My brother Jon and his wife Brenda came to visit us in Chattanooga for a week in April. We took them north to the Tennessee/Kentucky border to hike the 600-feet deep gorge carved into the Cumberland Plateau by the Big South Fork River and its tributaries.
We rented an Airbnb cabin in Oneida, TN that provided easy access to Big South Fork’s 125,000 Acres.
I chose Twin Arches for our first hike. The adjacent sandstone spans form one of the largest natural bridge complexes in the world.
Over 100 natural arches have been logged in Tennessee and Kentucky claims over 2,708 natural spans.
Natural Bridge is situated next to Pickett Park Highway (SR 154). It looks precariously thin and brittle in the middle, but hiking on top of it is still allowed.
Crystal Falls is actually 70-feet tall, counting the cascade above it. It was cool and refreshing to stand at the base as the day turned hot.
Our last hiking destination for day one was Hazard Cave. Walking beneath the cliff face to the cave entrance was awe-inspiring.
Hazard Cave is more of a giant overhang or “Indian Rockhouse” than a typical cave in Tennessee.
The bioluminescent insects that inhabit this cave are called “glow worms.” They are the larval stage of a fungus gnat. What makes these glow worms special is they radiate a vibrant blue, rather than the usual green of others that live in the Appalachian Mountains. I could not capture them in a daylight picture.
Our first stop on day two was Split Bow Arch. I didn’t locate a vantage point that allowed me to see all the way through the arch above the main arch, but you can see most of it in this picture. The view of Split Bow Arch from its overlook by the road gave no indication of just how cool this bridge is.
Farther north on the east side of Big South Fork Recreation Area we ate the best catfish I’ve ever had at the old railroad station in Stearns, KY. Our waitress recommended the fish saying, “No one has ever complained about it.” Karen bought a pottery jewelry holder in a store by the railroad tracks, then we took the second bit of advice from our waitress and visited the Blue Heron Mine #118 that operated from 1937 to 1962. The model of the town that once thrived here is made of new replicas and “ghost structures” as the originals were allowed to decay.
In the early 1800s, the Legend of Devil’s Jump claimed a Pennsylvania migrant using a foot powered drill, drilled so deep in search of salt brine that he believed he had tapped into Hell. Instead of salt brine, a black, smelly liquid he called “Devil’s Tar” came oozing up making this the first known oil well in the United States. Believing it was “Devil’s Tar” a man on a raft was sent down river with samples to find out what the oil was and how it could be used. The raftsman claimed, the Devil himself jumped out from rocks flanking both sides of huge rapids, sank my raft, and carried all my property under both arms up the west side of the river. Devil’s Jump Overlook looks down on the suspect boulders in the story.
Yahoo Falls is Kentucky’s tallest and plunges 113 feet off the top of the Cumberland Plateau. Many falls in this Appalachian area run dry during hot summer months. This was our last hike for this trip, but we’ll be back again to explore more of this amazing terrain.
Day three and we stop at Rugby, TN, founded in 1880 by British author Thomas Hughes. The historic community was meant to be a “Gentlemen’s Utopia.” Rugby’s many Victorian buildings have been painstakingly restored and includes the first free library in the south. R.M. Brooks store was built in 1917. The milkshakes from their soda fountain are incredible.
Paradise in the wilderness flourished at first, but typhoid in 1881, two inns burning, and many of the original “gentlemen” running out of money stunted growth and interest causing most of the original colonists to leave by 1900. Rugby is still a living community with a museum, historic tours, lodging, and stores.
The gorges, arches, cliffs, rock shelters, and rivers of Big South Fork can be visually overwhelming, but don’t forget to stop and appreciate the smaller wonders while you’re there.