Trail Overview
Bear Creek Road FSR 229 is a gravel forestry road through the southeast corner of the southern Tennessee section, Lake Barkley side, of the Land Between the Lake National Recreation Area. This road is made up of small hills leading to the generally flat bottoms near Bards Lake and crosses over the Bards Dam, featuring beautiful treelines to the west and views of Lake Barkley shoreline to the east. The road provides access to the Gatlin Point Campground and boat launch and also has an intersection with both the Gatlin Point North FSR 228 and Gatlin Point South FSR 227, which connect as well. The FSR 229 does have another section on its southern end called the Gilliam Cemetery Road. This can be found at the intersection with the Gatlin Point South FSR 227.
Difficulty
The difficulty of the Bear Creek Road FSR 229 is just mild hills, a few wet soft spots, and gravel complications such as potholes, washboarding, and mounding. At the Bards Dam, watch for levee erosion and signs of failure. This trail has been given a base rating of 1/10 for its simplicity.
History
At 36.54905, -87.89988, you can find the Murphy and Gatlin Cemeteries on the west side of the road. To the south near Dover, Tennessee, is the Civil War era site, and US National Park, Fort Donelson, a Confederate 15-acre earth-fortified fort along the Cumberland River. This is also the site of a historic battleground fought over February 13-16th, 1862, both on land and with ironclads via the river. The capture of this Fort alongside claiming Fort Henry and Fort Heiman on the Tennessee River only days before gave the Union its first major regional victory. Long-term, this was evident in the results of the Union's control over the Tennessee River, Cumberland River, and the railroads in the area, which limited vital production from the Confederate supply production super hub in Nashville until it was also captured by the Union in 1864. This area is well worth visiting if you love history and want a gift or souvenir pertaining to the region.
