Frozen Head State Park is renowned for its display of wildflowers in April and May. Join us for a 7.3 mile, loop hike on the south-facing slope of Bird Mountain, where we will see a great display of vernal flora and some interesting geologic formations. We will meet at the parking lot for Shelter B at the entrance to Big Cove Campground. We will walk the 0.1 miles through the campground to the Big Cove Trailhead (at 1,600 feet) on the north end of the campground. From there, we will take the West Lookout Tower Trail 0.1 mile, then take a left and climb up the Bird Mountain Trail to its intersection with the Cumberland Trail. We will then go east on the CT, passing by the Castle Rocks and on to the top of Bird Mountain (3,010 feet). We will stay on the CT until it meets the West Lookout Tower Trail again, then descend back to where we began on that trail. This is a moderately difficult hike with a vertical rise and fall of about 1,800 feet, including some ups and downs on the CT. Much of the route is rocky or rooty and there are some steep drop-offs in places. We will ramble along slowly and enjoy the flowers and rock formations and not try to see how fast we can hike this route!

Carpoolers can meet at the Books-A-Million in Oak Ridge at 310 S. Illinois Avenue at 7:00 AM and depart by 7:15 AM. The carpool fee is $4.60 (23 miles x 2 x $0.10/mile). Otherwise, meet at the Shelter B parking lot at 8:00 AM. We need an early start to avoid the parking crunch expected in the park that day. The entrance to Frozen Head State Park is on Flat Fork Road, off TN Highway 62, three miles east of Wartburg, TN.

Leaders: Jerry and Alice Thornton

Leader contact information is included under Additional Information in the email you receive after registration.