At first glance, our Cedar Barrens is like many other nature trails around middle Tennessee. What you may not realize is that you’re actually enjoying a small piece of one of the rarest ecosystems in the world: the glade/barrens ecosystem.
Cedar glades are natural openings where you may see exposed bedrock, most often limestone, or areas covered by small plants and only a thin layer of soil. They can be a frustration when you’re trying to put in a fence or a garden, but we have learned to love them.
We have our own gravelly glade tucked into a wooded area on a different part of the property that we manage for wildlife. While you won’t be running RCs there, our Cedar Barrens trail takes you through one zone in the ecosystem: the barrens forest.
The barrens forest, usually a mix of red-cedar, blue ash, hackberry, elm, hickory, and Shumard and chinquapin oak, is dominated by red-cedars at the glade perimeter. Sounds familiar, huh? Take a look around the next time you’re out and find some of the tree markers we’ve added along the trail.
Right now Cedar Barrens dead ends at an area that will open later this year: the Property Line Trail. It’s more than just an access trail though. Especially for those newer to the sport, it is a great place to build some confidence on a natural surface trail and test yourself on rocks that are a bit less intimidating than the Rock Wall Challenge.
There are some surprising climbs and technical areas if you look for them. Plus, there are natural jumps hidden in plain sight!
Interested in learning more about the Glade-Barrens Ecosystem? Check out some fun facts below:
