| South Cumberland State Park | |
| Type: | Tennessee State Park |
| Area: | 12166acres |
| Website: | South Cumberland State Park |
| Location: | Franklin, Grundy and Marion counties |
| Coordinates: | 35.259°N -85.789°W |
South Cumberland State Park is a state park in the middle and southeast portions of Tennessee on the Cumberland Plateau.
The park was established in 1978. It is a collection of eight discrete tracts scattered across Franklin, Marion and Grundy counties, formerly totaling approximately 30,899 acres (as of 2020).[1] The park now contains 12,166 acres following the separation of Savage Gulf into its own state park. Twelve trailheads provide hiking access to most sections of the park,[2] which protects a series of unique ecosystems on the escarpments and in the ravines of the Southern Cumberland Plateau. There are over a dozen large waterfalls in the park,[3] the tallest of which is Foster Falls, in Marion County. The Grundy Lakes unit includes industrial archaeological remains of the coal mines and coke production facilities of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, as well as a stockade prison it operated that provided convict labor for those facilities.[4]
The park became too large to manage as a single park so in 2022, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation established Savage Gulf State Park, which removed South Cumberland from Sequatchie County.
Distinct areas contained within the park include:
Crossing in and out of the park's various sections, the Fiery Gizzard Trail is renowned for its beauty and diversity.[5]
Camping may be done at the park's Foster Falls Campground, which includes 26 tent/pop-up camper sites and 93 backcountry campsites throughout the park.