Foster Falls, know before you go
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Camping at Foster Falls is limited to designated sites only. There are two campgrounds close to the climbing area, the Foster Falls campground near the parking lot, and Father Adams (a .5 mile walk from the parking lot). All the campsites within South Cumberland State Park can be reserved here ( tnstateparks.com/parks/camp…). The gate will remain open until 10 pm central time. All visitors camping at Father Adamz or Small Wilds (2.3 miles from parking lot) campgrounds must be in their reserved site by dark. Dark is 30 minutes after sunset. If you arrive after 10 pm and have reserved a site in the Foster Falls Campground you must park outside the gate and walk in. Trails close at dark. Anyone found on the trails after dark is subject to citation and a fine, so plan accordingly. It is your responsibility to know the rules and regulations of South Cumberland State Park prior to arrival. Rules are posted in the kiosk at the trail head as well as online. |
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God forbid you walk in a forest after dark, thanks for shutting down our land. |
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FosterFallsRanger, |
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The reason trails close at dark is to ensure the safety of all of our visitors. We have had many people sustain injuries while hiking after dark. The result of which is usually a full scale rescue by Rangers and local rescue squads. Closing the trails at dark is a preventative measure in place to help prevent unnecessary injuries and rescues. The rule is not intended to be restrictive or limit access. It is purely a safety measure. |
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Thank you sir or madam Ranger for taking the time to visit our site and remind our community of laws governing your park. Hopefully this can be a place to address any issues with the local climbers. Sometimes it is possible to encounter issues that may make departure at a given time impossible (ie getting stuck or having equipment getting suck on a route, etc) but in general we should hope climbers are following the rules in good faith. |
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yesrodcire wrote:God forbid you walk in a forest after dark, thanks for shutting down our land.The rule requiring people to be off the trails by dark has been around for as long as I remember, and I've been going there for over a decade. From a personal standpoint, I also think the curfew thing is pretty lame. But I'm not the guy who has to go rescue people when they mess up. If I were, then after the 20th time I had to get out of bed to go scrape some poor SOB off the rocks I'd probably start making rules too. |
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You know, if the authorities governing the park want to cut injuries and rescues down 100%, there's a very easy way to do that. Close the park! |
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Pretty silly rule, but it's not new--like Chuck said. |
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I don't climb there and I realize the rule has been around for a while however as everyone has agreed with its a quite a ridiculous rule. Protecting me from myself while walking out in the woods at night!? Thanks government! |
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Actually up until recently the land around foster falls was owned by TVA - a corporate agency not a part of the public parks system. It may still be TVA owned, but I think TN-DNR has taken a greater role in its management. Much of the fiery gizzard trail (which has a trail head at foster falls) goes over private property and access to these areas is based on long standing hand-shake agreements. |
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I never wore helmets or pads as a kid. If I fell on my bike or skateboard I quickly learned to cover my head and roll out of it. |
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Yep agreed its a shame public lands are closed to the public when it gets dark out.... Maybe if we installed nightlights Big Brother would be okay with me walking through public lands while its dark out? |
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Hi Ranger, |
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Back when I was a Foster Falls regular the Ranger was always very nice, as was the campground manager. |
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'merica. Land of the free. Until you visit other countries and realize they are a lot more commonsensical about these kind of things. |
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So if I'm out climbing and forced to bivy due to weather or something the Foster Falls rangers are really going to write me a ticket!?!? Seems a little ridiculous to me considering this is america, we should all accept some personal responsibility. |
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yesrodcire wrote:So if I'm out climbing and forced to bivy due to weather or something the Foster Falls rangers are really going to write me a ticket!?!?Have you even been to Foster Falls? I can't imagine any sort of scenario where you'd be "forced to bivy" at a single-pitch sport crag where the longest hike out is less than a couple of flat miles. |
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I like the system red rocks has and agree with the poster above that it should at least be looked at putting in place at fosters for climbers topping out late, better to have it and not need it. |
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Are climbers hiking out 30 minutes after sunset that often? I don't think that's a regular occurrence. |
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Like Eisenhower said, if you want complete security, go to prison. |
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How treacherous is this trail to the falls? Would a half rack and 30m rope be enough to safely navigate? |