Trails Team

The Tennessee Trails Association (TTA) awarded an Evan Means Grant to the Friends of South Cumberland State Parks, helping fund an FSC initiative to install custom mileage marker/location identifier medallions on nearly 87 miles of trail in South Cumberland State Park (SCSP).  The medallions improve hiker locational awareness and safety, while assisting in Rangers’ rescue efforts.  This system of color-coded markers also make possible more detailed trail maps.

The FSC Trails Team started AND finished a trail reroute project on National Trails Day, June 4th! This 100-foot section of the Greeter Falls Access Trail was constructed by the FSC Trails Team in about seven hours, bypassing a narrow section of trail, dangerously close to the drop-off into Firescald Creek. The project began with brush clearing along the new bypass trail route, while allowing the main trail to remain open for the busy summer visitor traffic headed to and from Greeter Falls. Brush was stored on the uphill side of the tread while the trail crew cleared and leveled the new tread area.  When the tread was ready, the brush was taken downhill and used to cover the old, near-the-edge trail, and visitor traffic was routed onto the newly-completed tread.

Thanks to the Tennessee Trails Association (TTA) for providing a grant to fund the materials for a new staircase at the top of the Climbers’ Access Trail at Foster Falls.  The Evan Means grant allowed SCSP Park Rangers Jason Reynolds, Ryan Harris and Dan Wescoat to purchase the lumber, concrete and other materials to construct the new staircase, which replaced an aging set of steps at the top of this busy trail.  

Volunteers from the Friends of South Cumberland, the Southeast Climbers’ Association and other groups continue working to rebuild most of the descending portion of the trail, between the new staircase and the cable footbridge below the Foster Falls plunge pool.