The Stone Door Trail, part of the expansive South Cumberland State Park in southern Middle Tennessee, provides some spectacular views of heavily wooded Tennessee hills and valleys.
Find the trailhead just off Tennessee Highway 56 in the Beersheba Springs community, between McMinnville and Altamont. Paved for the first portion, of a quarter mile or so, wheelchairs and strollers can make it along the trail to the first overlook, which provides quite a vista.
From this overlook, visitors can look across to another hillside and see the Great Stone Door feature, a narrow opening between two rocky cliffs that resembles an open doorway.
Continuing on the trail, although the pavement ends, the path remains fairly level for most of the journey, though it does contain lots of large roots to watch out for. The total distance from the parking area to the Stone Door is under a mile in length.
Arriving at the main feature, hikers can step onto a large, flat rock and take in a fantastic expanse of Tennessee wilderness in front and to both sides. And in the fall, the colors that can be seen make a sight to behold! The scene explodes with oranges and yellows from this overlook.
Some viewers marvel at the incredible panorama looking upon the treetops so far below this high vantage point. This rock is a pretty special place to be, looking out into the wooded expanse—an incredible view of the landscape.
While this view alone makes the one-mile walk well worth it, the rock formation offers much more to explore. A very interesting rock staircase leads down between the two large cliffs on each side.
The Great Stone Door presents some pretty wild rock-climbing possibilities, for those so inclined.
Climbing back up the staircase is probably the most difficult part of the Stone Door Trail experience; it probably contains a hundred steps.
On the way back, a hiking party considers that mid-autumn may just be the absolute best time to come to the park, with the colorful leaves spilling forth gloriously all around.
Not far from the parking area, the park offers some campsites for those who would like to stay in the natural area for more than one day.
The other amenities near the large parking area are pretty ample as far as some trailheads go, with restrooms, water fountains, quite a few picnic tables, a ranger station and maps.
For more hiking, a different trail from the parking area leads to Laurel Falls. Reportedly, though the falls is less than 300 yards away from the parking area, the ascent back is a bit steep. Laurel Falls makes a good reason to return to the site in the future and explore that area and complete the Stone Door Trail again.
For one of the many scenic pieces of the great state of Tennessee, definitely walk to the Great Stone Door.
As one visitor put it, referencing the trail’s moderate degree of difficulty yet spectacular vistas, the trail won’t take your breath away, but the views will.
Great Stone Door
1183 Stone Door Rd., Beersheba Springs, Tennessee
