The Natural Bridge was donated to the South Cumberland Recreation Area by the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. It sits in a 3-acre natural area that’s near the University’s campus.
The sandstone arch was created by a big sinkhole that ate away the karst rock behind it and then bored it’s way into the giant valley below, called Lost Cove.
The Natural bridge is 25-feet high and spans 50 feet. This was our first stop on the way to explore nearby Franklin Sate Forest and it was so cool, we just wanted to hang around and take it in from every angle.
Maps and directions to the trailhead in Franklin State Forest were vague. We played the “Where’s Waldo” tap dance on our map apps and made more than a few wrong turns to find the place.
The hiking trails are used by four-wheelers and horses until you get to the CCC Lake and another parking area that we failed to locate earlier. We had lunch alone at a picnic table overlooking the water lily encircled reservoir. There was just a hint of blush in the trees to tease that fall is coming.
The trail from the lake was narrow and crisscrossed by countless spider webs that Karen was happy to let me knock down ahead of her. We easily negotiated light-running creek beds on the way to Tom Pack Falls. The lack of recent rain also made rock hopping to get to the base of the 30-foot falls easier. It was cool and cozy in the falls’ giant, cliff-overhanging gulf. This was a smallish falls that packed an impressive wallop with its scenic setting.