Mullens Cove Loop

Cheryl Smith led a hike on the Mullens Cove Loop - a side trail of the Cumberland Trail and located in the Prentice Cooper State Forest.  Along with her grandchildren Shy and Albany, there were 4 other hikers. By starting the trail counterclockwise, we got the rock garden out of the way first. We enjoyed lunch at the Mullens Cove overlook. We hiked through the Hemlock Branch campsite, which was dry and then on to take a break at Snooper's Rock. It was a challenging hike with lots of ups and downs, but the fall colors were beautiful, and perfect weather for a hike. Other hikers were Jay Brain, Anna Lina Buckley, Sara Pollard, and Hoa Smith. 

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Mullins Cove Backpack - Sara

Sara Pollard led 4 backpackers on a one-night trip on the Mullens Cove loop in the Prentice Cooper State Forest. It was cold with temperatures dropping in the 20’s at night. We camped at the Hemlock Branch campsite with a nice creek nearby. Plenty of firewood to stay warm. Beautiful views of the Tennessee River. The pink sign was from a previous event on the trail and Craig got to show off his beard. We hiked in counterclockwise and after setting up camp we took a short hike to the Ransom Hollow overlook. On the way out Tuesday morning the Mullens Cove Overlook was closed for some reason. The backpackers were Jim Barritt, Jean Breuer, Craig McBride, Lora McBride and Sara Pollard.

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Mullens Cove Loop - CT - Sara

We had 9 hikers on Saturday's hike on the Cumberland Trail in the Prentice Cooper State Forest. We hiked the 10-mile Mullens Cove loop clockwise leaving the Tower Road trailhead. Our first stop was under the impressive Indian Rock House descending through a narrow stone stairwell. We then hiked along through the trees with views of the Tennessee River Gorge. We took a short break at Snooper' Rock with views of Raccoon Mountain and the Tennessee River. We had lunch at the Hemlock Branch campsite. We had some minor stream crossings, rock hopping and saw very few wildflowers. Still too early for some flowers. It was a beautiful day for a hike. Hikers were Jim Barritt, Jay Brain, Jean Breuer, Judy Fries, Joan Hartvigsen, Janet Larsen, Sara Pollard, Jan Safavi, and Bryan Tauchen.

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