South Cumberland State
Park, Collins Gulf-Big Creek Gulf Crossover, Grundy County, Tennessee
(Click to enlarge pictures)
It’s all Judge Brandt’s fault. I suppose I
could blame it on Shell because she got me the book, but then if it had never
been written, well, there you go. Robert Brandt, you are to blame for this wonderful obsession I have with Tennessee’s South Cumberland State Park. The book,
incidentally, is Middle Tennessee on Foot, and if you’re at
all interested in hiking in Tennessee, you ought to run, not walk, and get yourself a copy,
because it’s marvelous. More on the book anon. For
now, let’s discuss the hike and the pictures contained herein…beginning with
these two shots looking down Big Creek Gulf toward the junction of the three
major gulfs here: Savage, Big Creek, and Collins. The distance from this point
(near the Stone Door overlook) to that junction is
about two and a half miles as the crow flies, and that will give you just a
clue as to the immensity of this place. Note:
several of these pictures here were taken by Dan McDowell—as are the above—and
I’ll note his work as I continue.
I have done several trips in various
places in South Cumberland State
Park: to
Carter State Natural Area-Lost Cove (Buggytop) Cave,
Fiery Gizzard (of which more later), the Savage Day Loop and North Plateau
trails around Savage Gulf, and a loop into and out of Big Creek Gulf via the Big Creek Gulf and Big Creek Rim trails.
For this trip though, my friend Dan McDowell wanted to do a crossover, where he
would start at Great Stone Door and end at Collins West, basically north to
south, and I would do the opposite. The total distance would be somewhere
around ten miles given the inevitable side trips. We had already done this sort
of thing at Fiery Gizzard and it had worked out well, grandly, as a matter of
fact, so we set plans in place and did the deed March 27 of 2004. Above are the
well-stocked kiosks at the respective trailheads.
Simply because I am writing this, I’ll
describe the trip from my perspective, which was Collins West to Stone Door. I
hit the Collins West parking area probably about 7 AM, a little late but not bad for us in late March. A
start time this late in November would probably result in someone being on the
trail way too long, as happened to me
a couple of years previous…I won’t speak too much of that, except to say,
thanks to George Shinn and Jamie Hambrock, and I’m
glad you’re still there looking out for us!
An interesting contrast
here. I took the picture at left in the morning. Dan took the one at
right in the afternoon (at which time I was struggling out of Big Creek Gulf!) Neat, the differences in shadowing between the two
shots, which are virtually the same view from the same location, the Collins Gulf overlook.
Speaking of said overlook, you pass this
sign along the way…whoa…
It’s a regular four-way stop here! Well,
three-way, actually.
The first sight along the trail proper is
Rocky Mountain Creek, which goes down this nifty cascade not far from the trail
intersection in the previous photograph.
This was Dan’s view from the top of the
cascade.
Next comes Suter Falls. I have seen it in low flow, where it’s barely a
trickle along the left side. This is a pretty good run, here, but I’m sure it’s
still not what it could be after a really
heavy rain. I took the shot on the right, Dan’s is
on the left. Again, the difference in lighting from morning to afternoon is
rather striking.
One more shot of Suter Falls. Interesting, the streak of orange color at center
left. The first couple of times out here I shot prints and always wondered if
that streak was a flaw in the film. It’s not, obviously! The crossing here used
to be a little tricky, very slippery and treacherous, but a new bridge was put in down here recently
and it’s pretty safe now. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is entirely
up to your perspective…
Farther down the trail, you start to
descend into Collins Gulf. Dan’s shot at left looks back up toward the Collins Gulf overlook; at right, some of the enormous slabs of
rock that have peeled off and landed just east of the trail.
The trail from Suter Falls through Horsepound Falls is an absolute riot
with wildflowers in the early spring…
…everywhere you look, it
seems, springing from the dirt and rock, sometimes in the unlikeliest of
places. It’s amazing!
Dan’s picture at left shows Collins River getting wider, at the point where it flows over Horsepound Falls. Problem is, once it does, it pretty much disappears.
Dan got much better shots of the falls, I
think…
This is actually looking down from the lip
into the plunge pool, where the river abruptly sinks.
One more shot from the lip, and another
self-portrait from the same location. Note the bitchin’
Big South Fork commemorative bandana. All the fashionable hikers are wearing
them this year…
Lest anyone think the
wildflower Wildman Dan did not take his share of flower pix, set your mind at
ease…
…he did quite well, thank
you. I do think I outdid myself on this trip. But then Gaea was in fine form,
so it was easy!
Now on to a very
interesting area. This is Fall Creek entering Collins Gulf from the west and, naturally, promptly sinking
underground. But exactly how it does
this is most intriguing. Yes, there’s a swallet, a
cave opening that probably takes in overflow, and you can see that at center
and in Dan’s closer look at right. But most of the water goes here…
This is one of the few things I have found
in Collins Gulf I can honestly say…well, it disturbs me. Okay, so it’s just a sink that takes the water coming
in from Fall Creek. The swallet in the pictures above
is at the top of this shot, just right of center, if you need some perspective.
But the water is deep, murky, and, yes, ugly.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was just waiting for something to fall in
and be consumed…(sorry, this is how my mind works, and
yes, there is a short story being written about it!)
Another shot of this area I can best
describe as sinister. Which of course
makes it all the more cool!
Things get fun along the trail from Fall
Creek towards the Sawmill intersection. For starters, this is the crossing of Collins River. Needless to say, it’s a river of rock at this point, and it makes for
some interesting boulder-hopping as you make your way (carefully, now!) to the
other side. This is probably impassible during heavy rains.
Dan’s shot here shows that the footing is
very difficult in this area. Even a turned ankle here would put one in very
deep kimchi,
so watch your step!
Collins Gulf is awfully dry, but it’s not wholly parched. There’s Schwoon Spring. It’s actually a cave, but you don’t want to
go in it, you’ll muddy up the water and annoy your fellow travelers. I have
heard of folks drinking straight out of the cave, but I wouldn’t. I carry a PUR
Hiker; it’s cheap, it doesn’t take up much space in the pack and it beats the
hell out of the trots.
The cave is not very long, but it’s
interesting. The water leaves the cave, flows over a small waterfall, and
disappears again, probably resurging into the underground Collins River. This little pit opening is a window of sorts into
that system. At right, a pretty bit of flowstone just inside the entrance.
The broad mouth of Schwoon Spring from outside and in. Apart from being
an interesting stop and a perfect watering hole, it’s just as much a cool place
to rest and reflect on a warm Spring day.
But, lo! Behold! Who is this approaching
on yon untrodden path? Why, it’s Brother Dan, taking
my picture and then posing for one. The hardest part of his hike is over, mine
is yet to come!
Somewhere I have a picture of me sitting
near this sign on that earlier ill-fated trip. I was pretty out of it even by
here, and there was another seven miles to go that day! Today, there is but
four or so.
These bridges are awfully impressive
structures, built to last, which seems odd because, usually anyway…
…there’s no water! It’s easier to cross a
bridge than go boulder-hopping though. Still, clean as these rocks are, I
imagine during flash floods these dry beds carry an enormous amount of water.
The Connector Trail is pretty much what
its name suggests: it connects to a bunch of different trails and arguably,
it’s the heart of the trail system at Savage/Big Creek/Collins Gulfs. It’s also
one of the most rugged.
This is the home of Decatur Savage, of the
family for whom Savage Gulf is named. Talk about location, location,
location…what a homesite! If you’re going to live
down here, I imagine you’ve got to be committed to it…
Critters? Oh yes,
there’s critters!
And there’s interesting stumps. And then
there’s…goo. No, I have no clue what it is.
The portion of the Connector trail up to
the junction with the Big Creek trail is a lot better now that a bridge was put
in over Laurel Creek. This crossing used to be pretty rough. Now after a
long, hot trip you can look down on the water and wish it was in your bottles,
and your belly, and your mouth, and on your head…diving from here is not recommended…
Finally you begin to wind your way up the
side of Big Creek Gulf. Above you, if the weather is nice, you might see
some climbers and rappelers practicing their craft,
but mind what you fix your eyes on: the trail is rough and rocky, with
house-sized boulders everywhere, as Dan’s pictures show.
It is a long slog, but eventually you
stagger up Stone Door, and no, I didn’t take any pictures of it. Apparently Dan
didn’t either! Somewhere I have some and eventually I’ll dig them up and post
them. Here’s some signs though…
But this is the payoff, as shot by Dan…
…and this was the last picture I cared to
take that day, from Laurel Gulf overlook, I think, looking back down toward
that grand junction of the three gulfs, thinking, a few hours ago, I was there!
I was dog-tired, yes, but I was alive, I was exhilarated,
and best of all, I was renewed. Every trip to this amazing place seems to end
up that way, and I can’t wait to go back.
Back to the
Pictures
Page
Back to the
Home Page
It’s all Judge Brandt’s fault. I suppose I
could blame it on Shell because she got me the book, but then if it had never
been written, well, there you go. Robert Brandt, you are to blame for this wonderful obsession I have with 
I have done several trips in various
places in 
Simply because I am writing this, I’ll
describe the trip from my perspective, which was Collins West to Stone Door. I
hit the Collins West parking area probably about 
An interesting contrast
here. I took the picture at left in the morning. Dan took the one at
right in the afternoon (at which time I was struggling out of 
Speaking of said overlook, you pass this
sign along the way…whoa…
It’s a regular four-way stop here! Well,
three-way, actually.
The first sight along the trail proper is
Rocky Mountain Creek, which goes down this nifty cascade not far from the trail
intersection in the previous photograph.
This was Dan’s view from the top of the
cascade.
Next comes 
One more shot of 
Farther down the trail, you start to
descend into 
Dan’s picture at left shows 
Dan got much better shots of the falls, I
think…
This is actually looking down from the lip
into the plunge pool, where the river abruptly sinks.
One more shot from the lip, and another
self-portrait from the same location. Note the bitchin’
Big South Fork commemorative bandana. All the fashionable hikers are wearing
them this year…
Now on to a very
interesting area. This is Fall Creek entering 
This is one of the few things I have found
in 
Another shot of this area I can best
describe as sinister. Which of course
makes it all the more cool!
Things get fun along the trail from Fall
Creek towards the Sawmill intersection. For starters, this is the crossing of 
Dan’s shot here shows that the footing is
very difficult in this area. Even a turned ankle here would put one in very
deep kimchi,
so watch your step!
The cave is not very long, but it’s
interesting. The water leaves the cave, flows over a small waterfall, and
disappears again, probably resurging into the underground 
The broad mouth of Schwoon Spring from outside and in. Apart from being
an interesting stop and a perfect watering hole, it’s just as much a cool place
to rest and reflect on a warm Spring day.
But, lo! Behold! Who is this approaching
on yon untrodden path? Why, it’s Brother Dan, taking
my picture and then posing for one. The hardest part of his hike is over, mine
is yet to come!
Somewhere I have a picture of me sitting
near this sign on that earlier ill-fated trip. I was pretty out of it even by
here, and there was another seven miles to go that day! Today, there is but
four or so.
These bridges are awfully impressive
structures, built to last, which seems odd because, usually anyway…
…there’s no water! It’s easier to cross a
bridge than go boulder-hopping though. Still, clean as these rocks are, I
imagine during flash floods these dry beds carry an enormous amount of water.
The Connector Trail is pretty much what
its name suggests: it connects to a bunch of different trails and arguably,
it’s the heart of the trail system at Savage/Big Creek/Collins Gulfs. It’s also
one of the most rugged.
This is the home of Decatur Savage, of the
family for whom 
Critters? Oh yes,
there’s critters!
And there’s interesting stumps. And then
there’s…goo. No, I have no clue what it is.
The portion of the Connector trail up to
the junction with the Big Creek trail is a lot better now that a bridge was put
in over 
Finally you begin to wind your way up the
side of 
It is a long slog, but eventually you
stagger up Stone Door, and no, I didn’t take any pictures of it. Apparently Dan
didn’t either! Somewhere I have some and eventually I’ll dig them up and post
them. Here’s some signs though…
But this is the payoff, as shot by Dan…
…and this was the last picture I cared to
take that day, from Laurel Gulf overlook, I think, looking back down toward
that grand junction of the three gulfs, thinking, a few hours ago, I was there!
I was dog-tired, yes, but I was alive, I was exhilarated,
and best of all, I was renewed. Every trip to this amazing place seems to end
up that way, and I can’t wait to go back.