Kingsport, TN (Bays Mountain, part 1)

 Bays Mountain

    There are at least 20 miles of trails at Bays and options for everyone!  It's $7 to get into the park, but you could also opt for a yearly membership for $35 and go as often as you want.  They also offer barge rides, planetarium, nature center and animal habitats.  They are also working towards lots of park improvements.  Here are some trail options

Lakeside Trail

    This is an easy to moderate trail that travels all the way around the lake.  It is about 3 miles long (even though it felt like 5 miles the first time we hiked it).  If you start across the dam - the trail is a little easier.

The Fire Tower 

    This one starts on Lakeside (either side will work as the trail up to the tower is about halfway around).  This trail is moderate (even though the park guide says advanced) and is about 4 miles.  The majority of the uphill is switchbacks, so it's mostly a gradual incline up the mountain.  You can (at your own risk) climb the fire tower and get amazing views at the top.  

Radio Towers

    There are several options on trails to get to the radio towers.  My favorite are Chestnut or Big Oak.  I think they are the prettiest and probably the most gentle.  If you go up one and down the other, you're looking at about 4.5-5 miles.  Azalea is probably the roughest - there are lots of rocks and ruts in the trail.  You can also hike up Bays Mountain road, but it's all gravel.  

Chinquapin Trail

    This has become one of my favorite trails.  The backside of it is quiet and beautiful with the big trees and the pines.  You have some uphill in the beginning but then it is a pretty easy trail for the rest of it.  You even get to see remnants of an old moonshine still.  This one is about 3 miles with the connector trails you also have to take.

                                              

Cherry Knobs East

    This used to be one of the most challenging trails in the park, but there have been improvements made and while it would still considered to be on the more challenging than some of the other trails, it's much better than it used to be!  It's close to 3.5 miles if you go up and back down.  I like to make it a loop and take Lake Road back, which gives you about the same mileage.  

Little Rock, Arkansas

Pinnacle Mountain State Park

    This was one of the hardest hikes in the shortest distance that I have done.  It is only .75 miles to the top, but at times it is very steep and you literally are climbing up rocks.  It was fun, but very challenging and a very technical hike. And the views from the top are amazing!  I would not recommend this one for young children or anyone with poor balance or to be done on a very hot day.  Make sure you take lots of water if you go!  There is a West Summit Trail, which is located at the Visitor Center and that is a much more gradual hike and you still get to climb some rocks, but not as steep.  We hiked up the East Summit and down the West and around the Ouachita Trail back around to our parking area, which was around 3 miles total.  

 

Hot Springs, Arkansas

Catherine Lake State Park

    Fall Branch Trail - This is a beautiful, easy, short hike!  The waterfall is dam controlled, so unfortunately there was no water when we went, but it was still a nice walk!  You hike the entire 2 mile loop or do the shortcut, which makes it only a mile roundtrip.  

Hot Springs National Park

    There are lots of great trails inside the park.  We hiked Goat Rock and Upper Dogwood trails.  I would recommend driving to the top access point and hiking down Goat Rock, across Gulpha Gorge Trail (which was the most moderate part of the hike), across to Hot Springs Mountain Trail (this is the only issue we had.  It is a really short connector, but their sign was missing) to Upper Dogwood Trail.  Most of it is very well marked and the entire loop was about 2.5 miles and considered moderate.

 

Branson, Missouri

Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area

    For the most part, this park has well marked trails.  There was only one point where we had to backtrack and did not connect where we wanted to.  There are several trail options and we hiked Bluff Trail to Taneycomo to Owen Drive Trail, which ended up only being 2 miles roundtrip.  Unfortunately, it had not rained in a long time, so the waterfall I was hoping to see was non-existent.  This is considered a moderate trail and there are 300 stone steps on the bluff trail.  There are a few other trail options throughout the park.

 

Middle Brook, Missouri

 Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park

    This is another great park in Missouri with opportunities to climb on rocks and play in the water.  I did not know what a "shut-in" was before this trip.  It happens when the water erodes the rock creating gorge like pockets in the stream.  At this park, there are 3 access points to the shut-ins.  This is only a 1 mile roundtrip hike.  To get to the first two access points, it's a very easy walk, to get to the third point, you have to walk up some stairs and down the bank, but it makes a great area to wade in.  There is a paved .8 mile paved walkway from the visitor center to the trailhead, or you can follow the road to the parking area in the back of the park.  

    The park offers other trails to hike as well.

Belleview, Missouri

Elephant Rocks State Park

    

     This park is so neat and offers an easy 1 mile paved trail.  It begins at the end of the parking lot and goes all the way around the rocks with lots of opportunities to climb up and explore the rocks.  There is a small spur that goes to an old engine house and a dirt trail to your right when you enter the park that goes around additional rocks and a pond.  

 

Lincoln City, IN

Lincoln Boyhood Home National Historic Site

    While this isn't what I would normally consider hiking, it really is a great place for an easy walk or trail run.  There is no parking fee for the site and it offers two nice one mile loop trails.