Walls of Jericho

Question: What's more fun than hiking 3 miles and dropping a thousand feet of altitude?
Answer: Hiking right back up the hill again to get to your car!

The Walls of Jericho offer some of the most breathtaking views of waterfalls and rock formations that I've ever seen. This is complimented by the sense of accomplishment you feel just for making it down the hill alive. Wildlife, gorgeous streams and camp sites make this a must visit if you love the outdoors.

This is a seven mile hike (3.5 miles each way) that winds down the side of a mountain and into a canyon full of rock formations and waterfalls. Allow yourself a good six hours to properly enjoy everything. The hike down the hill isn't terribly strenuous but the hike back up will take you some time. Each time I've been there, I've taken my lunch with me to eat down in the canyon. This is truly one of the best picnic spots ever. I'd make sure to bring a sturdy pair of hiking shoes along with an extra pair of socks as exploring down in the canyon can cause you to get your feet wet. The last mile of the trail is along the canyon wall and can get extremely narrow. When it rains, those trails get extremely slick and I almost toppled off the trail and fifty feet straight down on more than one occasion. If there's moisture in the forecast, be careful!

Another word of caution: stay on the trails! Armed with a GPS and some misplaced confidence, my roommate and I attempted to save some time by heading straight down the mountain while ignoring the switchbacks in the trail. We came upon several deer skulls and enough thorns to make my legs (Yay hiking in shorts!) look like mince meat. Altogether we saved about a half mile of trail and took an extra half hour as compared to a normal descent.

Once you've made it down, make sure to continue hiking back as far as you can. There's a waterfall that folks miss sometimes as it necessitates making up a five or six foot rock wall and is nestled in a cavern. It is definitely a must see.

Here's a few links that may help you in your quest:

• The geocachers usually have the best information for reaching particular spots: Geocaching!
• Another informative website on the falls: Southeastern Outdoors
• Google Maps!
  

The drive from my neck of the woods in Madison is about an hour and fifteen minutes. If you end up down there and see somebody crawling up the trail while panting hysterically, don't worry, thats just me.