South Cumberland State Park
South Cumberland State Park is located within three different Tennessee counties: Grundy, Franklin, and Marion. The park is composed of approximately 12,166 acres and has some of the best hiking and backcountry camping in the region. There are lots of areas to explore including Fiery Gizzard, Denny Cove and Grundy Lakes.
The South Cumberland State Park Visitor’s Center, located at on US 41 in Monteagle, offers interpretative exhibits and provides information on each component of the Park. The Visitor Center is a great place to have a picnic before beginning your adventure.
Also located just outside the visitor’s center are various recreation fields, including basketball, beach volleyball, tennis, bocce ball, and a multi-use field. Equipment can be checked out at no charge from the front desk. South Cumberland State Park has three picnic pavilions for larger parties that can be reserved online. There are also four other small picnic areas with grills located throughout the park.
Primitive car-camping is available at the Foster Falls Campground and backcountry camping is also a popular activity at South Cumberland. The primitive campsites at Foster Falls are drive-up while Father Adamz, Small Wild, Little Cove and Grundy Forest Hemlock Grove require hiking to reach. Reservations are required for all campsites at the park and can be made online at https://reserve.tnstateparks.com/south-cumberland/campsites.
Please consult the Park's trail map, below, and note distances before embarking on any hike!
Moderate
Black Canyon Cascade
One of the most picturesque sites in the Fiery Gizzard, Black Canyon is technically a cascade, not a waterfall, but still an amazing sight, as two creeks come together and are squeezed through a narrow rock opening. Access this adventure from the Fiery Gizzard North trailhead.
Moderate
Blue Hole Falls
This pristine mountain creek waterfall is in an awe-inspiing setting, with a good swimming hole. Access this adventure from the Fiery Gizzard North Trailhead.
Moderate
Denny Cove & Falls
Explore a world-class rock climbers’ paradise, with a double-cascade waterfall and nearly 500 climbing routes with grades ranging from 5.8 to 5.14. Access this adventure from the Denny Cove Trailhead.
Easy
Father Adamz Campground
The Father Adamz Campground was established in honor of a local priest and early advocate for the Boy Scout movement. It's only a half-mile hike from the Fiery Gizzard South Trailhead. Online reservations required at Reserve.tnstateparks.com.
Difficult
Fiery Gizzard Trail, a 2-day Adventure
Ranked as one of the top 25 backpacking trails in the United States by Backpacker magazine, "The Gizz" features cascading streams, numerous waterfalls, panoramic overlooks, extremely rocky gorges, gentle slopes and lush woodlands. Use either the Fiery Gizzard North or Fiery Gizzard South trailheads to begin this adventure!
Moderately Difficult
Foster Falls
At the southern end of the Fiery GizzardTrail is Foster Falls, a 60-foot waterfall, the tallest in the parks, with a swimming hole at its base. There is an easy quarter-mile hike to observe the falls from above; and a much more strenuous two-mile hike (round trip) to clamber to the bottom of the falls on a rocky trail. Access this adventure from the Fiery Gizzard South Trailhead.
Easy
Foster Falls Campground
Located at the Fiery Gizzard South Trailhead, this is the only state park campground in this area that is open to vehicles, with 25 sites for tents or small trailers. Online reservations required at Reserve.tnstateparks.com.
Grundy Forest Campground
Five sites and one group campsite, only a half mile hike from the Fiery Gizzard North trailhead. Online reservations required at Reserve.tnstateparks.com.
Moderate
Grundy Forest Loop/CCC Camp
A moderate 3-mile trek with swimming holes, history, geology, giant hemlocks and cascading streams with an optional 1/3-mile walk through the site of a 1930s CCC camp. Access this adventure from the Fiery Gizzard North Trailhead.
Easy
Grundy Lakes & Lone Rock Coke Ovens
There's a recreational lake with swimming and picnicking facilities at the site of the historic Lone Rock Coke Ovens, where locally-mined coal was converted to coal coke by convict labor. An easy 2.3-mile hike encircles the lakes; some of it using a low-traffic paved road. Access this adventure from the Grundy Lakes Trailhead, which is also the parking area for the swimming and picnicking facilities.
Moderate
Hanes Hole Falls
The first named waterfall of Fiery Gizzard Creek, on its way into Fiery Gizzard Gorge, along the Grundy Forest loop trail. Access this adventure from the Fiery Gizzard North Trailhead.
Easy
Meadow Trail
This is a 1-mile easy, round trip walk through a meadow with storyboards from a children's book and a forest playground made of logs and ropes -- a great way to introduce the little ones to the joys of hiking! Access this adventure from the South Cumberland State Park Headquarters on US 41 in Monteagle.
Easy
Schoolhouse Falls
This small waterfall has the remains of a moonshiners' still at its base -- an easy quarter-mile walk from the Fiery Gizzard North Trailhead, if you bear left at the first trail intersection, about 100 feet from the trailhead kiosk.
Easy
South Cumberland State Park Visitor Center
Park info, gift shop, mini-museum and trailhead for a kid-friendly "storybook trail"
Moderate
Sycamore Falls
This is a great summer swimming hole on Big Fiery Gizzard Creek. Access this adventure from the Fiery Gizzard North Trailhead.
