View along the Fiery Gizzard Trail

      The south end of the Cumberland Plateau has some of the wildest, roughest country in Tennessee. Sheer bluffs border deep gulfs—what natives call gorges. In these gorges flow wild streams strewn with rock gardens hosting a variety of vegetation. Intermingled within this is a human history of logging and mining that has given way to the nonextractive use of nature: ecotourism.

      Foster Falls Campground has been taken over by South Cumberland State Park. It offers a safe and appealing base for your camping experience in the South Cumberlands. The campground is situated on a level, wooded tract near the state park’s Foster Falls trailhead. It features the classic loop design, only the loop is so large it seems to engulf the 26 sites spread along it. Hardwoods give way to pines as you head toward the forested back of the loop. An interesting tree in the campground is the umbrella magnolia. Its leaves can reach two feet in length, causing its limbs to sag during the summer. Look for the tree along the campground entrance road and among sites 1–10.

      The spindly, second-growth tree trunks form a light understory, but the campsites are so diffused that site privacy isn’t compromised. The understory actually lends a parklike atmosphere to the campground.

      Foster Falls has some of the most spacious campsites I’ve ever seen. The large concrete picnic tables have concrete bases to keep your feet clean during those rainy times. Tent pads are conspicuously absent, but there is plenty of flat terrain for pitching your tent.

      Water spigots are handy to all campsites. The state park has renovated the bathhouse, adding hot showers since taking over the campground. Quite often, your camping companions will be rock climbers, for Foster Falls has quietly emerged as the premier rock-climbing area in the Southeast.

      South Cumberland State Park has nine different units, totaling more than 25,000 acres, ready for you to enjoy. For starters, a connector trail leaves the campground to Foster Falls. Here, you can take the short loop trail that leads to the base of 120-foot Foster Falls or intersect the south end of the Fiery Gizzard Trail and see Foster Falls from the top looking down. If you take the Fiery Gizzard Trail, you will be rewarded with views into Little Gizzard and Fiery Gizzard gulfs. Trail signs point out the rock bluffs where rock climbers ply their trade. The first 2.5 miles offer many vistas and small waterfalls where side creeks plunge into the gorge below. My favorite view is from the Laurel Creek Gorge Overlook, where rock bluffs on the left meld into forested drop-offs beyond, contrasting with the flat plateau in the background.

      Other must-sees in the South Cumberlands are Grundy Forest, Grundy Lakes, Savage Gulf, and the Great Stone Door. Download a map and explore all the sights. Grundy Forest contains about 4 miles of the most feature-packed hiking you can ask for: four major waterfalls, swimming holes, rockhouses, old trees, old mines, and strange rock formations. Just remember to watch where you walk, as the trails can be rough.

      Grundy Lakes State Park is on the National Historic Register. Once the site of mining activity, this area has seen prison labor, revolts, and the cooling down of the infamous Lone Rock coke ovens. The Lone Rock Trail will lead you to all the interesting sites.

      At Savage Gulf State Natural Area, three gorges converge to form a giant crow’s foot. An extensive trail system connects the cliffs, waterfalls, sinkholes, and historic sites of the area. The Great Stone Door is a 10- by-100-foot crack in the Big Creek Gorge that was used by Indians who traversed Savage Gulf.

      The campground at Foster Falls is pleasant enough to warrant a stay of a week or more, and that’s about how long you’ll need to get a good taste of the South Cumberland Recreation Area.

      GETTING THERE

      From I-24 west of Chattanooga, take Exit 155 (TN 28/Jasper/Dunlap). Turn onto TN 28 North, and drive 1.5 miles. Use the right lane to take the US 41/US 64/US 72 ramp to Jasper. Turn left onto US 41 North, and drive 0.8 mile into Jasper. Turn right to stay on US 41 North, and drive 1.2 miles. Turn left to stay on US 41 North, and drive 7.5 miles. Turn left at the sign for Foster Falls, and then drive 0.3 miles to the campground, on your left.

      GPS COORDINATES N35° 10.940' W85° 40.312'

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      Frozen Head State Park Campground

      Beauty: Privacy: Spaciousness: Quiet: Security: Cleanliness:

      KEY INFORMATION

      CONTACT: 423-346-3318, tnstateparks.com

      OPEN: March 15–October

      SITES: 20

      EACH SITE HAS: Picnic table, fire grate with grill, lantern post

      WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: One campsite

      ASSIGNMENT: By reservation and daily walkup

      REGISTRATION: At visitor center

      AMENITIES: Water, flush toilets, hot showers

      PARKING: At campsites and designated lots

      FEES: $13.75/night

      ELEVATION: 1,500'

      RESTRICTIONS:

      PETS: On leash only

      QUIET HOURS: 10 p.m.–6 a.m.

      FIRES: In fire grates only

      ALCOHOL: Not allowed

      VEHICLES: A narrow bridge crossing limits trailers to 16'

      OTHER: 14-day stay limit

      Stay at Frozen Head and explore the waterfalls, rock shelters, and mountaintop caprocks of the Cumberland Mountains.

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