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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 reach our goals
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Help our Trails Team Make
Critical Trail Repairs in 2022! Click here to view our Fall, 2021 Progress Report!
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UPCOMING TRAIL DAYS:
The Trails Team is stepping back to catch our breath over the holidays but will be back in action in early 2022! Sign up for any trail work dates on the SCSP Volunteer Page. Also please email FSC Trails Chair John Collins if you're planning to be there! Bring work gloves, wear sturdy shoes • We'll plan on working 3-4 hours each day Don't forget to bring plenty of water and a high-energy snack. There are tasks for all ability levels -- many do not involve moving big rocks! |
The past two years have seen unprecedented number of new visitors coming to South Cumberland State Park, and we’re thrilled to see so many people discovering the wonders of our amazing park!
However, with all that visitation came wear and tear on our trails, and the FSC Trails Team is currently working on an ambitious project to restore or reconstruct some of the most popular trails in the Greeter Falls and Collins Gulf areas of the Park.
The Trails Team kicked this effort this past fall with work on heavily-utilized sections of the Greeter Falls Trail. The Greeter Falls Area Trail Improvement Program, or “GFA-TIP”, will ultimately involve a series of short-duration projects, each of which will address critical trail needs along specific sections of trail in the vicinity of Greeter Falls.
We really need your help, and greatly appreciate the many volunteers who have already come out to improve the beauty and safety of our trail system on projects earlier this year! Hope we’ll see you on the trail in 2022!
However, with all that visitation came wear and tear on our trails, and the FSC Trails Team is currently working on an ambitious project to restore or reconstruct some of the most popular trails in the Greeter Falls and Collins Gulf areas of the Park.
The Trails Team kicked this effort this past fall with work on heavily-utilized sections of the Greeter Falls Trail. The Greeter Falls Area Trail Improvement Program, or “GFA-TIP”, will ultimately involve a series of short-duration projects, each of which will address critical trail needs along specific sections of trail in the vicinity of Greeter Falls.
We really need your help, and greatly appreciate the many volunteers who have already come out to improve the beauty and safety of our trail system on projects earlier this year! Hope we’ll see you on the trail in 2022!
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 https://www.friendsofsouthcumberland.org/trail-friends.html
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 https://www.friendsofsouthcumberland.org/trail-friends.html
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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Look for 16 new Interpretive Panels throughout the Park!
New interpretive panels have been installed to highlight history and nature in many areas of the park. A total of 16 new panels have been placed along SCSP trails. The panels highlight areas of historical interest and natural science. Look for these panels as you hike the Park's trails this fall!
The panels can be found on trails in the Grundy Lakes Historical Area,the Grundy Forest State Natural Area, and the Savage Gulf State Natural Area, with topics ranging from the Lone Rock Coke Ovens to the Chickamauga Trace to Savage Gulf Homesteaders to the Chimneys rock formation to the Werner Old Growth Forest and even two panels that explain the history of moonshine in this area.
In particular, two panels have been installed on trails that have some of the best wildflower watching in the state. Near the Savage Gulf North (Stone Door/Big Creek Gulf) and Savage Gulf South (Collins Gulf) trailheads, visitors will find innovative panels that allow them to download an electronic wildflower identification guide, using the camera on most current-generation smartphones.
The identification guide is actually a PDF file that can be downloaded to the visitor’s phone by scanning a QR code embedded on the interpretive panel. The guide is organized by flower color, with an additional sections describing flowering shrubs and trees, as well as different types of ferns. Over 100 wildflower varieties are listed, along with 15 different types of ferns and 17 kinds of flowering trees and shrubs. By downloading the identification resource at the trailhead, visitors will have the wildflower guide at their disposal, wherever they are in the park, whether they have a cell signal on the trail or not. Additional wildflower panels are planned for other trailheads in the park as well.
Twelve of the panels were funded by the Friends of South Cumberland; the Wildflower panels are being funded with grants from the Tennessee Iris Fund and the Friends of Tennessee State Parks; and two of the panels related to Prescribed Burn forestry practices are funded by a grant from the Tennessee Wildlife Federation.
New interpretive panels have been installed to highlight history and nature in many areas of the park. A total of 16 new panels have been placed along SCSP trails. The panels highlight areas of historical interest and natural science. Look for these panels as you hike the Park's trails this fall!
The panels can be found on trails in the Grundy Lakes Historical Area,the Grundy Forest State Natural Area, and the Savage Gulf State Natural Area, with topics ranging from the Lone Rock Coke Ovens to the Chickamauga Trace to Savage Gulf Homesteaders to the Chimneys rock formation to the Werner Old Growth Forest and even two panels that explain the history of moonshine in this area.
In particular, two panels have been installed on trails that have some of the best wildflower watching in the state. Near the Savage Gulf North (Stone Door/Big Creek Gulf) and Savage Gulf South (Collins Gulf) trailheads, visitors will find innovative panels that allow them to download an electronic wildflower identification guide, using the camera on most current-generation smartphones.
The identification guide is actually a PDF file that can be downloaded to the visitor’s phone by scanning a QR code embedded on the interpretive panel. The guide is organized by flower color, with an additional sections describing flowering shrubs and trees, as well as different types of ferns. Over 100 wildflower varieties are listed, along with 15 different types of ferns and 17 kinds of flowering trees and shrubs. By downloading the identification resource at the trailhead, visitors will have the wildflower guide at their disposal, wherever they are in the park, whether they have a cell signal on the trail or not. Additional wildflower panels are planned for other trailheads in the park as well.
Twelve of the panels were funded by the Friends of South Cumberland; the Wildflower panels are being funded with grants from the Tennessee Iris Fund and the Friends of Tennessee State Parks; and two of the panels related to Prescribed Burn forestry practices are funded by a grant from the Tennessee Wildlife Federation.
New Fiery Gizzard Trail Bridge now open
The replacement footbridge that marks the start of the Fiery Gizzard Trail in the Grundy Forest State Natural Area, about 3/4 of a mile from the Fiery Gizzard North trailhead, is now open. The previous wooden bridge was washed out during heavy winter rains in early 2020. The new bridge, with all-aluminum construction, features a slightly longer span and aluminum piers, set in concrete; the new design is less likely to be impacted by periods of high water in the creek. Park Managers note that new approach trails on either side of the bridge are still being worked on, to connect the bridge with the existing trail system in this area of the Park. They appreciated everyone's patience as this much-awaited piece of trail infrastructure was put in place.
The replacement footbridge that marks the start of the Fiery Gizzard Trail in the Grundy Forest State Natural Area, about 3/4 of a mile from the Fiery Gizzard North trailhead, is now open. The previous wooden bridge was washed out during heavy winter rains in early 2020. The new bridge, with all-aluminum construction, features a slightly longer span and aluminum piers, set in concrete; the new design is less likely to be impacted by periods of high water in the creek. Park Managers note that new approach trails on either side of the bridge are still being worked on, to connect the bridge with the existing trail system in this area of the Park. They appreciated everyone's patience as this much-awaited piece of trail infrastructure was put in place.
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SCSP trail marker system is complete!
After 11 months and 85 miles of carefully measuring the trails in South Cumberland State Park, the Friends of South Cumberland's Trails Team has completed the posting of mile markers on every trail in the 31,000-acre park. The 4-inch metallic medallions each feature trail mileage for the specific trail they mark, as well as a unique location code hikers can use to accurately report their location if they need to call first responders for help. The markers are also color-coded to differentiate adjacent trails from one another. SCSP Rangers already report several situations where hikers, lost or injured after dark, located one of the new markers and reported the location code on that medallion, not only giving Rangers an exact fix on their location, but considerably shortening the amount of time it would take responders to reach them, and help get them to safety. Each marker is flanked by two high-intensity reflectors that can be illuminated by light from a smartphone screen at distances of up to 1/10 mile. The mile markers are spaced every half-mile on most trails, and at quarter-mile intervals on the park's most popular trails, so hikers are never more than a few minutes' walk from the nearest marker. The project was funded by the Friends of South Cumberland, with additional support from the Tennessee Trails Association's Highland Rim Chapter. |
FSC Trail Team volunteers Ernie Williams and Betsy Miller install one of the final trail markers on the North Plateau Trail in Savage Gulf.
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FSC Elects New Officers, Recognizes Volunteers
The Friends of South Cumberland State Park (FSC) has elected new officers to serve during the 2021-2023 leadership term, and honors were given to two of its top volunteers. Trae Moore was elected President. Moore previously served as Vice-President and chair of the FSC Development and Membership Committee. Tom Sanders was elected Vice-President, and will succeed Moore as chair of the Development and Membership Committee. Bruce Blohm was elected as FSC Corporate Secretary, and also takes over as chair of FSC's Strategic Planning Committee, succeeding Rick Dreves, who has most recently served in both of those positions. FSC also elected six new Directors: John Collins, who will succeed Blohm as chair of the FSC Trails Committee; Dave Matherly, who will chair its Volunteer Resources Committee; and four At-Large Directors: Deb Dreves, Mary Priestley, Dr. Chris Van de Ven and Dr. Keri Watson. Outgoing FSC President John Hille and Rick Dreves are closing out six years of service on the FSC Board. Rich Wyckoff concludes a two-year term as FSC Treasurer.
FSC also presented Dreves with its highest honor, the Jim Prince Award, for his wide-ranging volunteer efforts, which included his work as Secretary and Strategic Planning chair, as well as former chair of FSC's Communications Committee, now headed by Susan Campbell. Dreves has provided leadership on several FSC projects, such its 2014 committee structure reorganization; 2018 renovation and interpretation of the historic CCC Camp in Grundy State Natural Area, with Project Lead Rob Moreland; development in 2020 of FSC's Five-Year Plan; the recent creation of a series of historical and informational interpretive panels, now installed throughout the park; and an initiative to make it easier for Park visitors to navigate to SCSP's 12 trailheads, via a network of nearly 70 new highway signs that will be installed across the region, later this summer. He plans to remain active as a member of FSC's Strategic Planning, Communications and Trails committees.
SCSP Manager George Shinn also recognized Blohm and Dreves with his Golden Shell Awards, recognizing their joint efforts to create and implement a location-coded mile-marking system, now being installed by the FSC Trails Team across 85 miles of SCSP trails; and ongoing leadership efforts to maintain, repair and rebuild sections of the Park's trail network.
The Friends of South Cumberland State Park (FSC) has elected new officers to serve during the 2021-2023 leadership term, and honors were given to two of its top volunteers. Trae Moore was elected President. Moore previously served as Vice-President and chair of the FSC Development and Membership Committee. Tom Sanders was elected Vice-President, and will succeed Moore as chair of the Development and Membership Committee. Bruce Blohm was elected as FSC Corporate Secretary, and also takes over as chair of FSC's Strategic Planning Committee, succeeding Rick Dreves, who has most recently served in both of those positions. FSC also elected six new Directors: John Collins, who will succeed Blohm as chair of the FSC Trails Committee; Dave Matherly, who will chair its Volunteer Resources Committee; and four At-Large Directors: Deb Dreves, Mary Priestley, Dr. Chris Van de Ven and Dr. Keri Watson. Outgoing FSC President John Hille and Rick Dreves are closing out six years of service on the FSC Board. Rich Wyckoff concludes a two-year term as FSC Treasurer.
FSC also presented Dreves with its highest honor, the Jim Prince Award, for his wide-ranging volunteer efforts, which included his work as Secretary and Strategic Planning chair, as well as former chair of FSC's Communications Committee, now headed by Susan Campbell. Dreves has provided leadership on several FSC projects, such its 2014 committee structure reorganization; 2018 renovation and interpretation of the historic CCC Camp in Grundy State Natural Area, with Project Lead Rob Moreland; development in 2020 of FSC's Five-Year Plan; the recent creation of a series of historical and informational interpretive panels, now installed throughout the park; and an initiative to make it easier for Park visitors to navigate to SCSP's 12 trailheads, via a network of nearly 70 new highway signs that will be installed across the region, later this summer. He plans to remain active as a member of FSC's Strategic Planning, Communications and Trails committees.
SCSP Manager George Shinn also recognized Blohm and Dreves with his Golden Shell Awards, recognizing their joint efforts to create and implement a location-coded mile-marking system, now being installed by the FSC Trails Team across 85 miles of SCSP trails; and ongoing leadership efforts to maintain, repair and rebuild sections of the Park's trail network.
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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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.
