Walls of Jericho Opens to Public

Governor Phil Bredesen will dedicate the state’s first hiking trail through The Walls of Jericho today.

The 21-thousand acre property on the Tennessee and Alabama border. Last year, the Nature Conservancy purchansed the land. Some consider it to be one of Tennessee’s most beautiful natural habitats.

Gina Hancock with the Nature says the previous owners allowed some access to the property. With its rivers and caves, and a dramatic canyon, Hancock says government ownership is necessary to provide safe access to the area.

“People used to go there on picnics Sunday after church, there were baptisms there, it was a recreational area for the local communities. And so one of the things that we knew when we decided that we were going to try to buy the Walls of Jericho was we wanted it in some kind of public ownership to restore that kind of place to the citizens of Tennessee.”

The state will take ownership of the land once it receives federal funding. In the meantime, Tennessee’s Wildlife Resources Agency and Department of Environment and Conservation are managing the land, which will be known as the Bear Hollow Wildlife Management Area and the Walls of Jericho State Natural Area.