Buggy Top Trail / Buggy Top Cave
- South Cumberland State Parks
Location: Sewanee, TN
Hike Rating: 5 Miles / Moderate - loses several hundred feet elevation to cave mouth, rock hopping through cave, Parks Guide suggested for cave
References:
Middle Tennessee on Foot - Robert Brandt
Tennessee's South Cumberland: A Hiker's Guide to Trails & Attractions - Manning & Jamieson
Trail Notes: March 14, 2004
Our hike started with a short climb in the first 1/4 mile. Atop the plateau is fairly easy walking. The wildflowers were beginning to bloom.
We began a long, consistent descent through some rock outcroppings. As we drew close to the trail junction, we found a smoldering brush fire. The fire was nothing dramatic, mostly a smoldering of leaf litter and the occasional twig or rotting stump aflame. Thank goodness for the old road, the damp ground, and impending rain. We stomped out a twig or two as the ranger made notes and called it in to HQ. The burn was trapped by the old road and the hiking trails.
Ranger/Naturalist finds an anole
The trail junction is atop a cliff with Crow Creek and the cave below. A short walk to the left puts you above the cave entrance - some 150 feet above the cave entrance. The view is wonderful. You can understand the reasoning for the many old road travelers stopping their buggies to picnic on this spot.
Returning to the trail junction, we walked the opposite way down a steep trail to the cave entrance. The creek was high from the early spring rains. The rushing water was loud. Our ranger told us the water was much higher only a week earlier. That would have made the cave traverse much more difficult. We stopped for a lunch break before entering the cave.
Buggy Top Cave Entrance
Buggytop Cave is said to be the largest cave opening in the state - 80 feet high and 100 feet wide. The cave is formed by the running water and rock breakdown through this finger of the plateau. Inhabitants include several bats, salamanders, crickets and other small creatures. Our group, lead by our ranger, traveled into several passageways and caverns within the cave. No gear other than headlamps was necessary to walk through the cave. We were on all fours around a couple smaller passageways; but most of the exploration was done walking upright.
Our trek through the cave lasted nearly an hour. We hadn't realized the comfort of the cave temperature until we emerged from the other end of the cave. The air outside was warmer, and we could see the cloud cover that threatened to rain.
We scrambled across a dry stream bed to the main trail. It was then that we realized our lengthy exploring of the subterranean passage had taken us just a hundred yards or so from the overlook we had visited before entering the cave!
Looking out the cave entrance
We then headed back to the cars, past the smoldering leaves and the rocky outcropping. The rain was kind enough to hold off until after we reached the cars.
Overall, our small group enjoyed the hike. The smaller group made for more opportunities to explore within the cave. We were glad to have the ranger along as a guide. The natural formations in the cave were impressive. The trip through the cave was challenging, but not too difficult. The trail to the cave afforded us viewing of the earliest of Spring wildflowers and some great views off of the plateau - and the added excitement and education of the power of fire.
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