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Rock Island State Park

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Rock Island State Park straddles the county boundaries of White and Warren. The less busy, more hiking available, best canyon and waterfall views are all best observed from the north side in White County. Maps The canyon you walk through is formed almost entirely in the Fort Payne Formation, so look for freakishly huge crinoids in the boulders that are too large for people to carry off in their pockets. Burrow casts are also visible in many of the rocks. Surely in times prehistoric there were geodes-=a-plenty to be found there, but the hoards of tourists have long since stripped that resource from the area. Waterfalls As you approach on a warm day with the windows down you can hear the roar of Twin Falls (Tennessee's largest waterfall by volume) before you can see it. It is effectively a man-made waterfall that results as a portion of the Collins River is pirated through conduits in the cliff as a result of Great Falls Dam raising the water table. From the northern
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Pogue Creek Canyon State Natural Area

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Pogue Creek Canyon State Natural Area is one of my favorite places to hike in Tennessee. With few people on the trails it is easy to get lost in the beauty of solitude. In the headwaters of a gorge winding its way from the Cumberland plateau, the cliffs, shelters, and natural arches in this part of Fentress County are formed of a lighter colored sandstone than surrounding areas. As a result fresh rock faces almost seem to glow with a warm radiance. Several trails are available to take, including a few routes which loop you back to generally where you began. Large ladders have been placed along some of the cliffs which may present a challenge to those afraid of heights or exposure. Maps Fullscreen map. Cliffs Natural Arches Rock Shelters Fungi
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Edgar Evins State Park

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Edgar Evins State Park is tucked among the hills and hollars above Center Hill Dam and surrounding Center Hill Lake. It is a fine state park for those who enjoy fishing and lake access. There are several enjoyable hiking trails there as well. At Edgar Evins what I appreciate the most are the wildflowers. Spring, Summer, and Fall one finds a different assortment of flowers to enjoy and photograph. The most obvious trail, running behind the nature center, is perhaps the best for wildflowers. With so much lake frontage, especially in the Winter, one can also find plenty of Mississippian fossils along the shores of Center Hill Lake. As far as I know the park doesn't let you take fossils home, which is just as well since I have so very many rocks at home already. Many of the best fossils are found in-situ (in the bedrock) so it wouldn't be practical to try to take them home. Map Fullscreen map. Plants Fungi Center Hill Lake
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Pickett State Park

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Pickett State Park is located in Pickett County, Tennessee. However management of Pogue Creek Canyon State Natural Area is through Pickett State Park. Pogue Creek Canyon SNA is in Fentress County. This is a point of some confusion. The state park is surrounded by a state forest of the same name, which (similar to Standing Stone) is also a point of some confusion. Pickett State Park is known for its lake and explary Cumberland Plateau landforms, such as natural arches and rock shelters. While water on the Cumberland Plateau tends to quickly run off, the park has a lake, a perrenial creek (Thompson Creek), and a waterfall (Crystal Falls). Maps Fullscreen map. Natural Arches Rock Shelters Creek Waterfall Archaeology
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Black Mountain - The Annual Crab Spider-a-thon

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Goldenrod crab spider ( Misumena vatia ) All photos by my beautiful wife, Kelli Lewis-Sutherland. My wife and her best friend, Laurel Abernathy have an annual tradition of visiting the Black Mountain segment of the Cumberland Trail yearly in late August or early September so that they can photograph crab spiders. Many years ago they discovered that the swaths of Maryland golden-aster ( Chrysopsis mariana ) growing alongside the trail there are also home to the adorable goldenrod crab spider ( Misumena vatia ). Approximately one in ten of the flowers has a little white or yellow spider hiding and waiting for its next meal. Ghost pipe ( Monotropa uniflora ) We were guaranteed to get our best photos yet, because we now have a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L macro lens and a ring flash. For a little less than a year, we've been experimenting and learning from this combination and have taken lots of pretty decent macros of tiny critters and flowers. We met up with Laurel and her daught
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Location: Tennessee, USA
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Burgess Falls State Park

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Burgess Falls State Park is a beautiful place to visit, and I'm excited to tell you about it! The park is located in middle Tennessee, about 12 miles southwest of Cookeville. It's home to four waterfalls that cascade down over 250 feet in elevation through Missisippian, Devonian, and Ordovician rocks. The falls are surrounded by lush forests, abundant wildlife, and beautiful exposed geology in the form of riverscour and cliffs, making it a great place to go hiking, fishing, and camping. This is the kind of park that you can be comfortable bringing kids, or your grandma to. Fullscreen map. The final waterfall, Burgess Falls (proper) is only accessible from below. One has to take a boat from Center Hill Lake to get to the base of Burgess Falls. If you don't have a boat or kayak, do not worry. Several outfitters run trips there throughout the year, and especially so in the summer. In the late 19th century, a gristmill and sawmill were built on the Falling Water Ri
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