Pictured: The original cabin at the Oscar Blevins Farm in the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area was built by John Blevins in 1879. He was a direct descendant of Jonathan Blevins, who settled what is now Charit Creek Lodge and is believed to be the first white settler in the Big South Fork. [...]
It's an interesting chicken-or-the-egg question: did recreational kayaking explode in popularity because big-box retailers began carrying cheap, low-end kayaks, or did big-box retailers begin carrying cheap kayaks because kayaking was exploding in popularity? Either way, kayaking is one of the fastest-growing sports in North America, particularly in the south-central region — which includes Tennessee — [...]
Mountain laurel grows along the John Muir Trail in the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area. ONEIDA, Tenn. — Each May, a stunning transformation takes place in Big South Fork Country. It's the blooming season for mountain laurel — one of the most prolific plants in the Big South Fork National [...]
Sunset Overlook in the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area was the first hike featured in the Twenty Week Hiking Challenge (Photo: Sarah Dunlap). The Oneida Independent Herald has launched its third Twenty Week Hiking Challenge, which encourages healthier lifestyles and exploration of the northern Cumberland Plateau's natural places through hiking. [...]
ONEIDA, Tenn. — Ice. Lots and lots of ice. That's the beauty of Big South Fork Country in the winter months. The miles and miles of untamed cliff lines that encase the Big South Fork River and its main tributaries are turned into dramatic ice sculptures during the winter months, chiseled not by man's hand [...]
The once-common myth that the average American gains between seven and 10 pounds during the holiday season has been debunked by recent studies, but there is still no denying that the Christmas season is one of excess — and weight gain is real! The more realistic weight gain attached to the holidays is between one [...]
BANDY CREEK – Every New Year’s Day, the Big South Fork Bike Club invites all mountain bikers to ride the Big South Fork at an annual event called “The Mail Run”. Bikers meet at Bandy Creek Visitor Center at 10 a.m. (ET), January 1, and then hit the trails. “The ride is traditionally called the [...]
Distance: 6.0 miles Elevation gain: 550 ft. Difficulty: Moderate Trailhead: Twin Arches In the 125,000-acre Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, there are more spectacular geological formations than you can shake a stick at. But few of them come close to touching the magnificence of the Twin Arches. When most folks talk about [...]
Pictured: The Big South Fork River at the O&W Bridge in the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area. Photo: Sarah Dunlap. A combination of warmer-than-average temperatures and other environmental factors have led to a later-than-usual foliage season across much of the eastern United States — including here at home on the northern Cumberland [...]
"Here's the thing about deer in the Big South Fork. There aren't a lot of them, but there are some big ones." Corey Andrews speaks as he navigates his pickup truck along Station Camp Road, the two-lane, gravel road that bisects the Big South Fork backcountry west of Oneida. We're on our way to a [...]
