The Walls of Jericho

Waterfall at the Walls of Jericho
© Byron Jorjorian

Contact information: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) now manages the site. If you have any questions about access to this property please call 615-781-6622 or toll-free (in state) 1-800-624-7406.

Directions: From Nashville take I-24 east toward Chattanooga. Take exit 127 on Highway 64 and turn toward Winchester. Stay on Highway 64 for about 15 miles and turn south on Highway 16. Just after crossing into Alabama, look on the right for a gravel parking area with a yellow gate and an information kiosk. Park there and follow directions on the map at the trailhead.

What to do: There are hiking trails and horse trails. Both lead into the gorge. A tent-only camping area is available at the bottom.

Tips for the hike: The hike is about 3.5 miles in length, one way, and is downhill most of the route into the gorge. That, of course, means the walk back will be mostly uphill. It is a strenuous hike, so visitors should wear comfortable shoes and take plenty of water and snacks. The trail is well marked but often is muddy for days after a rain shower. Several streams have to be crossed, so plan on getting wet. Be advised that stream levels rise quickly during thunderstorms and crossing them can be hazardous in swift water. Plan on a minimum of six hours to make the round trip, which includes a two-hour stay in the gorge.

Transaction Details

Buyer: The Nature Conservancy

Seller: Stevenson Land Company

Total tract size: 21,453 acres bordering the state line between Alabama and Tennessee

12,510 acres in Alabama
8,943 acres in Tennessee

The Walls of Jericho tract links large, protected, intact forestlands within the Southern Cumberlands, for a total of more than 50,000 acres of protected lands.

Nearby protected areas include:

Carter Caves State Natural Area
Franklin State Forest
University of the South at Sewanee
The Nature Conservancy’s David Carter tract
Skyline Wildlife Management Area

This project protects the headwaters of the Paint Rock River.

Work on this property is a joint effort between the Tennessee and Alabama chapters of The Nature Conservancy and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Project Costs

Total project costs: $13,944,168

$735* per acre in Alabama
$530* per acre in Tennessee

*Prices are based on timber values.

Southern Cumberlands and the Paint Rock River

Located in Franklin County, Tenn., and Jackson County, Ala.

Jackson County, Ala., has the highest concentration of caves of any county in the United States.

This area is the epicenter of the rare Tennessee cave salamander.

The upper Paint Rock River watershed, including the Walls of Jericho area, is one of the few intact large functional landscapes remaining in the Southeast.

The Paint Rock River is home to 100 species of fish and about 45 mussel species:

Five globally imperiled mussels and 12 globally rare mussels are found in the Paint Rock River and its tributaries.
Two of the mussel species (pale lilliput and Alabama lampshell) are found nowhere else in the world, and one fish species (palezone shiner) is confined to the Paint Rock River and one stream in Kentucky.
Three globally imperiled fish (sawfin shiner, blotchside logperch and snail darter) occur in the Paint Rock River.
The area is important habitat for migratory songbirds, such as the cerulean warbler, and for non-migratory birds, such as ruffed grouse.

The Walls of Jericho Are Now Open to the Public

Alabama’s Forever Wild Program purchased the 12,500-acre Alabama section of the property from The Nature Conservancy. The Alabama Forever Wild Land Trust is a permanent trust created by the Alabama state constitution. This land is now open for public access.

In 2006, The Nature Conservancy transferred the 8,900-acre Tennessee tract to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). The State Natural Areas Program of the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation co-manages 750 acres of the Walls of Jericho and its immediate watershed. The site is also designated as a Tennessee State Natural Area. This land is also open for public access.

Related Program and Project Descriptions

The Conservancy’s Southern Cumberlands Project area encompasses approximately 1 million acres in the southern region of the Cumberland Plateau.

The Conservancy’s Tennessee and Alabama chapters have been beneficiaries of a three-year, $2.5 million grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) to work on the Cumberland Plateau. The multi-year initiative has focused on conserving natural areas, protecting working landscapes and strengthening efforts already under way in the region. The Greater Southern Appalachian region, a "hot spot" of biodiversity in the United States, is the fifth site in DDCF’s $25 million national forest conservation initiative. (First phase of grant was awarded 2001.)

The Lyndhurst Foundation of Chattanooga, Tenn., has also provided financial support for this project.

Historic Background

The Walls of Jericho area was originally owned by the Texas oil magnate Harry Lee Carter, who acquired 60,000 acres in Franklin County, Tenn., and Jackson County, Ala., in the 1940s.

For years, up until 1977 when the Walls of Jericho were closed to the public, the Tennessee property had been open to the public for recreational use and managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Now this special place is once again open to the public.

The Carter Lands region lies in the heart of the Southern Cumberlands and totals 60,000 acres.