Bird Mountain via Cumberland Trail and Tower Loop in Frozen Head State Park, TN

Hike Bird Mountain via Cumberland Trail and Tower Loop Frozen Head State Park, TN

Class 1 7.3 miles 2200 gain 3-5 hrs Loop Jan 3, 2019
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Bird Mountain via Cumberland Trail and Tower Loop GPX Track

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Starting from a small day use parking lot at the end of the Big Cove Campground, follow a wide trail that leads to a fork – left goes up the Bird Mountain Trail, right is where you come back from later, on the Lookout Tower Trail. The Bird Mountain trail leads up a bunch of switchbacks to a junction with the Cumberland Trail, which you take east. I had fog most of the day, but the ridgeline of the Cumberland Trail was pretty regardless. You pass Castle Rock, which is kind of just a sandstone cliff, summit something labeled "Bird Mountain", but there's a taller peak just west of this marked peak, which I assume is the true Bird Mountain? Weird. Anyway, take a quick detour up to bag the taller peak of Bird Mountain if you want before continuing along the Cumerland Trail on an old dirt road to a junction with the Tower Lookout Trail. Follow this trail back down to the trailhead.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Bird Mountain Northwest
3076 ft
n/a rise
2
Bird Mountain
3174 ft
214 rise

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Starting up from the Big Cove Campground.
Starting up from the Big Cove Campground.
Along the Bird Mountain Trail.
Along the Bird Mountain Trail.
Mountains across Frozen Head State Park's valley to the south visible through the fog.
Mountains across Frozen Head State Park's valley to the south visible through the fog.
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Junction with the Cumberland Trail.
Junction with the Cumberland Trail.
Castle Rock along the Cumberland Trail.
Castle Rock along the Cumberland Trail.
Looking back toward Castle Rock.
Looking back toward Castle Rock.
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Along the Cumberland Trail ridgeline.
Along the Cumberland Trail ridgeline.
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Labeled Bird Mountain, but you can see a higher point just to the east in this photo.
Labeled Bird Mountain, but you can see a higher point just to the east in this photo.
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Along the Cumberland Trail.
Along the Cumberland Trail.
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Junction with the Lookout Tower Trail. Take a right and head back down on this dirt road.
Junction with the Lookout Tower Trail. Take a right and head back down on this dirt road.
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Waterfall as you near the trailhead.
Waterfall as you near the trailhead.
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Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I’m not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!