Twin Arches

While we were hiking in the Great Smokies we came across a nice group that lived in Tennessee and knew lots of hikes in the area. We used that opportunity learn about other places in the state they enjoyed, especially because we wanted to find hikes that Aiden might be able to join us on. Their recommendation was Twin Arches in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. It was an awesome recommendation, despite a very gravely road in.

There is a .7 mile hike down to the arches from the parking lot if you're not feeling super active. It isn't an easy walk, and there are some very steep stairs.

But the arches are pretty spectacular. The north arch is 62 feet high, with a clearance of 51 feet and a span of 93 feet, while the south arch has a height of 103 feet, a clearance of 70 feet and a span of 135 feet. As such, they are very hard to photograph because it is hard to get far enough away without your view being obstructed by trees.

 

Since we were looking for a hike, and Aiden hadn't been able to go hiking with us the last two days, we decided to tack on the 4.6 mile Twin Arches Loop trail. The start of the trail was a steep descent into a river valley. It was a lovely hike, not all that different from hikes that we might do at home.

On the way back up out of the valley, we experienced a bit of how the arches were created. They were made by erosion working on both sides of a thin ridge until they broke through to create the arch. On the way up there were several other eroded indents, like shallow caves. They were all different and interesting.

 

Aiden loved the hike, because she always loves hiking. But she extra loved the hike because she snuck in a swim.

 

Overall it was a great way to see more of Tennessee, and to let Aiden get out and stretch her legs.