What: Walls of Jericho State Natural Area
Where: Franklin County, Tenn.
For more information: For the most complete information, visit the Nature Conservancy of Tennessee website . More information available at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation website.
According to local legend, the Walls of Jericho—one of Appalachia’s most magnificent canyons—was named by a traveling minister who came upon the impressive geologic feature in the late 1800s and declared it needed a biblical name to properly describe its splendor. Today, the Walls of Jericho and surrounding wildlife management areas in Tennessee and Alabama form one of the few remaining large tracts of protected forested landscapes within the Cumberland Plateau.
Located in Franklin County, Tenn., the Walls of Jericho is a remote 750-acre Tennessee State Natural Area situated along the Alabama border. Managed by the State Natural Areas Program of the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, the natural area is surrounded by the 8,943-acre Bear Hollow Mountain Wilderness Management Area on the Tennessee side and the 12,500-acre Skyline Wildlife Management Area on the Alabama side.
The Walls of Jericho site was originally owned by Texas oil magnate Harry Lee Carter, who acquired 60,000 acres in Franklin County, Tenn., and Jackson County, Ala., in the 1940s. The area was closed to the public until 1977. The land was acquired through a lengthy project completed by The Nature Conservancy in Tennessee and Alabama and opened for visitors to enjoy.
Turkey Creek bisects The Walls of Jericho and has been an active geological force in shaping the land, which is known for its many bluffs, large rock outcroppings, caves and sinkholes. The natural area is also important because of its biological heritage. According to Todd Crabtree, state botanist with Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the area supports a number of endangered plants, including the Cumberland rosinweed, limerock arrowwood, and Morefield’s leather flower.
Two trailheads lead hikers on a strenuous 900-foot descent down to 200-foot sheer limestone walls. The steep trail (white-blazed on the Tennessee side, red-blazed on the Alabama side) is about three miles each way, and hikers must cross Turkey Creek and Mill Creek on two log bridges—one has a handrail, the other does not—in order to reach The Walls of Jericho. While this stunning landscape is worth the effort it takes to get there, the trails are strenuous and are recommended for experienced hikers only.
“If it’s wet, the bridges can be risky for anyone,” says Crabtree. “I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone with young kids or for those who cannot swim—just in case.”
Adjacent to The Walls of Jericho in Alabama, the 12,500-acre Skyline Wildlife Management Area encompasses the headwaters of the globally significant Paint Rock River. Paint Rock River and its tributaries are home to five globally imperiled mussels and 12 globally rare mussels; two of the mussel species (pale lilliput and Alabama lampshell) are found nowhere else in the world. The watershed is also home to three globally imperiled fish (sawfin shiner, blotchside logperch and snail darter); one fish species (palezone shiner) is confined to the Paint Rock River and one stream in Kentucky.
A trail map is available on the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation website .
Jenni Frankenberg Veal enjoys writing about the natural world and the people who work to protect it. She is rarely found without her daughters and a pair of shoes appropriate for hiking and rock-hopping in creeks. Visit her blog at YourOutdoorFamily.com.
