Cedars of Lebanon (TN)

It had been nearly a month since we’d moved The Rig.  I was a little rusty in my moving day routine, and Kristy was still finding that sweet spot between pain & productivity.  We were moving slow and it was time to leave the set of an interesting scene in our lives.  After brushing the bark of the trees that crowded our campsite upon arrival, Hank slowly rumbled down the narrow, winding park roads of Fall Creek Falls towards Sparta.  At Sparta we took a left on Route 70 and followed the western sky until we hit Trammel Road. Trammel Road became Chicken Road, and Chicken Road took us to the doorstep of our next destination—Cedars of Lebanon State Park.

Kristy & The Boys at Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Tennessee

Lying just 15-miles east of Nashville, Cedars of Lebanon is the greenest desert you’ll ever see.  Harvested a century ago for the manufacturing of pencils, the entire glade was hand-planted—tree by tree—as part of a restoration project during FDR’s “New Deal”.

The park lies atop the Central Basin of Tennessee—a karst geology supporting the botanical life on the surface.  At any point in the park there may be only a few feet between the surface and an underground cavern, aquifer, or fissure.  The porous nature of this topography has created a habitat that is beautifully green, but mostly devoid of surface water—as all the water quickly disseminates through the limestone sieve below.  Because of the inability for the soil to retail water, the landscape can only accommodate very specific types of flora—either plants that are drought tolerant or those that can sustain on the limited water in the top few inches of surface strata.

Panorama of red cedar stands with miles of trails cutting their way throughout the park.

One such botanical breed is the red cedar (Junipers virginiana), which early settlers incorrectly associated with the cedars of ancient Lebanon (Cedrus spp.) which were used to make Solomon’s Temple—the origin of the forest name.  These red cedars thrive in the thin limestone base, forming large stands of glades and thickets that dominate the terrain.  The remaining botany is mostly composed of mosses, ferns, and other robust plants that have carved their niche in this hidden desert.

Fungi take advantage of the moist decomposing matter in a water-deprived environment

Moss carpeting a seasonal creek bed as the water flows through the cracks and into the aquifers below.

Clumps of moss spreading their mats wherever they can find a trace of sustainable moisture

The subterranean characteristic not only defines the phytogeography, but it also shapes the countryside contour.  If one could make the argument that this area could be called “Junipers of Lebanon,” an equally persuasive argument could support the name “Sinkholes of Lebanon.”  Throughout the park you will find large depressions where the earthen abyss has failed, resulting in the surface—as well as objects attached to said surface—sliding into the underworld.

Panorama of enormous sinkhole that partially exposed the cavern beneath.

The abundant park trails can provide stellar examples of the rich variety of geological formations common to this area.  Block formations, sinkhole springs, narrow crevices, or subterranean caves; an easy walk down any pathway rewards the naturalist with an abstract work—thousands of years in the making.

Wes at the bottom of a sunken fissure as a tree on the far end clings to stay up top.

The expansive network of underground caverns has been explored by spelunking enthusiasts, with a popular attraction—Jackson Cave—reporting chasmy tentacles that extend beyond the 900-acre park boundary.  Upon entering Jackson Cave, a gravel gauntlet floor allied with a shallow ceiling forces modern bipeds to duck-walk for the first 50-meters.  Beyond is a midnight-dark, misty-damp, and silty-painted cavern; with springs flowing into the teflon-slick clay pockets below.  The air is deathly stagnant and cold—your heated exhalations creating a visual haze that surrounds and obstructs your flashlight guided view.  I was surprised to find spiders and frogs living in the total darkness of this clammy lair.  This blackened pathway continued another 500-meters where it opened up into an underground lake with expansive ceilings.  Lacking proper equipment, caving skillz, and a safety sidekick; I retreated from Jackson Cave, covered—head, hands, back, and feet—in  the obligatory argillaceous veneer.

Outside the exceedingly low opening to Jackson Cave

The aged rock formations are not the only natural sources of interesting artifacts.  Throughout the park you’ll find unusual tree specimens—each revealing its own uniqueness of twisting & knotted branches, texturizing barks, and wandering roots.  

Two dogs and a tree with a humongous growth.  Make your own caption.

Museum quality natural art

In addition to the natural quality of this park, there are several other recreational activities.  Horseback riding from the park-operated stable, olympic-sized (seasonal) outdoor swimming pool, through-the-woods Frisbee golf course, softball fields, rental cabins, playgrounds, mountain biking trails, and a nature center.  All of this within an hours drive of The Grand Ole Opry.   Cedars of Lebanon is a strong candidate for anyone's vacation plans.  If you can't enjoy yourself here...stay home.

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