Mountain Bikes

Mountain bike riding has become one of the more popular recreational activities enjoyed by visitors to Big South Fork.

Currently at Big South Fork there are several trails which have been designed, built and are maintained by the Big South Fork Mountain Bike Club. In addition to bike only trails, mountain bikes are allowed on highway edges, backcountry roads and horse trails. This combination provides bikers of all skill levels with miles of trail options.

In addition, the National Park Service, as approved in it's General Management Plan has initiated a "time-sharing" use of mountain bikes on the Grand Gap Loop hiking trail. On weekdays the Grand Gap Loop Trail will be open to both hikers and cyclists.

The way you ride today shapes mountain bike trail access tomorrow. Do your part to preserve and enhance the sport's access and image by observing the following rules of the trail, formulated by the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). These rules are recognized around the world as the standard code of conduct for mountain bikers.

Mountain bike trail descriptions are available from either of the parks visitor centers.

In an effort to make the trail system more user friendly for the wide variety of users at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area the park is implementing a new system of trailhead and trail markings.

Paddling

The Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its main tributaries, the Clear Fork, North White Oak and New River offer visitors a variety of whitewater paddling opportunities. While on the river you may still see the results of previous agricultural, mining and logging practices, the land today has a quality of wildness with limited access and sparse development.

Paddling can be a dangerous sport in certain stretches of the rivers in Big South Fork. Some stretches may be ideal for beginners, while other sections should be attempted only by highly skilled paddlers with the proper equipment. There are streams which can be floated during any time of the year while others have enough water for boating only during seasons with sufficient rainfall.

The river is a dynamic system which changes constantly. Expect the unexpected for conditions change quickly.

Information on paddling in the Big South Fork and on commercial outfitters is available at either park visitor center.

Places To Go

Big South Fork offers many interesting places to visit during your stay in the park. It is recommended that your first stop be at one of the parks two visitor centers at Stearns or Bandy Creek. Here you can obtain all the information needed for a safe and enjoyable experience.

East Rim Overlook off Hwy 297 in Tennessee and Devils Jump Overlook off Hwy 742 in Kentucky are two of many scenic overlooks where one may stand on the edge of the Big South Fork gorge and look down hundreds feet to the river below. Both East Rim and Devils Jump meet ADA standards for accessibility.

If you would like to visit the Big South Fork River, up close and personal, Leatherwood Ford is the place for you. Here you can walk across the old low water bridge, the main bridge across the river until 1983 when the new bridge was completed. There are boardwalks along the rivers edge with benches and picnic spots and a number of trails both long and short which follow the rivers edge. If you choose to get your feet wet wading in the river, please be careful, the rocks can be slippery, currents tricky and drop-offs sudden.

The Twin Arches, the largest sandstone arches in the eastern United States are less then a mile hike from the closest trailhead. Once at the arches you can return across the top of the North Arch back to your car, you can hike down to the Charit Creek Lodge for an unforgettable nights stay in the heart of Big South Fork, or continue on to visit “Jakes Place” and hike through massive rockshelters as you return to the arches and your car.

Yahoo Falls, located in the northern portion of Big South Fork is Kentucky’s highest waterfall dropping 113 feet from the lip to the pool below. A short one-mile loop will take you down to, behind and back to the top of the falls. The Yahoo Falls area also has picnic facilities and scenic overlooks into the Big South Fork river gorge.

A visit to the Blue Heron Mining Community will transport you back in time to the 1940’s and 1950’s as you visit the outdoor museum dedicated to life in a company coal mining town. You can visit ghost structures depicting company houses and buildings, hear the former residents tell you in their own words about life in Blue Heron, enter the mouth of Mine 18 and walk out over the Big South Fork River on the old tipple and bridge. You can drive into Blue Heron or ride in on the Big South Fork Scenic Railway.

Nearby Attractions

Obed Wild and Scenic River is located in Morgan and Cumberland Counties in East Tennessee on the Cumberland Plateau. The park includes parts of the Obed River, Clear Creek, Daddy's Creek and the Emory River. Over 45 miles of creeks and rivers are included in the wild and scenic river area. These waterways have cut rugged gorges with bluffs as high as 500 feet above the whitewater in the streams. Outdoor recreational activities such as whitewater boating, rock climbing, hiking and fishing are popular seasonal activities in the Obed.

For additional information visit Obed Wild and Scenic River or call (423) 346-6294

Pickett State Park and Forest is a combination of scenic, botanical and geological wonders found nowhere else in Tennessee. Picket State Park offers camping, cabins, picnicking, swimming and hiking. Once owned by the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company, it became one of Tennessee's earliest state parks in the 1930's. Its vintage stone structures recall hard times in America; they were built the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers after the Great Depression.

For further information visit Pickett State Park of call (931) 879-5821

Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park, located in Pall Mall, Tennessee, pays tribute to Sgt. Alvin C. York, the backwoods marksman from the mountains of Tennessee who became one of the most decorated soldiers of World War I. The historic park includes the York family farm and the grist mill he operated for many years on the banks of the Wolf River.

For additional information visit Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park or call (931) 879-6456.

Frozen Head State Park is nestled in 12,000 acres in the back of the valley of the Flat Fork watershed. Activities include hiking, biking, camping, backpacking, and picnicking. It has some beautiful wild flower hikes in the spring. The 3 12 mile hike up the South Old Mac Mountain Trail leads to the CCC-built firetower. The views from the firetower are spectacular, with the wilderness of the Cumberland Mountains to the north and the Tennessee Valley to the south.

For more information visit Frozen Head State Park or call (423) 346-3318

Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is located in the Daniel Boone National Forest. Known as the "Niagara of the South," the waterfall forms a 125-foot wide curtain that plunges 60 feet into the boulder-strewn gorge below. The mist of Cumberland Falls creates the magic of the moonbow, only visible on a clear night during a full moon. The area is a natural choice for water-sports enthusiasts, offering white-water rafting and canoeing among other water activities. The historic DuPont Lodge offers lodging, dining and a spectacular view of the Cumberland River Valley.

For additional information visit Cumberland Falls State Resort Park or call (606) 528-4121

Dale Hollow Lake is managed by the Nashville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who welcomes you to this recreational treasure located on the Cumberland Plateau. Each year Dale Hollow Lake provides recreational opportunities to millions of visitors. As a result of the temperate climate and relatively long recreation season, visitors to Dale Hollow have many opportunities to fish, hunt, camp, picnic, boat, canoe, hike, ride horseback, and enjoy the outdoors.

For additional information visit Dale Hollow Lake or call the Resource Manager at (931) 243-3136.

Things To Do

What ever type of outdoor recreation you enjoy, chances are Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, has a place you can do it. The hardest part of your visit may be deciding which trail, overlook, historic site, natural feature or program to try next!

Activities include:

• Hiking
• Horseback Riding
• Paddling the River
• Camping
• Hunting
• Fishing
• Volunteer Work

Want to watch a sunset? Do you get up early enough to enjoy a sunrise? There are overlooks all along the Big South Fork River gorge where you can catch the suns first or last rays of the day.

Hiking on your agenda? You can choose from any number of hikes ranging from a lazy stroll along the river to a multi-day hike through the backcountry.

Do you have a horse? Big South Fork has miles of horse trails, stabling facilities and even two equestrian campgrounds.

During a trip to Big South Fork in the spring time you can find spectacular displays of wildflowers and native plants along many trails in the park.

Want to visit a company town and enter a coal mine? Visit the Blue Heron Mining Community a coal mining town once owned by the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company. You can even ride the Big South Fork Scenic Railway from Stearns into Blue Heron.

Looking for something a little more extreme. Try whitewater rafting the Big South Fork River, mountain biking through the backcountry or rock climbing on the miles of cliff lines throughout the park.

If you wish to work in the park, Big South Fork has an active volunteer program. Join the team and aid in the preservation the parks natural and cultural resources, help campers as a campground host, or work to maintain the parks system of trails. The opportunities abound!

Outdoor Activities

Established in 1974 Big South Fork was designated as both a National Recreation Area and a National River. The National Recreation Area designation was deemed appropriate due to the area's proximity to a large number of metropolitan areas and the potential the area exhibited for outdoor recreational activities.

While still managing Big South Fork in such a manner as to protect the area's natural and cultural resources, the park is also managed in a way which will provide visitors with the opportunity to engage in a wide range of healthy outdoor recreational activities.

Some of the most popular recreational activities available at Big South Fork include:

• Camping
• Hiking
• Horseback Riding
• Mountain Bike Riding
• Paddling
• Hunting
• Fishing
• Photography
• Star Gazing
• SightseeingI

Stop by one of the park's two visitor centers to obtain all the information needed for a safe and enjoyable experience.

Spring Planting Festival

Spring, a time for new beginnings and growth. For many mountain families it was also a time begin their planting of crops, vegetable gardens and livestock production. It was this production that sustained the family through the rest of the year.

The early families who settled the Big South Fork area depended on their ability to successfully raise animals, crops, and gardens to feed themselves. Most of the farming that occurred here was truly subsistence farming. The family often consumed the entire production of the garden. There was continued use of wild plant and animal foods, but the "kitchen garden" was vital to a sustainable food supply. This tradition continues with many families even today. It is not uncommon for local residents to have large gardens that provide a substantial amount of food.

Along with planning for their gardens and crops, families had a number of annual spring "chores" that were performed -- spring cleaning and airing out of the house and bed linens, repairing paling fences, livestock care and animal husbandry, and mending and making clothing for the spring and summer seasons. Various crafts and forgotten arts of today were skills of yesterday -- skills needed for survival in the area we now call the Big South Fork, Cumberland Mountains or Appalachia.

In celebration of these skills and traditions of spring, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area annually hosts a Spring Planting Day in late April or early May. During the festival crafter's demonstrate forgotten arts such as blacksmithing, basket making, hand spinning, weaving, woodcarving, chair caning, soap making, garden herb lore and use, and paling fence making. In addition there are displays of women's life, antique farm tools, farm animals and old-time toys which will delight young and old alike. Toe-tapping tunes of mountain dulcimer music are performed by the Knoxville Area Dulcimer Club throughout the day. Of special interest is the plowing and planting with mules and horses which takes place at the Lora Blevins field.

Come and join us in our celebration of spring and traditional mountain ways.

Horseback Riding

Horseback riding has become one of the most popular activities at Big South Fork. This information is designed to help you have a safe and enjoyable visit to the area.

To provide access to many of the area's scenic features, there are over 180 miles of horse trails available throughout the Big South Fork. These horse trails are all signed and marked with a white blaze and yellow horse head. The trails vary in both length and degree of difficulty. They range from short, easy day rides to long and strenuous loops that may take several days to complete. Due to the extensive network of trails, horseback riders are advised to purchase a Trails Illustrated map from either of the park visitor centers, Eastern National, a park concessionaire or local area businesses.

In an effort to make the trail system more user friendly for the wide variety of users at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area the park is implementing a new system of trailhead and trail markings.

Please note that proof of a negative Coggins Test for Swamp Fever is required to bring horses into Big South Fork.

Horseback riding related facilities located in Big South Fork include:

Bandy Creek Stables, a concessions managed stables available for those who wish to board their horse while camping at he adjacent Bandy Creek Campground. Providing an easy connection to the area's extensive trail system, Bandy Creek Stables offers facilities for stall rental and long term boarding of horses. For further information, please contact the Bandy Creek Stables, 1845 Old Sunbright Road, 38556 or phone 423-286-7433.

Station Camp and Bear Creek are both operated by a National Park Service Concessionaire. Campsites provide water and electrical hookups, tie outs for four horses, restrooms with showers and a dump station. For additional information visit horse camps. To make reservations write to: Station Camp and Bear Creek Horse Camp, P.O. Box 4411, Oneida, Tennessee 37841 or call (423) 569-3321.

Charit Creek Lodge, located in the Station Camp Creek drainage offers a full range of amenities including cabin and dormitory rentals, meals, restrooms and showers. Access to the remote lodge is by foot, bike or horse only. Stalls are available and riders are encouraged to book reservations well in advance. For further information visit Charit Creek, write 250 Apple Valley Road, Sevierville, TN 37862 or call (865) 429-5704.