In late May 2016, I returned to the Nemo area of Obed National Wild & Scenic River to hike "south" on the Cumberland Trail to Alley Ford and return. This five mile round trip hike actually heads northeast above the Emory River before heading west along the Obed River. This section of the trail crosses into the Catoosa Wildlife Management Area and continues for a total of 14 miles to the Daddys Creek trailhead. The overall trail is rated as very difficult, but except for the spur trail to Alley Ford, I would consider the short segment I hiked as a moderate trail. To access the trailhead from Wartburg, head west on Spring Street and continue south as it becomes Catoosa Road. Continue on Catoosa Road for about 5.5 miles and cross the Emory River on the new bridge. Shortly after crossing the river, turn down the single lane gravel road on the right to the Rock Creek Campground. Park in the paved lot at campsite #1 and walk down the paved road toward the other campsites to find the trailhead on the left. If you don't want to drive down and up a steep one-lane gravel road with the chance of meeting another vehicle, park at the paved hiker lot at the Nemo picnic area on the Wartburg side of the river. Then walk across the old bridge and along the shoulder of Catoosa Road before descending the gravel road to the campground trailhead.
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| Topographic map with GPS route |
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| Elevation Profile |
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| Rock Creek |
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| Campground road with trailhead on left |
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| Cumberland Trail Obed River Section |
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| The trail begins as a wide path |
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| Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) |
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| Rock bridge over a drainage area |
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| The trail passes below a rock wall |
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| Seemingly solid rock really isn't |
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| Leaning wall |
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| Second rock bridge |
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| First wooden foot bridge |
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| More Mountain Laurel blooms |
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| The path narrows to a single track through a mountain laurel thicket |
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| Passing below a second rock wall |
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| Almost too low to duck under |
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| Single track through the forest |
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| A profusion of ferns surround the trail |
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| The trail follows an old road for a distance |
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| End of the road and the first rock hop |
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| Second wooden foot bridge |
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| Trail follows an old coal mine berm |
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| Bench on the berm |
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| Nature is reclaiming a strip mine access road |
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| The third and shortest wooden foot bridge is rotting, but easily stepped over |
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| Fourth wooden footbridge |
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| Stone steps are no worse for the wear after a tree fell |
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| Fifth wooden footbridge |
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| Bigleaf Magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla) saplings |
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| Cumberland Trail junction with the spur trail to Alley Ford |
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| Steep roadbed down to Alley Ford |
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| Alley Ford on the Obed River |
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| The "beach" and swimming hole upstream of Alley Ford |
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| Sandstone bluff and deep water at the beach |
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| Another rocky shoal upstream of Alley Ford |
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| View downstream from Alley Ford |
Entry to Cumberland Trail State Park and Obed Wild & Scenic River is free.
The Cumberland Trail State Park website is http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/cumberland-trail.
The Cumberland Trail Conference, builders of the trail, website is http://cumberlandtrail.org/. Details of the Obed River section are at http://cumberlandtrail.org/maps-and-guides/trail-segments/obed-wild-and-scenic-river/obed-river-segment/.
The Obed Wild and Scenic River website is https://www.nps.gov/obed/index.htm.
