The Great Stone Door

We wrapped up our hiking in the Manchester, Tennessee area in October 2018 at The Great Stone Door, located in the Savage Gulf State Natural area of South Cumberland State Park. This natural area includes 55 miles of trails that wind around intricate rock formations, lead to multiple waterfalls, and present spectacular views of Laurel Creek Gorge. The State of Tennessee purchased this land in 1973 in an effort to protect one of the last known stands of virgin timber in the Eastern United States.

The Great Stone Door is a 10-foot-wide crack in a 100 foot bluff that provided Native Americans and animals a natural passageway from the valley below to the highlands of the Cumberland Plateau. While no longer necessary for migratory reasons, this natural opening in the sandstone rock is a popular hiking area, and it was fun walking down the narrow passageway with rocks looming 100 feet up from the ground.

Many portions of the Savage Gulf State Natural area are perfect for rock climbing as well, from beginners to experts, and we happened upon a group of scouts who were practicing their skills on the day we were there.

We thoroughly enjoyed all of our hikes and explorations in the many beautiful parks and natural areas in Tennessee. I was sorry to see our time here come to an end, but I thought The Great Stone Door was a great place to wrap things up.