SUMMARY

Length: 0.8 mi

Hiking Time: 45 minutes

Elevations: 1330 ft (Point A); 1260 ft (Point F)

Cumulative Elevation Change: 160 ft

Difficulty: EASY

 ● 75% is flat and 25% is on cool northerly 

 slopes

 ● Minor elevation change

Highlights:

 ● Older hardwood forests on 

 undisturbed uplands

 ● Younger conifer-hardwood forests on 

 disturbed uplands

 ● Younger conifer-hardwood forests on 

 disturbed bottomlands

 ● Influence of bedrock and soil on 

 topography and vegetation

 ● Invasive, exotic species in disturbed 

 forests

 ● Rich herbaceous flora on undisturbed 

 lower slopes

 ● American Chestnut sprouts in 

 undisturbed forest

Access:

 ● Parking at campground entrance 

 station

 ● Trailheads at northeast end of 

 Campground row B (Point A) and at 

 Amphitheater Entrance at northeast 

 end of campground row C (Point K)

Cumberland Gap

National Historical Park

Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Note: Topographic map showing the streams (blue 

lines), the Greenleaf Trail (colored lines), and associated trails and roads (black lines).
Tree species that are adapted to invade recently abandoned land (pioneer species) characterize the forest 

along this section of trail. Yellow-poplar is dominant, occupying about 50% of the area, and occurs with 

other pioneer species such Virginia Pine, Sweet Birch, Eastern Redcedar and Black Locust. Other 

characteristic species of the upper tree canopy are White Oak, Black Cherry, Persimmon, Blackgum, White 

Ash, Hickory, Sugar Maple and Red Maple. Flowering Dogwood and Redbud are common in the lower tree 

canopy and Spicebush in the shrub layer. There are also some 

planted White Pine and Hemlock near the campground and 

amphitheater. Although relatively young pioneer trees 

dominate this section of the trail, there are a scattering of 

large–diameter trees with bushy crowns and branch stubs on 

the lower part of the trunks. These trees are old and occurred 

along fence lines, around structures or as shade trees in 

pastures during the period of human occupation. An example 

of these older trees is seen in the grove of large, open-grown 

Shumard Oak that occurs at the top of the hill about 350 ft 

south of point I on the east side of the trail. Chinkapin Oak – a 

species usually found only on limestone soils - is also 

widespread along this section of trail, mostly as saplings and 

small trees. This is interesting, since Chinkapin Oak does not 

occur on the rich soils over siltstone and shale along section D 

– F of the trail, but somehow seems to “sense” the limestone 

bedrock , 5-10 ft below the surface, along this section of trail.

Aggressive non-native species that spread rapidly and often displace native species (invasive exotic 

species) are common along this section of trail. The most obvious and abundant invasive exotic species 

are Autumn Olive (shrub), Multiflora Rose (shrub or vine) and Japanese Honeysuckle (vine).

OVERVIEW

● The trail between points D and F (green trail section on map) is 0.25 mi long and winds down a 

northeast slope to the creek, passing through an old and diverse mixed hardwood forest. Except for 

the absence of American Chestnut in the main canopy (see later discussion of American Chestnut 

and Chestnut Blight), this stand is a good example of the type of Mixed Mesophytic Forest that 

occurred here before European colonization. This trail section in underlain chiefly by Reedsville 

calcareous shale and siltstone and by rich soils formed from these rocks.

● The trail connecting points F, G, H and I (red trail section) is 0.2 mi long and runs through a 

highly-disturbed bottomland forest. This forest contains a variety of tree species and ages that 

reflects the long and ongoing history of human use and disturbance. This trail section is underlain 

by stream deposits (alluvium) and by loamy and fertile soils that are highly variable in terms of 

characteristics such as depth to the water table and the amount and type of gravel they contain.

● The trail between points I and D (purple trail section) is 0.35 mi long and traverses a young forest 

that mainly originated in 1950-55 when Cumberland Gap National Historical Park was established 

resulting in the local abandonment of pastures and human settlements. This trail section is 

underlain by 5–10 ft of highly-weathered, acidic and infertile soil that formed in rock debris that long 

ago moved down from Cumberland Mountain and accumulated at the base of the mountain (colluvial 

fan). The underlying bedrock is Trenton Limestone.

Southern red trillium

Trail Section between points I and D (purple)

TRAIL DESCRIPTION
TRAIL DESCRIPTION (CONTINUED)

Although the topography is generally flat along this section of trail, shallow sinkholes and depressions occur 

at a number of locations as a result of the dissolution and collapse of the limestone bedrock (karst 

topography). At point J, the amphitheater is situated in a shallow subsidence depression, and the trail 

crosses the eastern edge of another subtle depression at point B. A deeper and more obvious sinkhole 

occurs on the east side of the trail at point C. The moist micro-environment of the sinkhole at point C is 

indicated by the occurrence of Sweetgum, a tree species characteristic of wet sites, and by the dense shrub 

layer of Spicebush. 

In addition to the young and uniform forest of pioneer species, evidence of intense and recent human use of 

this area may be seen in the form of old metal and glass artifacts, abandoned paths and fence lines, and the 

occurrence of stone piles – stones that were removed from fields and garden plots and stacked in piles in 

order to facilitate cultivation and planting.

At point D, about 200 ft down slope from point C, the forest changes dramatically. The young, uniform stand 

of mostly pioneer tree species is replaced by an old forest composed of a great variety of species and trees 

with a wide range of diameters, heights and ages (high biodiversity). The upper tree canopy includes large 

individuals of White Oak, Red Maple, Yellow-poplar, Hickory, American Beech, Yellow Buckeye, Northern 

Red Oak, Sweet Birch, Slippery Elm, Blackgum, White Ash, Sugar Maple, Scarlet Oak, Chestnut Oak, and 

Black Oak. Many dominant trees are 2-3 ft in diameter at breast height and over 100 ft tall. Species 

occurrence varies slightly along the slope with oaks (especially Chestnut and Scarlet) increasing in 

importance in the upslope direction and Yellow Buckeye and Beech increasing downslope. The lower tree 

canopy includes Sourwood, Umbrella Magnolia, Flowering Dogwood, Hophornbeam and Pawpaw; the shrub 

layer includes American Chestnut, Witch-Hazel, Strawberry Bush and Spicebush. This area has a 

discontinuous but distinctive evergreen ground cover that includes Christmas Fern, Little Brown Jug, Striped 

Pippsissewa and Partridgeberry. Except for the absence of American Chestnut in the upper tree canopy, this 

forest is almost identical to that described as the “mixed 

mesophytic forest of lower elevations of valleys” by E. Lucy 

Braun in her classic study “Forests of the Cumberland 

Mountains.”

E. Lucy Braun found Chestnut to occur as a canopy dominant 

in every type of forest from the dry ridge tops to the ravines 

and the alluvial bottomlands. By 1940, all mature Chestnut 

trees had been killed by the Chestnut Blight, an introduced 

fungal disease. Although the tops died, the roots of the original 

trees survived and continue, to this day, to produce sprouts. The sprouts, in 

turn, grow into sapling-size trees and photosynthesize enough to keep the 

roots alive, then they become infected by the Chestnut Blight and die - and 

the roots sprout again. 

American Chestnut sprouts are abundant along this section of trail 

especially between points D and E. Many other tree species harbor, but are 

not killed by, the Chestnut Blight fungus including White Oak, Black Oak, 

Chestnut Oak, Red Maple and Shagbark Hickory. Scarlet Oak is the best 

known reservoir of Chestnut Blight, and about 15% of mature trees have a 

distinctive swollen base with an open wound (canker) that indicates the 

presence of Chestnut Blight infection (see photo).

The forest along this section of the trail is essentially free of invasive exotic 

species (as of 2007). Given the abundance and proximity of invasive exotic 

species on both the disturbed upland and disturbed bottomland, their 

absence here suggests that this forest ecosystem is healthy and that the 

biodiversity of this old natural forest protects it from exotic invasion.

A chestnut leaf

Basal swelling on 

Scarlet Oak

Trail Section between points D and F (green)
TRAIL DESCRIPTION (CONTINUED)

At point E, a connector trail goes uphill to join the Lewis Hollow Trail. Point F is on a boardwalk over a 

meander bend of the creek. The old undisturbed forest is on the steep slope to the SW and the young 

disturbed forest is on the floodplain to the NE. In the meander bend the stream is cutting into the hillside 

(cutbank) exposing siltstone and shale bedrock that can be seen in the creek bed dipping downward at an 

angle of 15-20o in a northerly direction, i.e. away from the hill and towards the boardwalk. These dipping rock 

layers form natural conduits draining water from the hillslope to the stream in the vicinity of the boardwalk. 

This functions as a natural irrigation system which causes the soils at the base of the cool and protected 

hillslope to be exceptionally fertile and well-watered which, in turn, supports a luxurious and diverse 

herbaceous flora. Spring wildflowers are especially abundant in this area.

Most of this trail section is on terrain that is too steep for pasture and other types of intensive human use, so 

the surrounding forest survived more-or-less intact while the flat upland and bottomland areas were severely 

disturbed. Although not deforested, this area has undoubtedly been affected by human activities such as 

timber harvest and grazing of hogs.

Point G is the junction with Honey Tree Trail; Point H is the junction with the service road leading to Station 

Creek. The forest of this bottomland, although mostly young, is patchy and variable due to a long and 

complicated history of disturbance by both stream processes (deposition and erosion) and human activities. 

The upper canopy is occupied by tree species typically found on both uplands and bottomlands including 

Yellow-poplar, White Ash, Black Cherry, American Beech, Sugar Maple, Slippery Elm, Northern Red Oak, 

Black Walnut, Sweetgum, Sycamore, Sweet Birch and Virginia Pine. Red Mulberry, Flowering Dogwood, 

American Hornbeam, Hophornbeam and Pawpaw occur in the lower tree canopy, while Spicebush, Witchhazel, Sumac, Redbud and Hazelnut occur in the shrub layer. Since bottomlands are, by definition, wellwatered and since the alluvial soils are enriched by nutrients deposited by the stream, the herbaceous layer 

is lush at all seasons.

There are a lot of disturbed patches and “edges” in the bottomland due to natural erosion of the stream banks 

and to the occurrence of old roads, trails, abandoned structures and clearings. There is also an abundance of 

old stone foundations, stone piles and human artifacts throughout the area. Japanese Honeysuckle and 

Multiflora Rose are common and abundant here, especially in the form of vines climbing trees and draped 

over smaller vegetation. The steep hillslope SW of the trail between points F and I is a transition zone 

between the undisturbed upland forest and the disturbed bottom land forest, and the “edge effect” can be 

seen along the base of this hill in the form of patches of jonquils (daffodils), planted by former residents, and 

now persisting as wild plants after abandonment of the settlements.

Trail Section between points F, G, H and I (red)