The Piney River Trail in Spring City is one of our favorite places to hike. It is a segment of the Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Scenic Trail State Park. The east trailhead is located off Shut-in Gap Road. There are not any steep sections, but the trail is rated moderate due to several rocky areas as it winds through the forest and parallels the river. Crossing the boulders at McDonald Branch can be challenging, especially when the stream is flowing. The spur trail to the Twin Rocks Overlook is very strenuous, requiring climbing caged ladders to reach the top, but the views are worth the effort; I advise doing this side hike first!

My husband and I have hiked the Piney River trail during all seasons over the past years. Springtime offers a wide variety of woodland wildflowers including dwarf iris, different species of trilliums, violets, and the small, but beautiful, gay wings.

In the summer we like to look for mushrooms, ferns, lichens, millipedes, and mid-season wildflowers. There are several sandstone rock overhangs along the trail where we can find lampshade spiders, an interesting species that constructs an open conical web. Fall brings fabulous leaf colors provided by red maples, yellow sugar maples and hickory trees, scarlet sourwoods, and many other hardwood species. The north-facing slope at the beginning of the Shut-in Gap Road section of the trail is often dusted with snow and icicles form along the seeps in the wintertime.

At 3.2 miles, the trail crosses the Piney River at the 100-foot suspension bridge at the bottom. We enjoy watching fish in the clear water below. In the spring, rainbow trout are stocked in the river for anglers to try their luck in catching. There are two primitive campgrounds located near the bridge. This area is usually our stopping point to sit and eat lunch on the rocks next to the river where we watch the fish below and the dragonflies darting above the water hunting their own lunch.

For people wanting to do the entire segment and to avoid a difficult round-trip hike, it is advised to take two cars and park at both ends of the trail. As an added attraction, there are two nearby waterfalls. Stinging Fork Falls is accessed off Shut-in Gap Road and Upper Piney Falls is located in the Grandview community on Highway 68.

 Kris Light photographs wildflowers, animals and anything of interest with many of her best photos used in her website: click Search All Galleries to see photos. Her Outreach Science classes are available for public, private and homeschool groups through the AMSE. Kris welcomes questions at email.