John C. Clayborn Millennium Trail

April in Tennessee brings out a kaleidoscope of colors as wildflowers blanket the forest floor.  My mom is a wildflower enthusiast (or maniac depending on how you look at it) and wanted to see the colors in their full glory by taking a long hike.  We've been talking about hiking the 8 mile Millennium Trail for a couple of years now, so we decided to quit talking about and just do it.

Located within Edgar Evans State Park, the John C. Clayborn Millennium Trail follows the outline of a peninsula in Center Hill Lake and passes by old homesteads where the only remnants of human influence are seen in the low rock walls so typically built by Scots-Irish immigrants to Tennessee.  We also passed the remains of an old springhouse before we began our strenuous ascent up the ridge.  The wildflowers did not disappoint, and every switchback revealed a new flower, a new color.  While I highly recommend this trail for its scenery and history, it is extrememly strenuous and literally sapped me of my energy.  I was so grateful for the PB&J sandwich and trail mix that my mom packed because it literally gave me the boost I needed to make it over the last few hills.

If you do decide to hike this trail, I highly recommend you stop at the visitor's center at the entrance of the park and climb the spiral staircase to the top of the tower.  The tower overlooks the Center Hill Dam and from a distance, you can even see the abandoned cooling tower from the defunct nuclear plant in Hartsville, TN- which is nearly 40 miles north of Edgar Evans State Park!