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Cumberland Trail State Park,  Black Mountain Section

Birding Seasons:

Spring A

Summer A-

Fall A

Winter B

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Site Description and Habitats

Upon completion, the Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park - the state's only linear park - will be 300 miles, cutting through 11 Tennessee counties from the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park on the Tennessee-Virginia-Kentucky border to Signal Point near Chattanooga.

One hundred fifty miles of the Cumberland Trail are open and ready for exploration, including Black Mountain, considered one of the crown jewels of the Trail. You may find other sections of the Cumberland Trail at the Cumberland Gap National Park, the Tennessee River Gorge Segment in Prentice Cooper State Forest, and the Obed Wild and Scenic River Segment in the Obed River Gorge and Catoosa WMA.

Black Mountain is a high-elevation site that serves as midpoint of the linear Cumberland Trail State Park. A hard-surfaced parking area and 700 feet of hard surfaced, ADA-accessible trail connect hikers to the Cumberland Trail. Ecologically, Black Mountain is well-known for several rare native plants found there. It is also known for its disjunctive, southernmost populations of northern species, such as Showy Lady's Slipper orchid and Yellow Birch. We recommend hiking the 700-foot connector trail. More intrepid/mobile travelers can access even more via the Cumberland Trail itself. Currently, the Grassy Cove segment has two miles of trail open on Black Mountain, plus a 1.7-mile loop on top of the mountain. The two-mile section goes from the Black Mountain trailhead down the western slope of Black Mountain to Windless Cave.

Bird species of interest

Spring and Fall Migration: Warblers, vireos, and thrushes are often common across the area. Tennessee, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Nashville, Cape May, Magnolia, Cerulean and Blackpoll (spring only) Warbler, American Redstart, Blue-headed Vireo can be common. Eastern Whip-poor-wills can be very abundant (mostly heard only) in spring and early summer at dusk and especially on nights with a full moon.

Summer: Ovenbird, Hooded Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Yellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireo, Worm-eating Warbler, Northern Parula, Black-throated Green Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and Eastern Wood-pewee.

Winter: Woodland birding can be slow, but look for Red-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglet, and sparrows may occur along forest edges. Golden Eagles are possible in winter as several GPS tracked birds have passed by this area.

Year-Round: Barred and Eastern Screech-Owl are regular, resident species including Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, among other residents are common.

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Detailed directions for birding Black Mountain Section Cumberland Trail State Park
From Crossville: Travel east on 1-40 to the Crab Orchard Exit 329. Follow Bat town Road south up to a four-way intersection. Take the immediate left at the Cumberland Trail State Park sign and proceed three miles up the narrow and steep paved Black Mountain Road to the paved trailhead parking area on the right. Parking is ample and the ADA connector trail begins on the west side of the parking area. Follow the paved connector trail 700 feet and it connects to the Cumberland Trail just 150 feet west.

Lat-Long (GPS) coordinates
Parking lot at the top of the mountain: 35.868152, -84.887509

Fees and Hours
No fees are required to access these areas except for camping. Open year round, during daylight hours.

Facilities
There are no restroom facilities. Camping is allowed while hiking. Check about permits.

Contact
Cumberland Trail State Park
423-566-2229

Info for other sites
Tennessee's Watchable Wildlife web site