18th Annual Long Hunter Mega-Hike at Long Hunter State Park

* If you wish to attend the Mega-Hike, you can go ahead and RSVP here on the Meetup page, but YOU MUST ALSO sign up on the park's event page at https://tnstateparks.com/parks/event_details/long-hunter/#/?event=friends-of-long-hunter-sp-mega-hike-2024

(FYI, I'm posting this hike here to give Meetup members first dibs, but due to parking and other considerations the event is limited to the first 40 who sign up on the park event page. Once full, the park event page will say "Sold Out" and will no longer accept new sign-ups.)

It's that time of year again: The 18th Annual Long Hunter Mega-Hike is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 12th at Long Hunter State Park. As always, the plan is to hike all of the park's trails -- about 26 miles -- in a single day. And who knows, there may even be a spooktacular surprise or two!

This free event is sponsored by the Friends of Long Hunter State Park.

Participants should meet at the Couchville Lake parking lot at 6:45 a.m. and be prepared to hit the trails at 7 a.m. sharp. The plan is to complete the hike by sunset, but there's always a chance we could still be out on the trails after dark. So participants might want to bring a light source.

If you're unable to hike all 26 miles (or just aren't interested in hiking that many miles), no worries -- you can stop whenever you want. Some people hike only a mile or two with us. The main objective is to have fun while enjoying the fall colors and variety of habitats that Long Hunter has to offer -- whether you hike just two miles or all 26.

Different segments of the hike will be led by various members of the Friends of Long Hunter State Park. Those who complete the hike will receive a frameable certificate of merit. There's also a possibility of getting your photo in a newspaper and/or online. One year The Tennessean newspaper showed up for the event, and the following day there was a nice story about the mega-hike and a photo gallery.

Just remember to bring lunch and snacks and plenty of water -- and perhaps extra socks and clothes.

Since Long Hunter's trails are spread out and many of them do not intersect, participants will return to their cars several times in order to drive to different areas of the park. In other words you won't need to carry a heavy backpack around with you; you can leave extra food and clothes in your vehicle and get them later if you wish. You'll also have access to park restrooms at a couple of different locations.

As for the weather, the hike will take place regardless of the temperature. However, if it's raining or if the weather looks threatening, the event might be postponed since attempting to hike 26 miles in the rain might prove to be difficult -- and probably not much fun.

The plan is to hike the trails in the same order as recent years: Couchville Lake Arboretum Trail, Nature Loop, Inland Trail, Bluff Trail, Deer Trail, Group Camp Trail, Day Loop, Volunteer Trail, Couchville Glade Trail, Jones Mill Trail, Point Trail, Bryant-Grove Trail. The order is subject to change, but the hike will always start at Couchville Lake.

No pets, please. Kids are welcome.

Since this hike is being organized, led and sponsored by the non-profit Friends of Long Hunter State Park group, donations are welcome. Many of the park's hikes and events are organized by Friends of Long Hunter volunteers. Also, many supplies for the park's educational programs are also purchased by the Friends group. To donate to the group or become a member, please go to http://www.friendsoflonghunter.com/membership.html

For more information, contact park office at 615-885-2422 or message one of the hike leaders. You can also keep up with the latest news on the Friends of Long Hunter Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/longhunterstatepark

See complete Mega-Hike info at https://tn-nature.blogspot.com/2024/07/18th-annual-long-hunter-mega-hike-set.html

A recent article about the Long Hunter Mega-Hike: https://digital.tnconservationist.org/publication/?i=671267&article_id=3748440

Directions to Couchville Lake parking lot:
Enter Long Hunter State Park at the main park entrance (2910 Hobson Pike) and then take the first left and proceed to the parking lot beside Couchville Lake.