Metro to Mountain Journal

On Saturday Jon, Laura, and I left Nashville for a day on the Plateau. We were going to visit two parks and hike two trails.

First, we were going to visit our friend Robin at Cordell Hull State Historic Park. The Park is located near Byrdstown, in north central Tennessee. We were in luck, because the day we visited the Park was their annual Folk Celebration. The Celebration was well attended by the local community and included a special Memorial Day ceremony. We learned how to make moonshine, shoot marbles, make baskets, and forge metal with the blacksmith. For more information on the Park, check out the above link. It includes a brief but interesting history of Cordell Hull.

As a side of adventure we were able to sneak away from the festivities and walk the Bunkum Cave Loop Trail. The trailhead is located across the road (State Route 325) from the Park with a large parking area.

The hike was shaded giving us respite from the heat of the day. The trail was easy to follow. Green trail markers were used to help blaze the path. Signs were at every junction.

From the trailhead the trail weaves through the forest, following drainages, to the Cave Overlook. The view from the Overlook was worth the short walk.

A marked side trail leads to the cave. There was a set of steep steps on this section of the trail. The cave it self was closed (due to the white nose syndrome); but we were able to stand near the entrance. The cool air escaping the mouth was refreshing. We had to save the exploring for another trip.

Returning to the junction we continued on the trail. It was a pleasant walk in the woods, even if the cave was closed.

A few trail notes ...

• The trail was rated as moderate and was easy to follow.
• It was a loop trail.
• The kiosk was informative but a map of the area was not posted. Maybe, the guys at cloudhiking can help!
• It was bug and poison ivy season in Tennessee.
• The festival was fun. I am sure it will continue to grow.

We said good-bye to Robin and drove to the not so nearby Honey Creek Trailhead In big South Fork for the rest of our day’s adventures.

Happy United Nations trails.

(Oh, did you know??? Cordell Hull helped to found the United Nations)