Archie, the Brittany spaniel, is a perfect boatmate for kayaker Eli Walker. Photo courtesy of Elijah Walker
Rivers, Creeks & Waterfalls Await
As cool creeks cascade down mountains to feed flowing rivers, now’s the time to take advantage of the area’s many recreational options on the water. At the heart of these is the Tennessee River, flowing through Jackson, Marshall, and Madison counties as it winds from Knoxville, Tennessee, to meet the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky.
Working hard to make the river’s entire 652-mile length accessible for boaters and paddlers is the appropriately named Tennessee RiverLine 652. The group helped establish the Tennessee RiverTowns Program that cultivates collaboration among communities along the river’s banks.
A community can earn the official Tennessee RiverTown designation as part of the effort to develop a cohesive river trail, offering new or updated waterfront amenities in a continuous system of paddling, hiking, and biking experiences.
In Bridgeport, this effort includes updates to River Park and the construction of a new campground there. A free paddle event kicks off the park’s busy summer. The paddle will be held from 9 a.m. to noon every first Saturday, beginning this month. Kayaks are available for use at no cost, but supplies are limited.
On June 21, Bridgeport will be crowded with kayakers. The park welcomes Paddle Georgia 2025, whose participants wind up their 6-day, 80-mile paddle on June 22 at Stevenson City Park. This is the first time Paddle Georgia, celebrating its 20th year, will have an excursion on the Tennessee River. Its paddlers embark from Ringgold, Georgia, on June 15 and camp overnight at sites along the way to Stevenson.
Another upcoming excursion is the fifth annual Pitt to Port Paddle, scheduled for June 28. Paddlers leave from South Pittsburg Municipal Park for the 6.2-mile trip to Bridgeport’s River Park, where lunch awaits.
These events and more can be found on the Tennessee RiverLine 652 website, tnriverline.org, and the organization’s Facebook page.
Going Batty
Paddlers and boaters take advantage of calm Tennessee River waters.
A short paddle or boat ride upriver from the Guntersville Dam — or a bit longer one from the Honeycomb Creek ramp — offers the only views available for the incredible swarm at dusk of endangered gray bats leaving the Hambrick Bat Cave, located on the Tennessee River’s east bank in Guntersville. June and July are the best months to see this spectacle, which can only be viewed from the water.
Boaters and paddlers anchor near the cave entrance to see the mass exodus, which can exceed 60,000 bats. The cave itself is off-limits, and visitors must not shine lights of any kind during the emergence. A red head lamp is recommended for use on the ride back, since bats cannot see that light, but other boaters can.
Another colony of these gray bats can be seen emerging each summer evening from Nickajack Cave, just over the Tennessee state line, about 12 miles from Bridgeport. Like the Hambrick Bat Cave, Nickajack is a maternity roost for this endangered bat species and is closed to the public. However, thanks to a viewing platform, the bat emergence at Nickajack Cave can be witnessed from dry land.
Swimming Spots
Cool waters for swimming reward hikers who make the challenging trek to the Walls of Jericho.
Anyone up for hiking at least 2 hours through amazing scenery to reach a refreshing swimming hole needs to check out the Walls of Jericho in the Skyline Wildlife Management Area near Estillfork. Pack plenty of snacks and drinks, and sturdy footwear is a must. This is not a quick in-and-back excursion, and the 6 miles of trail — mostly downhill to the destination and uphill on the return — are very challenging.
The reward of the walls of rock, multiple waterfalls, and alluring blue pool make the hike worthwhile, although rainfall amounts will affect the robustness of the site’s signature water features. Hikers should be prepared to make a day of it, and those who prefer to stay longer can camp at no cost. But all visitors should be aware that this is a remote location with no services. A cellphone is useful only as a camera.
Walls of Jericho is within the upper Paint Rock River watershed, which protects the headwaters of the Paint Rock River — a 58-mile-long tributary of the Tennessee River and a popular destination for paddlers.
Access to the river is available through Paint Rock Canoe & Kayak, open weekends all summer and by appointment during the week. Besides the beautiful river scenery, kayakers can enjoy a cool break from paddling at the Blue Hole, a natural spring and popular river swimming spot.