A Fairytale Weekend in Big South Fork: Creek Camping, Twin Arches, and a Mama Bear in the Road
Some trips give you a nice view. This one gave me a fox, two turkeys, a flock of rogue chickens, a night by a creek with not another soul in sight, one of the largest natural arches east of the Mississippi, and, just when I thought the trip couldn't hand me anything else, a mother bear and her cub strolling across the road like they owned it. Because, honestly, they do.
This past weekend I packed in about two miles to camp along a creek in Big South Fork National Recreation Area, straddling the Tennessee-Kentucky border. What followed was one of those trips that reminds you exactly why this work, the National Park Project, the music, all of it, matters to me.
The Hike In
We saw the wildlife show start before we'd even reached the trailhead. On the drive in, a fox trotted across the road ahead of us, followed not long after by two wild turkeys and, a little more unexpectedly, a small band of rogue chickens wandering along the roadside. It was the kind of only-in-Appalachia moment that makes you laugh out loud in the car.
From the trailhead, it's about a two-mile hike in to reach the creek. Big South Fork has a way of feeling bigger than it is. The gorges are deep, the hemlocks are tall, and the sound of moving water follows you most of the way. By the time we set up camp along the creek that evening, we hadn't seen another hiker all day. Just water over stone, birdsong easing into cricket-song, and a sky that got darker and more crowded with stars than most of us ever see at home.
There's a particular kind of quiet that only exists a couple of miles from a trailhead. It's far enough that the noise of daily life can't reach you, and close enough that you still feel like part of the world instead of separate from it. That's the quiet I got to sleep in.
Morning: The Bears
The next morning, we broke camp and drove to a closer parking area to hike to Twin Arches, one of the largest natural bridge formations in the eastern United States and genuinely one of those places photos don't do justice. On the short drive over, a mother bear and her tiny cub ambled across the road directly in front of us. She wasn't in a hurry, and neither was the cub trailing behind her, just two bears going about their morning, entirely unbothered by us. I managed to get a picture, which I'll treasure for a long time.
If you've spent any real time in national parks, you know these moments are rare gifts, not guarantees. Seeing a bear and cub safely, from a respectful distance, from inside a vehicle, is the kind of encounter that stays with you. It's equal parts thrilling and humbling.
Twin Arches
The hike to Twin Arches itself is a fairly easy walk that pays off disproportionately to the effort. Standing underneath sandstone arches that have been quietly holding their shape for millions of years has a way of putting a weekend, a to-do list, or a whole year into perspective. We took our time there. There's no reason to rush a place like that.
Why This Matters to Me
I've spent a lot of my career at the intersection of music and the outdoors, commissioning new musical works inspired by our national parks through the National Park Project. Trips like this one are where that work actually starts. Not at a desk, but two miles down a trail, next to a creek, watching a fox cross a gravel road at dawn.
If weekends like this one are meaningful to you too, there are a few ways to stay connected to the work:
Support the National Park Project. A portion of every purchase from my store helps fund new commissioned musical works inspired by our National Parks. You can read more about the project here.
Help commission a new piece inspired by Mammoth Cave National Park. The Larkspur Reed Trio is currently raising funds for this exact project. You can donate directly here.
I'm also a proud member of the National Park Travelers Club. If you're chasing park stamps and stories of your own, that's a great community to find.
One Last Thing
Big South Fork doesn't get the crowds that Great Smoky Mountains or Zion do, and honestly, that's part of its magic. If you're looking for a park where you can hike for a full day and not see another person, where the arches are as impressive as anything out west, and where the wildlife shows up in ways you couldn't script, put it on your list.
I'll be back. The creek, the arches, and that mama bear made sure of that.