Devil's Racetrack - Cumberland Trail State Park

I hiked to the Devil's Racetrack above Caryville in late June, 2013.  The Devil's Racetrack is the name of the vertical rock fins visible on the east side of Interstate 75 heading north from Caryville. This is the southern terminus of Cumberland Mountain.  The overlook atop one of the fins is 3.3 miles from the trail head and about 850 feet higher in elevation.  Even though I was hiking on a beautiful Saturday morning with temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s, the parking lot was empty when I arrived and I did not see another person during my entire trip.  However, the sounds of the freeway were a constant companion.  The trail is one small section of the Cumberland Trail that will stretch almost 300 miles from Cumberland Gap in the north to the Tennessee River Gorge in the south.  The trail head is located on Bruce Gap Road just a few hundred yards north of its intersection with Royal Blue Road, also known as Old Tennessee 63.  The trail is not heavily used, so plants have grown up along it in several places.  Due to the number of poisonous plants along the trail, I recommend wearing long pants even in the heat of summer.  For the same reason, this is not a trail for small children during the active season for such plants.  I found that  a pair of walking sticks were very useful on this hike.  They were pressed into cobweb removal duty in addition to normal use.

For a shorter hike of around three miles round trip, there is one additional unofficial trail access point along dead end Shelton Hollow Road.  Parking is limited and muddy.  The road is not patrolled by park rangers and has been occasionally used as a garbage dump.  Do not leave any valuables in your vehicle at either location as numerous break-ins have been reported over the years.

Trail map

Trail profile

Empty parking lot

The initial trail is wide and level

The informative trail head kiosk was well maintained

A side trail at the kiosk leads to Cove Creek

The view downstream

After 0.1 miles, the access trail meets the Cumberland Trail

Trail sign at the junction

The wide level trail immediately becomes a steep path

Downed trees provide a view to the west

This was the only downed tree that required a duck under approach

Storms have uprooted several trees

The trail crosses a power line right of way

A single daisy grows alongside the trail

Another tree across the trail

Looking up the ravine to the freeway

The first of many, many boulders

A thirty-five foot bridge spans a deep ravine

Looking up the ravine toward a freeway drainage culvert

Looking back at the bridge from the trail

A short section of relatively flat trail

This ladder allows hikers to easily cross the boundary fence

Saplings and vines have encased the trail

Blue sky seen through a small hole in the canopy

The trail winds through a boulder field

This boulder field is man-made to stabilize the interstate embankment

The riprap provides a larger hole in the canopy

The second riprap crossing isn't as well defined

Bruce Creek was rerouted during construction of the freeway

Bruce Creek Falls

Approaching the bridge over Bruce Creek

The bridge is passable, but needs some repairs

After crossing the creek, the trail climbs at
an average 10% grade

Eastern box turtle on the trail

There are numerous switchbacks on this section

Flatter sections are interspersed with rock or timber steps

At the top of the climb, turn right along this side trail

The side trail follows the ridge

Wide-angle view toward the south from atop Devil's Racetrack

Caryville, Cove Lake and Interstate 75

A closer view of Cove Lake and Interstate 75

Interstate 75 through Bruce Gap

Jacksboro

Caryville Elementary School

The park website is http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/cumberland-trail.

The Cumberland Trail Conference website is http://www.cumberlandtrail.org/.