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Help Ranger Jason Finish the
Sherwood Day Loop Trail! Ranger Jason Reynolds is back at it! This is the season to finish the new Sherwood Day Loop Trail in the recently-acquired Sherwood Forest area of the park! It's about 15 minutes south of Sewanee, off Jumpoff Road. The trail passes by and even through some amazing rock formations, with great views of the Tom Pack and Crow Creek valleys! If you'd like to help, please remember to come prepared with sturdy shoes, plenty of water & snacks. Upcoming work dates: Feb 23 and Mar 2, all at 1:00 pm. More dates will be announced soon. Meet at the Sherwood Forest Trailhead. Grundy Lakes Weed Wrangle
Join us as we help improve Grundy Lakes by removing exotic plant species around the lakes and trails to enhance the natural beauty of the area. Saturday, March 2nd 9:30 am - 3:30 pm Meet at Grundy Lakes Beach Area |
Now’s the time to enroll for the Spring Trail Friends team!
Trail Friends are volunteers who offer Park visitors a cheery welcome and much-needed 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 their assigned trails, answering questions and providing assistance as they go. Some also make detailed recordings of trail features and conditions using the Avenza mapping app. More than four thousand people have been helped by this enthusiastic team of volunteers. The group is accepting new members and on-line training is available now. The Spring Trail Friends season begins April 13 and runs on weekends through June 23. Trail Friends will hold a Kickoff "Meet and Greet" at 3 pm on Apr 13 at the South Cumberland State Park Visitor Center pavilion on US 41 in Monteagle. If you're interested in volunteering as a Trail Friend for the Spring of 2019, the time to enroll and be trained is NOW! Learn more on our Trail Friends page.
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Trail Friend volunteer Barbara Braswell (right) helping out fall hikers at Savage Gulf.
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2019 Park Calendars & Postcard Sets Still Available!
The Friends’ 2019 Wall Calendar and postcard sets are available for sale, while supplies last, at the Visitor Center in Monteagle.
The calendar features the best photos by some very talented park visitors/photographers from this year’s “Picture the Park” photo contest. New this year is a set of classic postcards, also depicting some of the most beautiful and unique areas of the Park, which will also available at the Visitor Center’s gift shop. Call Carla or Marla at the Visitor Center, 931-924-2980 before you head their way, to be certain they haven't sold out! Proceeds from the sale of these items help provide funding for a number of Friends’ initiatives on behalf of the park, including educational, interpretive, trail construction and maintenance projects.
The calendar features the best photos by some very talented park visitors/photographers from this year’s “Picture the Park” photo contest. New this year is a set of classic postcards, also depicting some of the most beautiful and unique areas of the Park, which will also available at the Visitor Center’s gift shop. Call Carla or Marla at the Visitor Center, 931-924-2980 before you head their way, to be certain they haven't sold out! Proceeds from the sale of these items help provide funding for a number of Friends’ initiatives on behalf of the park, including educational, interpretive, trail construction and maintenance projects.
Rob Moreland, left, with SCSP Manager George Shinn.
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Rob Moreland receives 2018 "Golden Shell" award
Congratulations to Friends Volunteer Rob Moreland, recipient of SCSP Manager George Shinn's 2018 "Golden Shell" Award, given annually to the Friends volunteer who exhibits exceptional dedication to the environmental, interpretive and recreational mission of South Cumberland State Park. Rob is currently heading up the Friends' effort to rehab and interpret the site of a 1930s-era Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) work camp in the Grundy Forest area of the Park. Congratulations to Rob for this well-deserved recognition! |
Ranger Aaron Reid Named Assistant Park Manager at Savage Gulf
Congratulations to Ranger Aaron Reid for being named the new Assistant Park Manager at Savage Gulf! He joins Assistant Park Manager Bill Knapp, who will now be able to focus on the central and southern areas of the Park (Fiery Gizzard and Sherwood Forest). Together, says SCSP Manager George Shinn, "Bill and Aaron are my “boots on the ground”, out on the front lines, leading and managing our talented staff, and carrying out our mission of having a beautiful, clean and safe park, so our park visitors can totally focus on having an amazing experience out in nature!" |
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Those smiling faces say it all ... volunteers with enthusiasm, spunk, stick-to-it-ness, dedication. Their gifts and skill made the 4th grade “Every Child in the Park” field trips a great success. Click below to view artwork submitted by students following their day in the Park!
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Fourth Graders Connect with Nature in the Park
As part of the Friends' Every Child in the Park initiative, every fourth grader from Grundy County Schools, plus Monteagle Elementary, got to know the Park during the Friends' annual fall field trip programs, presented this year on October 1st, 2nd and 3rd. From rats to rocks to nature play, the 4th graders were inspired and educated and empowered and encouraged to stretch themselves.
Approximately 70 students attended each day. Students rotated among three activities: Geology and Pioneer Life, inside the Visitor Center; Gardening and Nature Play, on the Meadow Trail; and a hands-on Wildlife Program in the picnic pavilion. Students also received their own SCSP Nature Journal, authored by Friends' member and longtime leader, Mary Priestley. Special thanks to Friends' Education and Outreach chair Margaret Matens for organizing what is now a Fall tradition, and an event in which every fourth grader in Grundy County eagerly looks forward to participating! |
2018 Goldenrod Gala raises essential funds
for the Friends and the Park
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The second annual Goldenrod Gala — a “night out for Nature” and an important fundraiser for the Friends of South Cumberland State Park — went underground on Saturday evening, October 6, 2018. This year's Gala took place in the dramatic new performance hall at The Caverns, which is also the now home to the popular PBS television series Bluegrass Underground. This year’s Gala also featured a "silent" version of the very popular Adventure Auction, offering a dozen opportunities to experience unique places in and around South Cumberland State Park.
Still Time to Donate to the Gala Campaign
Even if you couldn't make it to the Gala, there is still time to donate to its purpose -- to generate essential funding for a wide range of Friends’ initiatives on behalf of South Cumberland State Park. |
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SPECIAL THANKS TO THIS YEAR'S GOLDENROD GALA PARTNERS:
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South Cumberland celebrates 40 years!
On July 1, 1978, South Cumberland State Park was dedicated with less than 10,000 acres. Forty years later, it is the largest State Park in Tennessee, at nearly 31,000 acres. Today, the South Cumberland State Park is visited by nearly 750,000 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!
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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; it is now officially Tennessee's largest state park, at 30,837 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 more than 30,800 acres, South Cumberland is the largest State Park in Tennessee. Although this is great news, more land, and more visitors, creates new and urgent unmet needs for the park. New trails must be built, and existing trails must be maintained or upgraded. New and expanded parking areas, restrooms, camping and picnic facilities, and directional signage are needed. Invasive pests, like the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, and invasive plants must be controlled. Guided hikes, seminars and historical re-enactments, including programs for area school children, must be prepared and delivered. And, the work of conserving additional environmentally-significant lands is far from complete.
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!
Your Friends membership directly supports the park.
The Friends of South Cumberland is a group of volunteer citizens dedicated to supporting the South Cumberland State Park, at 30,837 acres, Tennessee's largest state park. A 1993 law passed by the Tennessee General Assembly allows state parks to contract with and receive financial assistance from an organized friends group. As a result, private citizens can be involved with and support the park through both volunteer work and financial support.
Funding for the Friends of South Cumberland is derived from individual and corporate memberships and from private donations. Our tax deductible status was approved in July 1994. As a 501(c)3 non profit public benefit corporation, your membership and gifts may be Federally tax deductible. Please join us in supporting and protecting the South Cumberland State Park!
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 more than 30,800 acres, South Cumberland is the largest State Park in Tennessee. Although this is great news, more land, and more visitors, creates new and urgent unmet needs for the park. New trails must be built, and existing trails must be maintained or upgraded. New and expanded parking areas, restrooms, camping and picnic facilities, and directional signage are needed. Invasive pests, like the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, and invasive plants must be controlled. Guided hikes, seminars and historical re-enactments, including programs for area school children, must be prepared and delivered. And, the work of conserving additional environmentally-significant lands is far from complete.
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!
Your Friends membership directly supports the park.
- Your membership supports the good work of the Friends of South Cumberland. You will become part of a group working to save great spaces in the South Cumberland and supporting this magnificent park with both funding and volunteer initiatives.
- You will receive the quarterly FSC Newsletter and monthly Trail Tracker emails to keep you updated on Friends and Park issues, events and volunteer opportunities.
- You will be eligible for members-only programs and events, such as the Tennessee Naturalist Program.
The Friends of South Cumberland is a group of volunteer citizens dedicated to supporting the South Cumberland State Park, at 30,837 acres, Tennessee's largest state park. A 1993 law passed by the Tennessee General Assembly allows state parks to contract with and receive financial assistance from an organized friends group. As a result, private citizens can be involved with and support the park through both volunteer work and financial support.
Funding for the Friends of South Cumberland is derived from individual and corporate memberships and from private donations. Our tax deductible status was approved in July 1994. As a 501(c)3 non profit public benefit corporation, your membership and gifts may be Federally tax deductible. Please join us in supporting and protecting the South Cumberland State Park!
