February 25, 2026. 13.2 miles roundtrip, 900-ish miles of elevation gain. The first NRT in Tennessee, designated in 1971.

Felt this one today! Map and description called this a 10.8 mile roundtrip hike, but nope! It’s 13.2. My feet now have that happy achy feeling. Knee is hangin’ in. The use of the brace plus my hiking poles do the trick (or is it DOES the trick? – I took CBD gummies for pain and ended up losing my grammar).

This Natural Area was once a coal mine, and there is still an opening to the underworld within the first half mile of the trail. I did not stick my head in.

After 2 miles of pleasant woods walking, one comes to an intersection. Straight up/to the right for about a mile brings you to Laurel Falls. The left takes you up a different high hill for a few miles and brings you to Snow Falls. There is a lovely viewpoint at the height of land. Trails had a fair bit of rocks here and there. Had one narrow steep ledgy bit, one tiny boulder scramble, and a few sketchy bridges.

It was a beautiful day, and I somehow managed over two miles an hour even though everything ached on the return hike.