Hike Location: Big Ridge State Park
Geographic Location: west of Maynardville, TN (36.24368, -83.93093)
Length: 5.9 miles
Difficulty: 8/10 (Moderate/Difficult)
Date Hiked: May 2019
Overview: A lollipop loop passing many old settlement sites.
Park Information: https://tnstateparks.com/parks/big-ridge
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=747922
Photo Highlight:
Hike Video:
Directions to the trailhead: North of Knoxville, take
I-75 to SR 61 (exit 121). Exit and go
east on SR 61. Drive SR 61 east 12 miles
to the signed entrance for Big Ridge State Park on the left. Turn left to enter the park, then turn left
to reach the Visitor Center and park office.
Park in the parking lot at the start of the campground road just past
the park office.
The hike: Established
in the 1930’s by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as one of five
demonstration parks, Big Ridge State Park protects 3687 acres on the south
shore of Norris Lake. The park was built
in cooperation with the National Park Service and the Civilian Conservation
Corps (CCC), and many of the park’s buildings still feature the CCC’s
handiwork. Prior to the TVA’s arrival,
pioneer settlers scratched out a meager living on this land, and remnants of their
presence dot the park’s landscape. Several
of these remnants are passed on this hike.
Big Ridge State Park offers many
nice amenities, including swimming, fishing, and boating on Big Ridge Lake, 20
cabins, a 50-site campground, and several picnic areas. Of the three state parks north of Knoxville with
TVA roots (Norris Dam and Cove Lake being the other two), Big Ridge is the best destination for
hikers as it features over 15 miles of hiker-only trails. Many routes through the park’s trail system
are possible, and the route described here gives a good sample of the area’s
landscape without pegging the difficulty meter.
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| Trailhead along campground road |
From the start of the campground
road, walk toward the campground to find the signed trailhead for the Lake
Trail on the right. Trails at Big Ridge
State Park are marked by color-coded plastic shields; the shields on the Lake
Trail are green. Though not particularly
numerous, the markings are sufficient to keep you on the trail. The single track dirt Lake Trail climbs
moderately for a short distance with Big Ridge Lake visible through the trees
downhill to the right. Sweet gum, maple,
and beech are the most common trees in this forest, but some loblolly pines
planted by the CCC in the 1930’s also enter the mix.
Two short spur trails exit the Lake
Trail: the Meditation Point Trail to the right at 0.1 miles and the Loyston
Overlook Trail to the left at 0.5 miles.
The Meditation Point Trail leads a short distance uphill to a bench in
the middle of the forest, while the Loyston Overlook Trail leads a slightly
longer distance uphill to an overlook of Norris Lake. These spur trails are worth exploring either
now or on your journey back to the trailhead after you complete the loop
portion of this hike.
 |
| Meditation Point |
After passing a bench and shelter just
past the Lake Trail’s highest elevation, the trail descends gradually to reach
the west side of Big Ridge Dam at 0.6 miles.
A 50-foot concrete dam built by the CCC, Big Ridge Dam separates the
park’s Big Ridge Lake on the right from the much larger Norris Lake on the
left. The dam allows water levels in the
park’s lake to remain constant despite seasonal changes in Norris Lake’s water
level. When I came here in late spring, water
levels in the two lakes were about the same.
 |
| Big Ridge Dam |
The Lake Trail crosses Big Ridge Dam
to reach the trail intersection that forms the loop portion of this hike. The Lake Trail continues to the right, and it
will be our return route. To hike the
steepest sections downhill, this description turns left to begin the Dark
Hollow Trail, thus hiking the loop clockwise.
Marked with blue plastic shields,
the Dark Hollow Trail is narrower and more primitive than the Lake Trail. The initial segment of the Dark Hollow Trail clings
to the side of Pinnacle Ridge with Norris Lake just downhill to the left. Several downed trees will need to be
negotiated. Some poison ivy grows along
this trail, but careful looking for leaves of three will allow you to avoid it.
 |
| Dark Hollow Trail along Lake Norris |
|
| Lake Norris |
The trail passes an unofficial campsite as it climbs up and over the
end of Pinnacle Ridge before descending into West Dark Hollow. Dark Hollow is a deep east-west ravine that
lies between the park’s namesake Big Ridge to the north and the lower Pinnacle
Ridge to the south. A low saddle in the
middle separates the hollow into east and west parts.
At 1.4 miles, you cross a nice
wooden footbridge over the main stream in Dark Hollow before turning right to
begin heading up the hollow. Soon you
pass signed official backcountry campsite #1, which occupies a pleasant
location just uphill from the creek. For
the next mile the trail follows an old dirt road as it climbs gradually up West
Dark Hollow. You pass several old
homestead sites; they are identified by stone foundations, flat areas, and/or
plants such as red cedars and daffodils.
Though the name Dark Hollow sounds ominous, the hiking is quite
pleasant.
 |
| Hiking up Dark Hollow |
At 2.4 miles, you climb a gradual
broad switchback to reach the saddle in the middle of Dark Hollow and an
intersection with the Big Valley Trail, which goes left and right. Turning left leads to the Indian Rock Loop, a
very scenic but also very long and difficult add-on to this hike. This description turns right to begin heading
back toward the trailhead.
Marked with orange plastic shields,
the Big Valley Trail climbs rather steeply on an eroded track to reach the
highest elevation on this hike, which stands about 350 feet above Big Ridge
Lake. A steep descent next brings you to
the upper end of the Ghost House Trail at 3.2 miles. You could go either way here, but to see more
old settlement remnants this description turns right here and then turns left
at the next intersection to descend gradually along the east arm of the Ghost
House Trail’s loop, which is marked with yellow plastic shields.
 |
| The "ghost house" |
Soon you reach the “ghost house” for
which this trail is named. Once the home
of Maston Hutcheson’s grandson, all that remains is a root cellar, cistern, and
well casing. Local legend states that
this structure and the nearby Hutcheson family home are haunted, but I
encountered no paranormal activity on my visit.
 |
| Norton cemetery |
Just past the ghost house lies the
Norton cemetery, a pioneer cemetery that features headstones dating to the
early 1900’s. More gradual descending
brings you to the lower end of the Ghost House Trail, where a left turn brings
you to an intersection with the Lake Trail at 4.1 miles. Turn right to begin the last segment of this
hike.
This part of the Lake Trail can be
rather muddy, but it offers only minor undulations with persistent views of Big
Ridge Lake to the left. At 4.5 miles, a
spur trail heads a short distance right to reach the Snodderly-Armp cemetery. The headstones in this pioneer cemetery are
older than the ones in the Norton cemetery you passed earlier, and this
cemetery contains the burial sites of some of this area’s earliest residents.
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| Snodderly-Armp cemetery |
5.3 miles into the hike, you close
the loop at the east end of Big Ridge Dam.
Cross the dam and retrace your steps to the trailhead to complete the
hike, making sure to take the spur trails to Loyston Overlook and/or Meditation
Point if you did not visit these places earlier. Also, on your drive back out to I-75, you
will pass the Museum of Appalachia,
which features a recreated pioneer village that depicts life in this region
during the early 1900’s. After hiking
past what remains of these old settlement sites, you can stop at the museum on
your way home to see what the sites might have looked like at their peak.
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