While hiking during the pandemic I have tried to avoid going out on Saturdays, but this one was just too nice. With temperatures just below 80 and low humidity I just couldn't pass up heading out and I went to Rocky Fork State Park. While I knew there would be a lot of people, most of them would be mouthbreathers, I wanted to do the new Whitehouse Cliffs Trail. So, knowing I needed to protect myself I headed up to my favorite state park in Tennessee.
On my backpack out of Rocky Fork Labor Day Weekend 2019, John told me they were working on a new trail up to the best view in the park. This was welcomed news for me as I had gone up the old trail back in November of 2017 on my first visit to Rocky Fork.
The trail was less than a mile and while it started out with a gentle grade it got steep about half-a-mile in and then got even steeper on the 0.7-mile trip to the top. He and the Rocky Fork Trail Crew finished there work just before 2020 started. The old trail started 0.7 miles up the Rocky Fork Trail. It went around the northside of Whitehouse Knob and then steeply up the westside.
The trail was less than a mile and while it started out with a gentle grade it got steep about half-a-mile in and then got even steeper on the 0.7-mile trip to the top. He and the Rocky Fork Trail Crew finished there work just before 2020 started. The old trail started 0.7 miles up the Rocky Fork Trail. It went around the northside of Whitehouse Knob and then steeply up the westside.
The new trail starts up at the back of the parking area to the right of the Campfire Interpretation Area. It heads east around the south face of Whitehouse Knob. This new trail switchbacks far more than the old, so some of the sting is taken out of the climb. However, there is a point near the top where the new trail meets where the old path came steeply up. It was about here that I also passed Mountain Laurel, a lot of Laurel. Yes, I saw some on the way up, but at the top, there was a lot.
The view was as good as my first trip up here, even with summer foliage. Still, something new on the summit was a sign for Whitehouse Knob, complete with the elevation. After enjoying the view and the Mountain Laurel I started to head back.
I will mention here about running into several people and as Pete would describe most were "mouthbreathers." As has been the case the majority of the time I was the one social distancing and covering my mouth. Well, there was one woman who was covering her mouth when she passed people, but just one.
So, with that in mind, Pete and I decided to head up the Flint Mountain Trail, because I figured there would be little to no people on it. The trailhead for it is just outside the main entrance to the left across Rocky Fork Creek. Once across the trail heads left, but before going, guess what happened? Two people crossed the creek to go on the same trail. However, I think they meant to go on the Whitehouse Cliffs Trail (I told them where it now starts) because it wasn't long before they disappeared.
I will say this trail definitely doesn't see the most maintenance in the park. It is a little grown-up, but (except for early on) I didn't see a soul, oh except for two snakes. I did about a mile and a half, so at some point, I will have to do the whole trail (which can be done as a loop). Oh, one more thing saw a Buckeye turning...Autumn will be here eventually!
To close out the day I decided to hike up the Rocky Fork Trail to where the old Whitehouse Cliffs Trail. The sign was going and debris had been put on the old trail. Soon, it will disappear into memory. Well, like always a day out at Rocky Fork is a good one.
The view was as good as my first trip up here, even with summer foliage. Still, something new on the summit was a sign for Whitehouse Knob, complete with the elevation. After enjoying the view and the Mountain Laurel I started to head back.
I will mention here about running into several people and as Pete would describe most were "mouthbreathers." As has been the case the majority of the time I was the one social distancing and covering my mouth. Well, there was one woman who was covering her mouth when she passed people, but just one.
So, with that in mind, Pete and I decided to head up the Flint Mountain Trail, because I figured there would be little to no people on it. The trailhead for it is just outside the main entrance to the left across Rocky Fork Creek. Once across the trail heads left, but before going, guess what happened? Two people crossed the creek to go on the same trail. However, I think they meant to go on the Whitehouse Cliffs Trail (I told them where it now starts) because it wasn't long before they disappeared.
I will say this trail definitely doesn't see the most maintenance in the park. It is a little grown-up, but (except for early on) I didn't see a soul, oh except for two snakes. I did about a mile and a half, so at some point, I will have to do the whole trail (which can be done as a loop). Oh, one more thing saw a Buckeye turning...Autumn will be here eventually!
To close out the day I decided to hike up the Rocky Fork Trail to where the old Whitehouse Cliffs Trail. The sign was going and debris had been put on the old trail. Soon, it will disappear into memory. Well, like always a day out at Rocky Fork is a good one.
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