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HELP THE PARK YOU LOVE!
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— Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities --
FSC Trails Team lead Bruce Blohm places the first of more than 400 mile markers at the
Fiery Gizzard North trailhead, marking "Mile 0.0" for the Grundy Day Loop trail.
FSC Milepost Marking Project Now underway!
The Tennessee Trails Association (TTA) awarded an Evan Means Grant to the Friends of South Cumberland State Park, helping fund an FSC initiative to install custom mileage marker/location identifier medallions on nearly 85 miles of trail in South Cumberland State Park (SCSP).
The medallions improve hiker locational awareness and safety, while assisting in Rangers’ rescue efforts. This system of color-coded markers will also make possible more detailed trail maps.
FSC volunteers are installing Mile Post Markers every half-mile on SCSP trails. By the end of March, 83% of the park's trails had been marked, and teams will work to complete this project over the next month.
If you're interested in being a part of this project, please email FSC Trails Committee Chair Bruce Blohm and he will make sure you are included in the upcoming info about installation teams & dates!
The Tennessee Trails Association (TTA) awarded an Evan Means Grant to the Friends of South Cumberland State Park, helping fund an FSC initiative to install custom mileage marker/location identifier medallions on nearly 85 miles of trail in South Cumberland State Park (SCSP).
The medallions improve hiker locational awareness and safety, while assisting in Rangers’ rescue efforts. This system of color-coded markers will also make possible more detailed trail maps.
FSC volunteers are installing Mile Post Markers every half-mile on SCSP trails. By the end of March, 83% of the park's trails had been marked, and teams will work to complete this project over the next month.
If you're interested in being a part of this project, please email FSC Trails Committee Chair Bruce Blohm and he will make sure you are included in the upcoming info about installation teams & dates!
John Greeter, 1936-2021
John Greeter, a member of the Friends of South Cumberland Board of Directors, passed away on March 13. He was 85. John has been active in the Friends' Land Conservation Committee, and had been involved with the Friends organization since its early days in the 1990s. Prior to that, he was a strong advocate for the creation of South Cumberland State Park, arranging for the sale of his family's land, which included Greeter Falls, Boardtree Falls and the Greeter Homestead, to State of Tennessee in the 1970s. John received the 2020 Jim Prince Award, the Friends’ highest honor, for his years of dedicated service to our organization.
John Greeter, a member of the Friends of South Cumberland Board of Directors, passed away on March 13. He was 85. John has been active in the Friends' Land Conservation Committee, and had been involved with the Friends organization since its early days in the 1990s. Prior to that, he was a strong advocate for the creation of South Cumberland State Park, arranging for the sale of his family's land, which included Greeter Falls, Boardtree Falls and the Greeter Homestead, to State of Tennessee in the 1970s. John received the 2020 Jim Prince Award, the Friends’ highest honor, for his years of dedicated service to our organization.
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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 Celebrating the completion of the new Foster Falls staircase, and accepting the TTA Evan Means grant that made it possible, clockwise from lower right: TTA's Joan Hartvigsen; FSC Trails Chair Bruce Blohm; TTA President Libby Francis; SCSP Rangers Dan Wescoat, Ryan Harris and Jason Reynolds; and FSC Director Marietta Poteet.
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New Staircase Completed at Foster Falls; Volunteers Needed to Finish Trail to Bottom
Thanks to the Tennessee Trails Association (TTA) for providing a grant to fund the materials for a new staircase at the top of the Climbers’ Access Trail at Foster Falls. The Evan Means grant allowed SCSP Park Rangers Jason Reynolds, Ryan Harris and Dan Wescoat to purchase the lumber, concrete and other materials to construct the new staircase, which replaced an aging set of steps at the top of this busy trail. Volunteers from the Friends of South Cumberland, the Southeast Climbers’ Association and other groups continue working to rebuild most of the descending portion of the trail, between the new staircase and the cable footbridge below the Foster Falls plunge pool. If you’d like to volunteer to help our Park Rangers get this trail rebuild done in time for the park's busy season, please contact Ranger Ryan Harris (ryan.harris@tn.gov) or FSC Trails Team Chair Bruce Blohm (bruce.blohm@gmail.com) for upcoming work day information. |
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 2019, FSC's Trail Friends program had 27 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 Bruce Blohm 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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Fiery Gizzard Trail Reopened for hikers to “travel at own risk”
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Due to the March 24th collapse of the footbridge over Little Gizzard Creek, the Fiery Gizzard Trail is open, but hiking the trail now requires a creek crossing at Little Gizzard Creek.
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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 43 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 nearly 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.
