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Tennessee Outdoors - Tennessee Outdoor Recreation
Bordered on the east by the majestic
Appalachian Mountains, and on
the west by the great Mississippi River,
Tennessee is the birthplace of country music and the site
of some world-class outdoor recreation. Tennessee
is endowed with a range of beautiful outdoor geography; there are plateaus, valleys, waterfalls, gorges,
cypress swamps, gently rolling hills, hardwood forests, and farmland. This magnificent landscape provides
a superb setting for
hiking,
camping,
mountain biking,
whitewater kayaking, and
scenic driving, all the way from Johnson City in the east through Nashville (Music City) in central Tennessee to Memphis in the west, along the mighty Mississippi River.
In eastern Tennessee, the town of
Gatlinburg (not far from Knoxville) is your jumping off point for a myriad of adventures.
Just south of town is
Great Smoky Mountains National
Park with over 800 miles of trails. Here the venerable
Appalachian Trail runs for 70 of its 2000+ miles
through the spectacular Smokies. Bring your
backpacking gear and do a quick overnight at
Clingman's Dome Overnight Loop, dive into the Smoky Mountains by
hiking to Buckhorn Gap via Meigs
Creek, or grab a mountain bike and pedal along
Citco Creek; your options
are limitless.
Another noteworthy place to visit is
Cumberland Gap National
Historic Park. If you're feeling
adventurous you could approach it along the currently 170-mile-long
Cumberland Trail, which
stretches from near Chattanooga
all the way to the Cumberland Gap. This beautiful trail is slowly
being constructed by local Tennessee volunteers, and is planned to run a full 300 miles when it's
completed. If that sounds a bit much there are plenty of shorter trips available like the
Bluff Trail just outside of Chattanooga.
Find all Tennessee trails
Find all Tennessee hiking trails
Find all Tennessee mountain bike trails
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