Hiking Trails in Tennessee

Big South Fork National River and Recreational Area - On the Tennessee side of this area, I have only hiked one trail, the Sunset Overlook Trail (2.6 miles). Warning to all; the Tennessee road system sucks. I have yet to find a map that agrees with what I actually drive on. Anyways, to continue, it starts off near a meadow and goes into the woods. About a tenth of a mile into it, you cross near a marsh, and it is quite serene. Then the trail continues for about a fifth of a mile, and you come across a much larger marsh. I'm not sure if these are ponds or marshes, but I don't believe there are any fish in them. Anyhow, the rest of the trail proceeds until you come the highlight, the Sunset Overlook. It's a rocky outcrop, and it was here that we chose to take a break and enjoy the surroundings. Then we proceeded back the same way we came.
Burgess Falls State Park - There is only one real trail in this park, and it is approximately one mile but it is worth the trip. It is farily level, and it passes a small waterfall in the beginning, then the bigger Middle Falls, then finally it leads to an overlook of Burgess Falls which is well over 100 feet high. If you like, you can descend the stairs to the area below the falls and take it in from down there. I personally was more interested in the ampitheater-like cliffs that seemed rather out of place in Tennessee. When done viewing the watershow, return the way you came.
Cedars of Lebanon State Park - I did the Hidden Springs Trail which is five miles long and begins at the picnic area of the park. It is extremely flat but it provides interesting glimpses of cedar glades that are underlayed by limestone so porous that not much grows there except for grass and the occasional cedar tree. In fact, the prickly pear cactus grows in Middle Tennessee in this very region. About 3/5 the way through the trail, it comes to an intermittent stream that if you were to follow the creek bed you would see that it flows underground into a cave. This makes it a nice spot in the hot summer to take a rest. In this same area are cracks in the rocks that are 20 to 30 feet deep straight down. When finished looking at the interesting geological phenomena you will continue down the Tennessee path. The trail becomes uneventful as it makes its way full circle and heads back to the picnic area.
Cordell Hull Lake Wildlife Management Area - The trail I did on this was called the Bearwaller Gap Trail. This 11.6 mile trail was strenuous despite being in Middle Tennessee. It starts out at the Damage Creek Recreation area and ascends a hill. It descends down to the lake's edge and then back up again. It continues up and down for many miles, passing rock outrcops with nice overlooks of the lake and the hills to the west and south. Eventually you ascend the second to last hill and on the way pass an old homesite that is now covered with ivy. I mean it's everywhere, it's like a carpet on the floor. And on the way up the hill you pass by a faint trail that leads off to the left. If one is to follow this trail, it will lead to a perennial waterfall of about 20 to 25 feet that could be quite spectacular in the Spring or even the Summer. It just happened to be during a mini-drought when I went. Proceeding, you descend that hill and finally begin a long climb on the last hill. By this point, I was dehydrated and this climb became more brutal than Mt. Katahdin. Up, up, up the hill you go until you reach an overlook parking lot. You think you are done, but a sidewalk continues up to a shelter at the very top. From this shelter there are commanding views of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberland Plateau. After you take in the view, you must retrace your steps, or you could walk the road back I suppose...
Great Smoky Mountain National Park - I've done a few trails here. The picture at the top is of the Kephart Prong Trail, which is located in North Carolina. It's not a bad trail, but out of the Smokey Mountain trails I've done, it's proababy the worst. It is a 2 mile long trail where you return the way you came. At the end of the trail is an old CCC shelter and it can be a good resting spot if you like. The trail is mostly level, if there were some inclines they were barely noticeable. The only plus of the trail is that there weren't too many people around.
Chimmney Tops Trail, is a rather steep 4 mile trail that leads to a great view of the Smokey Mountains. It is rather rocky, and there is some climbing at the end, but the view at the end makes it worthwhile.
Grundy State Forest - Located in Southern-Middle Tennessee, we did the Day Loop Trail which runs about 2.5 miles. This short trail passes many waterfalls ranging from 5 feet to about 35 feet in height. In addition, there is easy access to Sycamore Falls and another shute at the junction with the Fiery Gizzard Trail 0.7 miles from the end of the trail. If you choose to take this, I would recommend just looking at the shute because the falls aren't all that impressive. Towards the end of the trail are some very large, mature hemlocks (rumored to be around 400 years old) next to a rockhouse that are interesting to look at.
Long Hunter State Park - One trail we have done is the Day Loop Trail which is accessed by following the signs to the Volunteer Trail. It is 4 miles in length and follows the shore of J. Percey Priest Lake. Along the way it passes low rock bluffs that provide views of the lake as well as cedar glades with the occasional Prickly Pear Cactus. The trail then passes a very large dying tree and a drainage area. It loops around and follows a low ridge back to the starting point.
Pickett State Park and Forest - The trail we did here was the Hidden Passage Trail. This trail is supposed to be something like 11.5 miles but I think it's more along the lines of about 9 miles. Anyhow, the trail starts at a small parking area just up the road from the headquarters. The first half-mile is unventful. At this point the trail forks and and you can go either way. We went right. You soon come to Crystal Falls, a 20 or so foot waterfall that would have been cool had it not been abnormally dry when we happened upon it. The trail then climbs up the hill to a large arch I'm assuming that's the Hidden Passage. The trail is uneventful for the next two or three miles before there is a mile long spur trail to Double Falls. I never actually made it to these falls, so if you ever get to them, tell me if they are nice. On the way down there is a backcountry campsite. We had planned to stay there but somebody had already nabbed it. We then had to climb back up the hill to a makeshift campsite under a huge rock overhang. Anyhow, after viewing the falls, you climb back up to the main trail. In about 1/4 mile you come to Thompson's Overlook which gives a nice view of the Cumberland Plateau. The next 4 miles after this are uneventful laced with an occasional thorn bush. With about a mile left in the trail you come to the group campsite. Follow the trail closesly on the left side of the road. At the end of the campsite road the trail then heads back into the woods passing a small arch along the way. In a half mile, you meet back up with the main trail. Another 1/2 mile and you're back at the parking area.
Savage Gulf State Natural Area - One trail I did here is the Day Loop trail. It is four miles in length and is quite uneventful for the first mile. After that, you come to Savage Falls, a waterfall of about 25 feet. After viewing this, you bear to the right and continue on your way to a semi-descent overlook called Rattlesnake Point. My wife and I chose to rest here and we took in the views. After this, you continue on the trail and it loops into the woods until it meets back up with the trail you came in on.
Another trail I did was the South Rim trail, or at least I think that's the name. Anyhow, It is a trail that follows the south rim of Savage Gulf that splits with the Day Loop trail about a mile along the way. It passes over Savage Falls after that, and it is pretty interesting to get an overhead view of the falls. Then for the next 7 miles the trail winds back and forth branching off 3 times for ever-increasingly beter overlooks. The reason they get better is that you are moving further down the edge of the gulf as it slowly widens. After seeing all three of these overlooks, you hike a little bit further to get to the backcountry campsite. Now this is the crappiest backcountry campsite I have ever camped at. For starters, it is a full blown campsite in the middle of nowhere. So the purpose of backpacking and getting alone with nature is not acheived here because once again, you are surrounded by people. We got lucky, there were only 2 other people there, but it was New Year's Eve and our thinking was that nobody would be out there. But I always did underestimate the sheer population of Tennessee. Anyhow, the only way to get back is to hike the way you came for a total trip of 14 miles.