Shady Valley

From Mountain City, U.S. 421 leads 10-15 miles north out of town over Iron Mountain to a great view of Shady Valley, a relatively flat farmland that got its name from the thick forest that used to cover the land. Here, scientists claim, lies the basis for the American cranberry industry. During the last ice age, glaciers 3,000 feet thick ground through Massachusetts and other northern states where cranberries are now commercially grown, effectively wiping out the red berries--and virtually every other plant. The glaciers moved so slowly, however, that cranberries carried by birds grew just ahead of the ice in cool, wet climates. These traveling cranberries found a home in Shady Valley, where a Canadian-type climate enabled them to flourish. When the glaciers retreated, birds carried the berries north, there to grow and wait for the Pilgrims to eat them at Thanksgiving.

The Tennessee cranberries survived glaciers, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers just about killed them off by straightening a stream in Shady Valley. Fortunately, the botanical and historical value of the tart berries has been recognized. The Nature Conservancy owns Orchard Bog and Quarry Bog, which are open from dawn to dusk every day. To get there, go northeast on Hwy. 133 about one mile from the intersection with Hwy. 421, then turn left.

The Cranberry Festival, (intersection of U.S. 421 and Hwy. 133, 423/727-5800), a Friday and Saturday event held the second week in October, attracts 5,000-7,000 people who turn out to eat at the Cranberry Bean Dinner and enjoy bluegrass and gospel music, clogging, children's events, and a parade. Proceeds benefit the Shady Valley Elementary School.

Turning right onto Hwy. 133 leads the visitor to one of the odder geological formations in the state. Backbone Rock (423/735-1500, campground open mid-April-October) is a natural stone wall standing 75 feet high. The wall averages 20 feet thick and was pierced in 1901 for a railroad. Now the highway goes through what is sometimes called "the shortest tunnel in the world." The rock is surrounded by a park with a picnic area and 13 campsites.