase directly to the Friends of South Cumberland! Bookmark this page, and use it whenever you shop at Amazon! 
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Learn more about the newest areas of the Park |
South Cumberland State Park continues to grow at a remarkable pace; after the state-wide Cumberland Trail, South Cumberland is Tennessee's second largest state park, at nearly 31,000 acres. Click on any of these links to learn more about recent land areas that have been protected and added to the park, and what work is underway to make these areas accessible to the public: |
Our Mission:
To aid and assist the South Cumberland State Park management and staff in meeting its objectives, and to inform, educate, engage, and inspire its members and the public to protect, conserve, and enjoy all the resources of the park.
Why Should You Be a Friends Member?
Now protecting nearly 31,000 acres, South Cumberland is the second-largest State Park in Tennessee. Although this is great news, more land, and more visitors, creates new and urgent unmet needs for the park. Trails must be maintained or upgraded. Trail bridges require maintenance or replacement. Additional interpretive and wayfinding signage is needed. Guided hikes, seminars and workshops, including programs for area school children, must be prepared and delivered. And, the work of conserving additional environmentally-significant lands is far from complete. Your support makes possible the many initiatives of the Friends of South Cumberland State Park, a volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization, working to protect, maintain and enhance Tennessee's largest and most spectacular state park!
By becoming a member of the Friends, you can help insure that South Cumberland will always be a safe, well-maintained and amazing place to experience world-class natural beauty!
Funding for the Friends of South Cumberland is derived from individual and corporate memberships and from private donations.
As a 501(c)3 non-profit public benefit corporation, your membership and gifts may be Federally tax deductible.
To aid and assist the South Cumberland State Park management and staff in meeting its objectives, and to inform, educate, engage, and inspire its members and the public to protect, conserve, and enjoy all the resources of the park.
Why Should You Be a Friends Member?
Now protecting nearly 31,000 acres, South Cumberland is the second-largest State Park in Tennessee. Although this is great news, more land, and more visitors, creates new and urgent unmet needs for the park. Trails must be maintained or upgraded. Trail bridges require maintenance or replacement. Additional interpretive and wayfinding signage is needed. Guided hikes, seminars and workshops, including programs for area school children, must be prepared and delivered. And, the work of conserving additional environmentally-significant lands is far from complete. Your support makes possible the many initiatives of the Friends of South Cumberland State Park, a volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization, working to protect, maintain and enhance Tennessee's largest and most spectacular state park!
By becoming a member of the Friends, you can help insure that South Cumberland will always be a safe, well-maintained and amazing place to experience world-class natural beauty!
Funding for the Friends of South Cumberland is derived from individual and corporate memberships and from private donations.
As a 501(c)3 non-profit public benefit corporation, your membership and gifts may be Federally tax deductible.
