Cabin Camping at Norris Dam State Park

Named after Nebraska Senator George W. Norris, Norris Dam in Lake City, TN, is about 20 minutes northwest of Knoxville. We reserved a rustic cabin at the park in anticipation of our daughter running in the state middle school cross country meet. As it turned out, her team did not qualify for the meet, but we proceeded with the trip since some of our money was non-refundable. And that proved to be a very smart decision, indeed!

The state park is surrounded by lands managed and protected by other agencies including the TVA, the City of Norris, and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Hiking trails crisscross much of the terrain, with many of these allowing hikers, bikers, and horseback riders, but no planes, trains or automobiles. We arrived on a Wednesday, unloaded our gear into the cabin, and immediately set out on foot. The Camp Sam Trail was accessible from the cabin campground, so that's where we were headed. Camp Sam, as we learned, was a camp established for the CCC during the construction of Norris Dam, which was completed in 1936. The pictures of the camp from the '30s depicts a very tidy place, complete with barracks, mess hall, administrative offices, amphitheater and a sand volleyball court. Most everything is gone today; the clean and orderly-looking camp has long since been reclaimed by the forest. Now days, only Boy Scouts use the camp. There is, however, one impressive feature that remains at least partially intact: the truck maintenance shop. There is no picture on display of the maintenance shop during its heyday, but a couple of the pit bays remain. As no attempt to upkeep the place is apparent, it is a testament to the quality of construction that 80 years later, a façade remains standing.

In the grease pit. Opening below left hand leads to stairs that

take you down and out an arched entrance.

Outside the grease pits. Notice the arched entrances.

The following morning brought rain and a perfect excuse to visit the Lenoir Museum and grist mill. These are free attractions with an abundance of cool stuff on display inside the museum. There are pictures galore, with several binders full of the people, their homes, and their churches before progress came and flooded them out. One picture on the wall is of FDR addressing an assembled crowd at the construction site. And, yes, he is sitting while giving his address.

A stone's throw away from the museum is a threshing barn and the mill. Inside the barn was an old bellows, which was the perfect intro into a long-winded retelling of a NOVA episode I recently saw where this blacksmith in Door County, Wisconsin makes an authentic, high-quality Viking sword using only the tools and methods available at that time. My wife and oldest daughter escaped the barn before I really got going, but my youngest never had a chance. She stood, nodded, smiled occasionally, and feigned interest throughout. Yes, I do believe she will make a fine manager one day.

Grist Mill





The rain had passed over us by now, and the trail alongside Lower Clear Creek leading away from the mill was calling our names. Well, my name anyway. We passed by a couple of small dams before encountering a sign by the roadway which forbade drivers from washing their cars in the river. I thought that to be kind of strange. I've never seen anyone washing a car in a river. But it's against the law? Maybe it's kind of fun! Something else I had never seen before this trip were two turtles making love on the trail. I kept looking around, but I never saw a sign prohibiting this. Oh, was I outraged! Turtles, evidently, can do whatever they want, whenever they want, but I can't even wash my car in the river! I can't prove it, but I'm pretty sure this baseless, searing injustice can be traced back to the Patriot Act.

Turtles these days. What're ya gonna do?

Dam on Lower Clear Creek

We explored the dam and the TVA River Bluff Trail on day three. My youngest daughter and I were out front on this hike and were lucky enough to see a fox dart onto the trail and scurry up ahead, before looking back at us and disappearing up the hill. This was a beautiful 3.2 mile hike with one pretty steep climb and plenty of great views of the Clinch River and the rocky bluff. If you can hike only one trail in the area, this is the one I recommend.



Norris Dam

Gazing upon the Clinch

After lunch my oldest daughter and I ran the TVA Songbird Loop, on the opposite side of the Clinch. This is a well-manicured, neatly graveled and level two-mile trail. It's great for walking and for jogging. Since we're training for a five-mile run this Saturday at a state park in Nashville, we took advantage of the opportunity we had here to lace up our running shoes and get the lead out.

We hiked a couple of other trails during our visit, and my youngest and I hit the tennis ball for a little while one day. Nature was all around us. We saw deer on several occasions, a couple of times right there in the rental cabin campsite. Groundhogs or gophers, whatever they were, were crawling around the campground and scampering underneath the cabins; one was even just hanging out by the Songbird Loop's north trailhead while we were running. There are plenty more trails left to explore at Norris Dam State Park, and I hope one day to write about those experiences as well. But now it's time to say goodbye to Jed and all his friends . . .

. . . and we would like to thank ye folks for kindly droppin' in.

Final Thought from Norris Dam