Event Review – Cumberland Gap National Park Adventure

Cumberland Gap National Park Adventure

May 14th & May 15th – 2016

Sand Cave – Cumberland Gap National Park

Park Official Map

Cumberland Gap National Park Official Map

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Midlife Hiking Club Tracks & Waypoints

Cumberland Gap National Park - Midlife Hiking Tracks

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Midlife Hiking Club Event Review

This club event brought us to Cumberland Gap National Park. We hiked Ewing Trail, East Section Ridge Trail, White Rock Spur Trail, Sand Cave Trail and White Rock Overlook Trail. We also visited and explored two awesome destinations, Sand Cave and White Rock Overlook. This park is an amazing destination with beautiful scenery and great hiking!

Several hikers and fur-babies came along including; BugWhisperer, Snake Stepper, Ted P., Woodchuck, Ski, Liberty, Jasper, and Samson. Ted P. joined for the day-hiking and the remainder stayed behind to backpack overnight. We hiked a total of 10.9 miles and you can find all the details about the trails in ‘Trail Reviews’!

The beginning of Ewing Trail at Cumberland Gap National Park.

The event was setup for a planned meeting at the Thomas Walker Civic Parking Area around 9am May 14th. This parking lot allows access to Ewing Trail, near the covered picnic area, and marked the beginning of our journey.

Before arriving at our destination we stopped off at the Visitor Center, located about 22 minutes / 15 miles from the Civic Parking Area. I had to get the physical copies of the permit and turn in all the vehicle information for our over night stay. This park offers free back-country camping at several locations, but you must pickup permits in person. You can reserve the campsites up to three months in advance if you contact them via phone. Our destination was White Rock Camps and to my surprise the ranger said we were the only ones out there this weekend.

Ted P. contacted me earlier that morning and mentioned he would meet us along Ewing Trail soon after. Once we returned to the trail head, we took a few minutes to shake down the gear and begin the tough climb to the top of the mountain.

We hiked Ewing Trial up the mountain side. There was not a whole lot of information available about this particular trail. I can tell you as someone that consider’s himself to be athletic, this was a cardio endurance workout. On a fitness related note, the trail was perfect exercise. The trail is wide and very well maintained. The debris, if any from wintertime, was clear and smooth sailing on this natural surface, dirt hike.

We had full backpacks, which added to the toughness, but moved along

Ewing Trail – Cumberland Gap National Park

with one foot in front of the other. Ted P. easily caught up to us about 1 mile in. We took a few minutes to catch up and introduce a couple members that had not met before.

After about 3 miles and a 1353 foot elevation gain we were glad to see the junction for White Rock Spur Trail. This trail is about a mile long with just a little gain (300 ft) to peak remaining. Took a couple switchbacks to finish the ascent and we were on top of the mountain.

Thankfully we made pretty good time headed to camp. Just a short quarter mile down the spur trail to the campsites. We had plenty of

White Rock Camp – Cumberland Gap National Park

time to setup our camps, grab a quick bite to eat and head out for slack-packing the rest of the day’s adventure.

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The weather started moving in pretty heavy and the area was completely engulfed in clouds, haze and fog. With a little chilly mist blowing about; Bug Whisperer, Snake Stepper and Ted P. made the

white Rock Overlook – Cumberland Gap National Park

final scramble to the top. We ended up with zero visibility, but the cliffs edge, at the overlook, was still really impressive. Took a couple of foggy, wet photos and headed back down. On a side note, this scramble to the overlook is tough for the fur-babies, but with a little assistance they can make it.

The rain really started to come in now and we were still in a cloud as we made our way back to the junction at Ridge Trail. Woodchuck decided to head back to camp and preserve whatever firewood he could so we may all warm up when finishing this remainder of the hike. Afterall, he’s not called Woodchuck without reason.

We hiked about 1 mile down Ridge Trail to Sand Cave Spur Trail. Ridge trail is beautiful, the fog added even more to the natural feeling you get walking along this ridge. The trail is well maintained and shares use with horses so keep an eye open to dodge the piles. We took a little break waiting on a very large group kids hiking back from the sand cave. They played with Liberty and Jasper and headed back towards Ridge Trail.

Sand Cave – Cumberland Gap National Park

We headed down the spur trail to the sand cave. This trail is little less wide than the others, but still easy to negotiate. There are a couple of options going in. It looks like an illegal trail was made along the cave wall to avoid the steps. Nothing was posted about avoiding it, so make your choice. The steps are pretty dangerous with wet weather, but no problem otherwise.

Crossing a little stream filled with white sand, it reminded me of a natural area in Florida somewhere. The rain had created a pretty large waterfall over the mouth of Sand Cave, so that was a bonus for our destination.

The sand cave is truly spectacular. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered something so majestic in the southeast. The cave is apparently a wind-blown erosion cave and it’s amazing. A vast opening into the green, dense forest canopy created an empowering energy. Walking through the deep sand into the cave proves a challenge, but don’t leave there without climbing into and on top of the hill inside. It’s a view that you will not be able to find anywhere in the Southeast.

Sand Cave – Cumberland Gap National Park

This would be an awesome place to eat lunch on a day-hike or just hang out and breathe in that wonderful natural healing medicine. Ted P. and myself made our way up the illegal trail and Snake Stepper and Ski took the stairs back. Our trail ended up being about 7 minutes shorter, so it’s definitely an option when leaving.

The rain really started coming in and we made our way back to the Junction at White Rock and Ridge Trail. Ted P. headed back down towards the vehicles so he could make it back before dark. We trekked back to the camp where Woodchuck had gathered enough wood to get a fire going.

It took about an hour to get a reliable fire going, but we all enjoyed it’s warmth once established. We all cooked up our dinners, re-hung all of our smelly stuff for the bears and hung out by the fire on a chilly spring evening.

I remember retiring around 10:30 or so and was glad to be finally at rest. I laid down, with a little shiver in my bones, thinking about how beautiful the Sand Cave was and with all the difficulties of this journey; it was so worth it!

White Rock Camp – Cumberland Gap National Park

Morning came along after several more rain showers and some chilly wind whipping through the sites. Liberty and I debated on heading out early for some sunrise views, but opted to stay warm and dry. Slowly everyone packed up and we made our way back down the mountain, still talking about the Sand Cave and our other awesome moments on this trip.

I can’t express to you how much Lisa and I love this park. It was truly an experience, even in the short amount of time we stayed. I would recommend this journey to anyone that really want’s to see what the Southeast Wild is all about.