Tales From The Wood Booger: When I Don't Want To Go Far I Turn To The Tusculum Trail

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

When I Don't Want To Go Far I Turn To The Tusculum Trail

Well, Saturday I decided to take it easy and stayed close to civilization, hiking eight miles on the Tusculum Trail. This blog, originally, was going to be a short one on my day out this weekend. However, when I was looking back I realized that I had only done a short blog on the Tusculum Trail and it was about our winter hike there in 2014. That means I have never done one on hiking the whole trail, which I first did in July of 2014.

On the trail in July of 2014...

...then December of the same year.

For the those who don't know the Tusculum Trail is a paved multi-use trail (hiking and biking, but no skateboards or roller blades). It has three trailheads, the first is at one end near Greene Valley Development Center (on Edens Road), number two is half-way just on the other side of the footbridge off TN 107 and the third is at the other end at Tusculum Park, behind Doak Elementary School. Both times I have hiked the whole trail I started at Tusculum Park and hiked to Greene Valley and back (the other time Deb and I did half of it starting at the footbridge to Greene Valley).

The start of the trail at Tusculum Park...

...parking area at footbridge trailhead...

...then at Greene Valley.

The first part of the trail leaves the park and weaves it way through Tusculum to the college. Once on campus, it passes the new Math and Science Center being built and the baseball stadium, which is also home to the Greeneville Astros. This all happens in the first mile, the second starts with what I call the landing strip. It is a quarter-mile stretch through a neighborhood that looks like you can land a plane on. After crossing the Tusculum Bypass the trail cuts through farmland, including passing an old barn. Finally, the trail approaches the footbridge, that I mentioned earlier, that crosses the four-lane TN 107. This also serves as a trailhead to either cut the tail in half or do the whole thing if you choose.

Starting out from Tusculum Park.

Fall is in the air (& trees).

New Math & Science Center.

Pioneer Park.

I found myself in the middle of the Tusculum 5K...

...on the landing strip, I passed a some of the 5Kers.

Crossing Tusculum Bypass...

...passing this barn...

...which had tobacco in it.

Here are some of the runners in the 5K.

Field and mountains...

...& here is an old barn.

The footbridge across TN-107.

The back-half, I will admit, is my favorite part. While cutting through a neighborhood, it also traverses open fields, some woods and past a creek. However, the big bonus is the view. At certain points, you get a taste of it as Camp Creek Bald, Big Firescald Knob, and Andrew Johnson Mountain is all visible. But, when you reach the hill where this old farm house sits, the entire stretch of the Bald Mountains is laid out in front of you. On my latest trip, the view was extra special as I knew that I had hiked the entire stretch...nice!

Heading from the footbridge trailhead.

Big Firescald Knob.

Stream near the trail.

Camp Creek Bald.

Field on one side & neighborhood on the other.

Andrew Johnson Mountain.

Old farm house on the hill...

...& this vista.

The final stretch to Green Valley parallels a road through a cornfield. In total, this adds up to just under four miles. That is why an out-and-back is 7.5 miles, so to make it eight I hike around the trail around Tusculum Park. I will say on my hike Saturday I did it at a nice pace finishing eight miles in two-and-a-half hours, not bad. Well, that covers a day out on the Tusculum Trail.