Part of the Foster Falls upper trail and Father Adamz is closing.

timesfreepress.com/news/loc…

We were at Foster Falls this weekend and the manager of Shellmound Campground where we stayed shared some news with me and asked if we'd spread the word. I apologize if I'm hashing old news, it's news to me and I haven't been keeping up with the forum.

According to a local newspaper story the manager shared with me, Father Adamz and the trail that's near it is on private land that's now in heirs' hands and they want to cease the public use agreement. So a lot of trail work will need to happen between now and December to cut a new one if we want to keep the Fiery Gizzard trailhead and upper climbing access open.

Am I late to the party or is this news to you guys too? I'd like to get in on a trail day if some are planned.

Hi Brian, that's not good news. I was under the impression that the closure was down at the Raven Point end, closer to Grundy Forest, per this article:

timesfreepress.com/news/loc…

Maybe landowners closer to Foster Falls have also decided to sell their land or don't want the trail on their land.

Wow, thanks for update!

I passed this on to the SCC rep for foster falls climbing. He hadn't heard about it and is checking into it.
Also if the land in question is in the Grundy co portion of the fiery gizzard, I don't think that will effect climbing access and foster falls. The climbers loop, parking area, and father adamz is located completely with in the 178 acres of TVAs Foster Falls Small Wild Area.
Regardless, I hope TDEC can work something out for the part of the trail that is being effected.

This...

"Officials say 3,000 to 4,000 people a month hit the trail that Backpacker magazine has named among its top 25 hiking trails and ranked sixth in the nation for fall colors."

As backpacking, rock climbing, etc. continue to grow, I wonder when/if the magazines, guidebook authors, REI/MP, local orgs, etc. will ever consider "selective promotion" in the interest of conservation/preservation of access.

I mean, Rock & Ice and other mags have repeatedly published and, subsequently, closed more than one "grey access" crag in Alabama throughout the years...as an example.