Autumn Wildflowers + Sunset in the Glades - Long Hunter State Park

* To register for this hike, please sign up on the park's event page at https://tnstateparks.com/parks/event_details/long-hunter/#/?event=october-in-the-glades-a-sunset-stroll-10-02-23

FYI, I'm posting this hike here to give Meetup members first dibs, but the hike is limited to the first 10 who sign up on the park event page. Once the event is full, the park event page will say "Sold Out" and won't allow additional sign-ups.

Meeting Time: 6:00 PM
Meeting Place: Couchville Cedar Glade parking lot
Hike Distance: 1 mile
Estimated Hike Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Hike Leader: Jason Allen

Welcome to October! October evenings are often spectacular in Long Hunter's cedar glades. You can discover rare and unusual plants while it's still light out, enjoy a bit of fall color, experience a beautiful sunset from the prairie area, and then take in the awesome night sky while standing on large slabs of cedar glade limestone. And if you're lucky, you may hear (or see) some of the glade's unusual night critters, too! This is a rare opportunity to experience the park after hours.

Join wilderness guide Jason Allen as we explore and learn about this habitat that's sometimes called the Tennessee Desert. Feel free to bring a light source, although we won't use artificial light unless necessary.

This is a flat, easy one-mile hike. Insect repellent recommended. No pets please.

Directions to Couchville Cedar Glade:
From I-40 exit on Highway 171 and go south on South Mount Juliet Rd. for about six miles then bear left onto South Mt Juliet Rd. The parking area is one half mile on the right. From I-24, exit at Old Hickory (southeast Nashville near Hickory Hollow Mall) and proceed east for approximately 12 miles. Turn right at South Mt Juliet Rd about one and one half miles past the Long Hunter State Park entrance. The parking area is one half mile on the right.