Cedars of Lebanon State Park
After getting the new to us camper painted and some of the wood replaced we decided to again pair up with the parents and take a weekend trip to Cedars of Lebanon State Park. This was a pick for the hiking trails and it had neighboring sites so we could both bring campers. We just couldn’t stay apart after our initial family outing across South Carolina and Georgia!
As the temperatures were supposed to drop into the mid 30s at night I reversed the heavy duty survival blankets I mentioned using back on our Melton Hill trip. By turning the reflective side down toward the bunk it helps keep heat in the camper instead of turning it away……and as a BIG Tennessee Volunteers fan I just had to have orange! Also on this trip we used a new solution for our gray water tank. For this I ordered the Aqua-Tainer 7 gallon tank from Amazon. This ended up working VERY well. The larger lid has a nozzle attachment that screws out and you hose will fit right in. The tank also has a vent allowing it to more easily be dumped when needed.
Hiking the Trails
After a cool, relaxing night of family time around the campfire we awoke refreshed and ready to tackle the trails. Little did they know, or maybe they should have, that of all the trails in the park I would pick the longest at 4.20 miles! To make matters even more interesting the trail I selected, the Hidden Springs Trail, is the only one listed as moderate difficulty instead of easy……insert evil grins and laughs here!!!!! The trail meanders through the park and passes by several gullies, sinks and underground caverns due to the underground springs for which the trail is named.
Just beyond the halfway point is a deep circular sinkhole leading down to one of the underground springs. This is the point where we opted to stop for lunch and take in the surroundings and beauty of nature.
The Limestone Sinks Trail is a .40 mile loop that connects to the Hidden Springs Trail just before it ends. We opted to take this loop and we are glad we did. It is filled with natural sinks and a large burled Chinkapin Oak tree. The size of this burl will by far be the standard for all we see in the future simply based on it’s size.
Although it’s a state park this campground is by far the loudest and busiest park we’ve been to in quite a while. People did quite down by 10:00 pm, with the exception of the occasional loud few, but they ran right up to the deadline. Maybe it was the great weather for camping or the proximity to a large metropolitan area (Nashville, TN) but I wouldn’t say it beat expectations. I would give the park another try and I wouldn’t advise anyone to avoid it. All in all for the price it does make a nice weekend getaway with full hookups (minus sewer).
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