The Grassy Cove segment of the Cumberland Trail has 2 miles of trail

open on Black Mountain, plus a 1.7 mile loop on top of the mountain.

Heading for the loop trail around the top of Black Mountain. Except for the very first part, it’s a relatively easy walk through an attractive woodland with awesome rock formations and bluffs along the way.

To get to the loop trail, however, you first have to

get to it, and that means that you have to suffer up

the first section – the toughest section: a very steep

uphill from the old rock springhouse up to the first

overlook. You can see the step and the “Main Trail”

sign on the right that starts the climb.

The spring continues to flow inside the springhouse.

The springhouse and a chimney are all that remain

of the summer home that A. C. Gill and his wife,

Ella, occupied from 1925 until his death in 1932.

To reach the overlook, they have constructed a little bridge to span the widest gap that you

have to cross to get to the viewing section. I’m standing on that bridge to take this shot.

Although its a steep climb, it only takes 5-minutes to

get up to the first overlook. Once up there, however,

one has to be careful where he walks, because there are

a number of deep clefts and crevises on top of the bluff.