Explorer's Guide 50 Hikes on Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau: Walks, Hikes, and Backpacks from the Tennessee River Gorge to the Big South Fork and throughout the Cumberlands

Book excerpt: Experience great hiking in the scenic swath of Tennessee between Nashville and Knoxville. Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau, a wide tableland cut with a dizzying array of deep gorges, is a geological wonderland. It is a place to behold and a place to savor. This new entry in the trusted series details 50 hikes on the plateau, from the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area near Kentucky to the fascinating Walls of Jericho astride the Alabama state line; from the thousand-foot gorge cut by the mighty Tennessee River down Chattanooga way to the watery beauty of Virgin Falls by Sparta. It will encourage you to get out and enjoy the treasures of Tennessee’s unspoiled Cumberland Plateau. Specific emphasis is placed on the most scenic destinations and the unique places that make the plateau so special, places like the Great Stone Door, with its sandstone formations and vertical rock walls, and Cumberland Mountain State Park, with its ancient trees and evidence of human history. Also included are comprehensive maps for each hike, scenic photos, and a Hikes-at-a-Glance table that makes choosing your desired hike a breeze.