No Title 1801

My desire to get away from crowds to a remote place led me to western Russell County. No noise, except for my own breathing, and the ripple of the Cumberland. Think of Red River Gorge or Natural Bridge, only in miniature. But most importantly: no crowds.

Along the Cumberland River near the site of an old Indian burial ground, there is a little known cave and stone arch. Locals call it Rock House, or more often, Rockhouse Bottom. The official name is Creelsboro Natural Bridge. It spans 104 feet, reaches 50 feet high, and sits seven miles downriver from Wolf Creek Dam and Lake Cumberland. It is the seventh largest natural bridge in the U.S. If you are carrying GPS equipment, the exact location is (36°53’5.97″N 85°14’11.13″W). It is a natural wonder, and peaceful to the eye and spirit.

Meeting Judy Lloyd Helm of Jamestown there for a guided tour, she took me to a “secret hide-away,” as she called it, just inside the cave. I was sworn to secrecy. When grandson Breydon Helm gets older, she may tell him. Meanwhile, he alternated between throwing rocks into the river, and looking at the cave walls. The girls, two cousins named Addie Lloyd and Brittney Murrell, hiked along the bank giggling, and stopping often to cool their feet in the water.

Escaping for a while can be a transformational renewal for the road back home.

Driving directions: Go south from the Cumberland Parkway (Exits 49 or 62) to the junction of highways 55 and 379. Then follow TN 379 south for 9.5 miles. (379 makes a sharp left in the small town of Creelsboro at mile 7.1. From here you are on a road with no outlet. to an unsigned gravel road on the left Turn left on the gravel road and drive a tenth of a mile to a parking area by a monument. The bridge is left of the monument and down a stream gully.

Cousins Brittany Murrell and Addie Lloyd cool their feet in the Cumberland River near Creelsboro.

Judy Lloyd Helm of Jamestown shows cave wonders at Rockhouse Bottom to grandson Breydon Helm.

Some stones and the Cumberland River downstream from Wolf Creek Dam, give Breydon Helm a stage to show off his throwing arm.

Breydon Helm, Judy Lloyd Helm, Brittany Murrell and Addie Lloyd posing inside the cave at Rockhouse Bottom.

Creelsboro Natural Bridge facing the Cumberland River, the seventh-largest natural bridge in the country.

View from the bank of the Cumberland River at Rockhouse Bottom near Creelsboro, seven miles downstream from Wolf Creek Dam.