Warriors' Path State Park, TN

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
10/20/2025	3.5 miles	2 hours 58 minutes	565'	1.4 mph	316.7

Parking: 

• Childress Ferry Road

Map:

• Warriors_Path_web.png (3570×4620)

Directions:

• Take the orang blazed Fall Creek Loop Trail clockwise. Turn left onto the red blazed Devil's Backbone Trail. Ascend up and then down to Fall Creek Road. Turn around and take the Devil's Backbone Trail back to Fall Creek Loop Trail. Turn left onto the Fall Creek Loop Trail to return back to the parking lot.

I had an errand to run in Kingsport, TN, so we added on a hike at Warriors' Path State Park which is in the same town. The drive there was beautiful with the fall foliage in the mountains. You can do this hike from either Childress Ferry Road (tiny parking lot on a dead-end road) or the larger parking area at Fall Creek Road (where there is also a golf course). 

We started out on the Fall Creek Loop Trail, which had many acorns and black walnuts on the trail. I can't imagine what it would feel like to have a black walnut hit you on your head. Some are as large as tennis balls! I heard this year there is a bumper crop of acorns. We saw 6 deer on our hike. Krumm watched them, but he doesn't attempt to chase them. 

The foliage here is different than where we live. There aren't any rhodies! I felt like I was back hiking in Harriman, NY again. We hiked along a river, small at first. We saw a heron take off, and some other birds flying from the river. The river got wide, and we stopped to let Krumm have a swim.  Then we continued uphill rather steeply. I sort of figured a trail following the river would be flat, but it wasn't. We passed by the edge of a golf course and then ended at a golf course at the road. All along, we hiked next to the river and had nice views. The trail was a bit rocky and rooty along the Devil's Backbone Trail, with lots of leaves on the ground, so it was slow going for me. Trekking poles would have helped. The clasp on Krumm's leash broke, but I was able to hack it to still use it. I let him have a tiny bit of off leash hiking time near the water (something we don't do where we live, because of the large number of bears). We only saw one other hiker on the trail. We let Krumm have a second swim. On the way back, Glen took the longer route on the Fall Creek Loop Trail, and I took the shorter route back to our car. We both really enjoyed this hike - it's beautiful to hike next to the river. There are other trails in this park, many of them short.