Frozen Head State Park - Wartburg, TN

Frozen Head is a great park in the Tennessee State Park System in which to spend an afternoon. Any level of outdoor enthusiast can find a good time here. If you're just looking for some simple fun, they have multiple playgrounds and an awesome creek in which to splash and climb rocks. If you're up for a little more adventure, check out any of almost 20 hikes available, ranging from 0.1 mile easy trails, all the way up to 7 mile difficult treks.

This is yet another Tennessee State Park that is not bike-friendly. I'm not sure what the state of Tennessee has against bikes, but I'm getting to the point that I'd like to question why Rangers feel the need to prevent bike use in the parks. They do have one trail on which bikes are allowed, a 9 mile long fire road, but in the mean time, in the off-season, the kids can usually get away with riding around in an empty parking lot as long as a ranger doesn't see you. (Lame)

With that exception, Frozen Head boasts beautiful forests and a wide, rambling creek. I love taking photos here, especially in the fall. And again, it's one of our favorite places just to hang out in the creek or let loose on the playgrounds.

And lastly, if you are into birds, Frozen Head is recognized as an IBA, or Important Bird Area, by the Audubon Society. Over 130 different species can be observed here throughout the year.

(more pics will be added soon)

Obed Wild and Scenic River - Wartburg, TN

Today we earned our Junior Ranger Badges at the Obed Wild and Scenic River in Wartburg, TN.

The Rangers were very nice, and hopefully we'll be back soon for some rock climbing!

In addition to our badgework, we did Fish Identifcation, looked at the museum exhibits, and went over some rock climbing information. We still need to finish our map study and do a few more hikes, but hopefully we can keep that on a front-burning bucket list and get back up there again.

(More pictures to be added shortly)

Junior Rangers!

Cloudland Canyon State Park - Rising Fawn, GA

Georgia seems to have missed the memo that it's supposed to be winter. And what does that mean? Hiking!

It was a little chilly, hence Bibby's mildly unamused expression, but we really did have a good time.

Cloudland Canyon is in the Northwesternmost corner of Georgia. It is part of the Georgia State Park System. The feature of the park is its rugged, yet absolutely breathtaking, geology on the western edge of Lookout Mountain.

Looking over the Canyon is as simple as parking near the Interpretive Center (open seasonally, NOT in winter, even if it's not cold and there's a bazillion people there) and walking the easy paved trail.

Amazing vistas can be found anywhere along the trail. If you walk all the way down the hill, you come to a viewing platform that offers a canyon view with less tree obstruction.

If you're up for going down, 600 stairs to be exact, and back up again, with a total round trip hike of 2 miles, there are two waterfalls that, according to other people's photos, look quite stunning. We didn't do the falls on this trip, but I'd certainly like to at some point.

My mom has been wanting to camp in a Yurt. They seem to be the latest trend in camping, and Cloudland Canyon has quite a few. They also have cabins, campgrounds, and walk-in tent sites.

With plenty of hiking opportunities, picnic areas, the Interpretive Center, playground facilities, and the simple glory of Mother Nature herself, your family is sure to find something amazing here at Cloudland Canyon! Whether you come for the day, or make a camping trip out of it, bring your camera! It's beautiful!