Laurel Snow State Natural Area — Attraction in Tennessee

This is one of the most beautiful and interesting state natural areas I’ve seen. The area was a coal and iron mine in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and many of the mines are still intact, others have reclaimed by nature. The Richland mine, which is the most commonly photographed and easiest to find is right along the trail. It has an intriguing history, and I recommend researching it before you go, or after, to learn the history of the area. The Nelson mine is nearby, but is not in public land, and it’s completely flooded, and the surrounding area is somewhat unsafe, so it’s better to stick to the eastern side of Richland creek. There is also the new prospect mine, with very little information regarding it’s purpose and history, it might just remain somewhat of a mystery. Another interesting mine is the Dixon slope mine, which is somewhat harder to find. It’s main entrance has collapsed and been reclaimed by nature, but the ventilation shaft is probably still intact, although it is hard to find. I searched all around the rock face near the original Dixon slope mine entrance, and was unable to find the ventilation shaft. The Richland mine is right beside the trail, and is always flooded at least partially, however during droughts or just a normal dry season, you can go deeper in then you usually can, and see the interior of the mine past where the water level usually is. Like I said earlier I highly recommend doing some research on the history, as it’s way more then I could ever fit in a review. In addition to the man made underground features, there are also some naturally occurring caves in the area. I found one under a giant rock by the creek. You have to crawl to get inside, and it’s a pretty strenuous journey, and I never found the end, so I may have been near the end, or it may have gone further back. I didn’t go too far back, but it is deep enough to be worth exploring. We hiked to the area near laurel falls, which also contains a super small cave near lower laurel falls, just past the large bridge, the third one on that trail. The trail itself is beautiful, with Richland creek right beside you for the first part of the hike. We went when it was pretty icy, so do be cautious of slick surfaces. There is lots of backpacking at this park, and we passed a lot of people coming back from multi day trips further inside the park. There is rumored to be a cougar that once inhabited the park, and this might be true. I looked for his cave along the rock face but didn’t find it. I plan to return, and when I do I’ll update this review and say whether or not I found the cave and the ventilation shaft for the Dixon slope mine. We saw a coyote climbing up a rock face, which was one of the coolest things I’ve seen. The coke ovens are located near the parking lot, though they are often times covered In kudzu. Depending on the season and how the waters are, there are some good swimming spots along the trail. Do be aware that sometimes though the water can have a very strong current. As a history and spelunking nerd I absolutely love this place, because of the mines and caves, but anyone will enjoy this place if your looking to get out into nature. I could go on and in all day, but I think I’ll wrap up this review now, but I will give an update in a few weeks once I go back and search for the other one and the cougar cave. Definitely a five star. If you need directions to the mines, I will do my best to explain how to find them. To find the original entrance to the Dixon slope mine, look for the first bridge you come across. It’s right by the trailhead, and it’s pretty hard to miss. There is a large stone wall, it’s hard to tell what it was, but it’s big, so you’ll probably see it. Go towards it, and there is a small side trail. Get on that trail, and you’ll find after about two hundred feet, there is some old ruins near the trail, that’s the Dixon slope mine, the original entrance. Unfortunately I’ve hit the limit of how long a review can be, so if you want to learn more read other reviews or do some...

Ever feel like your being watched?! Beautiful place. A lot of history. I would recommend reading some history on the place before visiting. The only downfall is the amount of copperhead snakes. Plus cougars. We had an incident we walked up on a cave. We took a picture of inside the cave, upon further investigation we noticed we caught him in the picture. We had no clue we were standing in the mouth of a cougars home!! His cave is above the mine. There is a trail you can take to the top of the mine which is actually the ventilation shaft on the main trail... back up the trail (towards the trailhead) There is a trail to the actual mine that collapsed that sits above and to the right of the vent shaft.. You can follow the rock wall to the end and there is a trail that goes all the way up to the rock face. There is the cougars cave. There are scratches on trees, and you can see where he lays. A few years back the old man who locks up said there was a mother and her 2 cubs. Nobody ever belived him. Its true. We were stalked the entire way back to...

This pocket park is so much more then just a park. It's also a walk thru history. Just below the parking area is a row of coke ovens. The main path mostly follows the river. The first short bridge has some workings under it most likely a dam. If you follow that stream, it's not a easy walk following it up. But when you get to the top you'll find a fairly large cave that the stream is flowing out of. Back on the main trail a short ways is what was a coal mine. Up above the arched door is a very large stone arch That was the coal mine, all collapsed now. The arched door on the trail is a fair sized room. At the back of the room a tunnel leads off to the left. The back of the room into that tunnel is flooded. It is a great little room to cool of in. As you head up the trail you will see random bits of history both in the river and on land. You will see a Black pipe on the trail. That was the water supply for Dayton. To be...