While driving to the Stinging Fork Falls trail head, I noticed what appeared to be a roadside park on Shut In Gap Road. Returning from my hike to the falls, I stopped to discover the Piney River trail head of the Cumberland Trail. A quick bit of exploration provided a number of views of the river before it flows through Spring City and into the Watts Bar reservoir of the Tennessee River. The Cumberland Trail is a work in progress that will eventually cross the state from Cumberland Gap in the north to the Tennessee River Gorge in the south as a continuous 300 mile foot path.
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| Piney River from the Shut In Gap Road bridge |
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| Dry high water channel upstream of the bridge |
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| On this day, the river was shallow and fast |
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| Tree roots are exposed as the river scours the bank |
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| The river cascades over the rocks |
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| The valley widens below the bridge |
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| Rocks impede the river's progress |
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| Either over or around, water finds its way |
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| This pool is deep enough to be the local swimming hole |
The park website is http://www.tn.gov/environment/parks/CumberlandTrail/.
The Cumberland Trail Conference website is http://www.cumberlandtrail.org/.