JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
Two brand new state parks were recently dedicated by Tennessee State Parks, both located near Marion County in the greater Southern Cumberland Plateau.
The parks were dedicated into the statewide park system, each one offering miles of hiking trails for visitors to experience. The first of the two parks recognized is Fiery Gizzard State Park, encompassing 7,811 acres of land in Marion and Grundy Counties. Fiery Gizzard is home to the aptly named Fiery Gizzard Trail that is popular with hikers. The trail is 13 miles long and connects to the Grundy Forest and Foster Falls areas.
Head of the Crow State Park was recognized following Fiery Gizzard’s dedication to the Tennessee State Park system. Head of the Crow is located in Franklin County near Sewanee and encompasses 4,258 acres of protected wilderness. Areas popular with tourists include the Sewanee Natural Bridge, a 50 foot arch made out of sandstone located in the Lost Cove, as well as the headwaters of Crow Creek.
Both parks were originally part of South Cumberland State Park, the main park that contained all the famous landmarks and points of interest known today. As more wilderness was acquired over the years, the state park system decided to divide the entire park into three separate parks of their own. The first of the three parks established was Savage Gulf State Park in 2022. The park is the largest of the three in size, housing near 19,000 acres containing waterfalls, hiking trails, and historic landmarks local to Grundy and Sequatchie Counties.
The division of the initial property was conducted to ensure further conservation of each patch of forest, and to provide individual management and resources to all three parks. Tennessee State Parks hopes that by establishing separate parks can the well renowned trails and key points-of-interests within the region be preserved and enjoyed to their fullest potential.
Corrections: Two typos were noticed in our ACI land donation story and in last week’s National Friends of Libraries Week story. For the ACI story, Dr. Ralph’s last name was spelt Wood when it’s supposed to be Hood. And the second typo spotted was in the info@friendsmclibraries.org.