Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
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Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee |
| DESCRIPTION: | From the road, the trail follows an old nineteenth-century railroad bed up Richland Creek Gorge past an old mine tunnel to the right. This first section follows the house boulder strewn creek until it forks to the right just prior to reaching the Old Dayton Reservoir. A sign marks the main trail at this junction. After walking up a steep hill, you will come to a trail intersection. Take the left trail, and you will proceed to the fifty-foot bridge over the Laurel Creek. After this bridge, the trail forks again, one trail going up the east gorge, the other going up the west gorge. The west trail, on the left, leads to Buzzard Point which provides a view of the Tennessee Valley and Dayton. The final highlight to this trail is the small waterfall known as Snow Falls. The east trail, the right fork, takes the hiker to Bryan Overlook, also known as Raven's Point with its majestic view of the Tennessee Valley from a towering height of 1700 feet. From here you see the 80 foot Laurel Falls. After a very steep climb, just past the waterfall, you will encounter several overlooks and a stream crossing. Walking along this stream will take you to the top of Laurel Falls, for yet another overlook. Remember to be careful as several hikers have fallen from this point. Although the west trail is slightly shorter, we definitely recommend the east trail. Both trails are 10.5 mile round trip, and both are rated as difficult. |
| DIRECTIONS: | Take I-40 East from Nashville to Crossville Exit 318. Follow U.S. 127 for eight miles to the city of Homestead, TN. At Homestead, take TN 68 South for 22 miles to Spring City. U.S. 27 South will lead you into Dayton, TN, 17 miles after this intersection. Once in Dayton, turn West off U.S. 27 just North of the Rhea County Hospital. Follow this road until it dead ends at a "T" then turn left. Within the next mile, you will turn right onto a mile-long, winding dirt road marked by the Laurel-Snow Pocket Wilderness parking area sign. This road ends at the Laurel-Snow parking area. |
| CAUTIONS: | The east/west gorge fork can be difficult to see year-round unless you know where it is. Be sure to observe the area for distinguishing features, or you might begin the other leg of the hike without planning to. Also the trail itself can be difficult to see in the fall since the leaves cover the rocky ground. Be careful with your footing in these areas as the rocks are often very loose. Also, when at the top of the east gorge, follow the arrows painted on the rock to ensure that you don't get lost. Remember to take side trails or you will miss some of the more scenic areas. |
| FOR MORE INFO: | Read up on pages 155-157 of Tennessee Trails by Evan Means which is available in the Outdoor Recreation Library. Pages 96-100 of The South Cumberland and Fall Creek by Russ Manning and Sondra Jamieson provides a great amount of detail about the area as well. |