Sewanee in Franklin County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Head of the Crow State Park
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, May 17, 2026
1. Head of the Crow State Park Marker
Founded in protection and connection, Head of the Crow State Park preserves the unique geology, ecology, and cultural history of the souther Cumberland Plateau in and around Crow Creek Valley. It is a home for exceptional resource-based recreation, academic and scientific inquiry, and cultural and historical inclusivity.
Head of the Crow is a wilderness park that connects four State Natural Areas. As the sprawl of human habitation continues undaunted, remaining wilderness is vitally important. Head of the Crow will continue to play a key role in the region by growing through acquisition and easement, and creating an expansive, resilient wildlife corridor by connecting previously protected lands. The park is home to several species of plants and animals that exist nowhere else in the world. Part of our mission is to provide safe harbor for these and all resident species.
It is also our duty to facilitate bonds between the park and our visitors. As Edward Abbey wrote, "Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit. We offer the public this connection through safe, inspirational wilderness
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Endemic Species
Sherwood Forest State Natural Area protects the northern range of the Painted Tigersnail a rare species of land snail found only on the Cumberland Plateau. This snail lives in cracks and surfaces of exposed Monteagle limestone-also found only in this area.
Buggytop Cave is home to the state amphibian, the Tennessee Cave Salamander, a threatened species that only inhabits streams in certain limestone caves in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia.
Morefield's Leather Flower is an endangered buttercup native only to four counties on the southern portion of the Cumberland Plateau. Cumberland Rosinweed is a rare species of sunflower with populations confirmed only on the Southern Cumberland Plateau.
Trails
Buggytop Trail is a strenuous one-way, 2-mile trail that descends over 500 feet on the way in. It winds through an oak-hickory hardwood forest with small cedar groves and limestone openings, terminating in an overlook above the Buggytop Cave entrance from which Crow Creek flows.
Sherwood Day Loop is a 2.9-mile loop with 100 feet of elevation change that is mostly level ground with a few
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, May 17, 2026
2. Head of the Crow State Park Marker
Pack Hollow Trail is a 1.45-mile in-and-out trail (2.9 miles total) that starts at the Pack Hollow Trailhead and follows the Sherwood Loop right fork for 0.10 miles before splitting off. This trail follows the bluff line around Tom Pack Hollow, giving hikers views of the forest below and cliffs above. The trail then descends 150 feet into the hollow, affording a closer look at the forest floor and the intermittent streams running through the cove. This is a new trail, and it will lengthen in time.
Natural Bridge Trail descends 49 wooden and stone steps to the top of a 25-foot sandstone arch, providing a scenic view of Lost Cove. The path crosses over the arch on a stone surface, and the total length of this trail is 0.10 mile with an elevation change of 63 feet.
Surrounding Area
North of Head of the Crow is the University of the South, an Episcopal institution founded in 1857. The Sewanee Mining Company donated most of the land, lumber, and transportation for its campus. Since then, the university has grown in academics, stature, and holdings, bringing the total campus area known as "The Domain" or "Sewane" to over 13,000 acres.
To the south, nestled within the Crow Creek Valley, lies the town of Sherwood. Founded in 1878 and named after a Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, this area first served as a crossroads for Native American tribes, then a stagecoach community. Since then, the town has been shaped by the railroad, by mining, and by farming in the surrounding pastoral countryside.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1857.
Location. 35° 11.686′ N, 85° 55.011′ W. Marker is in Sewanee, Tennessee, in Franklin County. It is at the intersection of University Avenue and Lake O'Donnell Rd, on the left when traveling south on University Avenue. Marker can be found in front of the Head of the Crow State Park Visitor Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: University Avenue, Sewanee TN 37375, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee and in the Highland Rim. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Mountain Goat Trail (here, next to this marker); Sewanee Village Trailhead (here, next to this marker); Desegregation of Franklin County Public Schools (approx. 0.2 miles away); Army of Tennessee (approx. half a mile away); Saints Rest (approx. 0.6 miles away); Rebel's Rest (approx. Ύ mile away); Edmund Kirby Smith (approx. 0.9 miles away); University of the South (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sewanee.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 16, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 30, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
