🏞️ Fiery Gizzard Gorge State Park

Welcome to Fiery Gizzard Gorge

Nestled in the rolling hills of Coffee County, Tennessee, Fiery Gizzard Gorge is a premier destination for outdoor recreation and natural beauty. The park encompasses 4,847 acres of pristine wilderness, featuring dramatic sandstone cliffs, cascading waterfalls, and dense forest.

The park is home to several challenging hiking trails that follow the Fiery Gizzard Creek and the South Chickamauga Creek. Visitors can enjoy camping, picnicking, and exceptional photography opportunities throughout the year.

Hiking Trails

Fiery Gizzard Gorge offers 35+ miles of maintained hiking trails suitable for all skill levels.

Camping & Accommodations

The park features six campground areas distributed throughout the property:

Facilities & Amenities

Park Safety & Important Notices

While Fiery Gizzard Gorge is generally considered safe for day hiking and camping, visitors should be aware of the following:

• Always hike with a partner. Do not venture into the gorge alone.
• Inform someone of your hiking plans and expected return time.
• Darkness falls quickly in the gorge due to the narrow canyon. Plan to exit trails well before sunset.
• Several hikers have reported unusual wildlife behavior near the remote sections of the Fiery Gizzard Trail Loop and Big Falls Trail.
• Strange sounds have been reported near creek areas at dawn and dusk—likely animal calls, but maintain caution.
• Campsites must have fire pits actively burning during all nighttime hours (sunset to sunrise).

The Gizzard: Local Wildlife & Legend

For years, local residents and park rangers have spoken about an unusual predator inhabiting the deeper sections of Fiery Gizzard Gorge. While wildlife biologists have struggled to identify the creature, the consistent reports from hikers and staff suggest something significant roams these woods. Locals refer to it simply as "The Gizzard."

Witness trail camera footage captured, October 2023. Image authenticity unverified by park officials.

Witness trail camera footage captured, October 2023. Image authenticity unverified by park officials.

Beginning in the late 2010s, sightings increased dramatically. Park rangers began documenting reports more formally around 2019. Over 40 credible sightings have been recorded from visitors and staff members. Descriptions vary—some claim to have seen a massive ape-like creature, others describe something more unusual. A thermal imaging survey conducted in 2021 did detect an anomaly in the lower gorge that did not match any known Tennessee fauna in the region.

Several hikers have gone missing in the gorge over the past three years under circumstances that remain unexplained. Michael Edwards disappeared in October 2023 while hiking the Big Falls Trail alone; his hiking boots and backpack were found 200 yards off-trail, severely damaged. Jennifer Walsh vanished in June 2022 while hiking with her boyfriend, who was found hours later in severe shock but unable to describe what separated them. The Garrets, a camping couple, went missing in April 2021; their tent was found completely destroyed with drag marks leading into the forest.

Park officials have never officially confirmed a connection between these disappearances and wildlife activity, but the timing of increased sightings and the missing persons cases has not gone unnoticed by the local community or online research communities.

The Fiery Gizzard Gorge Incident of 1912: A Tragedy That Echoes Through History

For over a century, the events of August 18, 1912 have remained one of the most haunting and disputed incidents in Coffee County history. Seven young men ventured into Fiery Gizzard Gorge for what they thought would be a camping and hiking expedition. Only one would return alive.

The expedition group, photographed at the Fiery Gizzard Gorge entrance, August 1912.

Left to Right: Brandon Nazelworth, Ace Bloombage, Johnny Rinklwitz (3rd), Jim Flown, Jason Trum, David Flankenburg, Nick McClean

Johnny Rinklwitz was the only member to survive the weekend.

The Expedition

In the summer of 1912, a group of seven young men from Coffee County planned an ambitious weekend hiking expedition into Fiery Gizzard Gorge. The group consisted of:

They had selected the remote Big Fiery Gizzard Falls Trail, intending to camp deep in the gorge over three nights. The group was well-equipped for the time, carrying camping supplies, food rations, firearms, and maps. Their plan was to reach the falls, establish a base camp, and explore the upper canyon regions.

The Disappearance

The group departed from the trailhead on Friday, August 16th, 1912. They were scheduled to return on Monday, August 19th. When they did not arrive by Tuesday evening, search parties were organized by local authorities and volunteers.

The search parties found nothing for two days. On Thursday, August 22nd, a ranger discovered Johnny Rinklwitz stumbling out of the forest approximately 2 miles from the main trail, severely injured and in a state of shock. He was immediately transported to Manchester General Hospital, where he would remain for three months.

No trace of the other six members was ever found. Extensive searches over the following months, then years, turned up no remains, no equipment, no evidence of what had happened to them. It was as if they had simply vanished into the gorge.

Johnny's Account

When Johnny was sufficiently recovered to provide an account, his testimony was disturbing and largely consistent throughout multiple interviews, despite what doctors believed was significant trauma-induced confusion.

According to Johnny, the group had reached their campsite by Saturday afternoon and had spent the evening around the fire. On Sunday morning, around 10 AM, while preparing breakfast, they began hearing strange sounds from deeper in the gorge—heavy footsteps and deep vocalizations that Johnny described as "like nothing from any animal we knew."

Bill Cassidy, the oldest and nominal leader, suggested it might be a large bear and decided they should pack up camp and leave early. The group was in the process of gathering their supplies when the creature appeared.

Johnny's description of what happened next became increasingly incoherent in his accounts, marked by emotional distress during interviews. What remained consistent: something massive emerged from the forest—walking upright, estimated at 8-10 feet in height. The group's firearms proved ineffective. There was "chaos and screaming."

Johnny reported that he and David Flankenberg ran down the trail together. David urged Johnny to keep moving, then appeared to intentionally slow down and turn back toward the creature to distract it. Johnny didn't see what happened to David after that. He kept running, heard screaming behind him for what seemed like hours, then silence.

He ran through the night, lost and disoriented, before eventually finding his way back toward civilization.

The Injuries and Recovery

When found, Johnny bore severe injuries including a deep laceration across his face from left eye to jaw, and most critically, his left arm was severed approximately 6 inches below the elbow. Medical examiners noted the wounds were unusual—featuring extremely clean edges consistent with something sharp and powerful, with what appeared to be mild thermal cauterization around the injury perimeters.

His left arm was amputated below the elbow due to infection and tissue damage. The facial scar would remain with him for life, earning him the nickname "Scarface" Rinklwitz throughout his remaining years.

January 1912 Newspaper Account

Local newspaper article documenting Johnny Rinklwitz's harrowing account of the 1912 incident.

Note the visible scar on his face and his missing left arm in the photograph.

The Unsolved Mystery

Johnny Rinklwitz survived another 63 years after the incident, living quietly in Coffee County. He refused to discuss the events publicly after his initial hospitalization. The disappearance of the other six young men was never officially explained:

No remains were ever found. Extensive searches over the following months and years turned up nothing. It was as if all six men simply vanished into the gorge.

In 1975, at the age of 89, Johnny Rinklwitz gave a final interview. When asked if he believed his experience was real or a trauma-induced hallucination, he simply responded: "I know what I saw. I know what I lost. And I know it's still there."

The incident of 1912 remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of Coffee County. Six young men vanished without a trace: Jason Trum, Ace Bloombage, Nick McClean, David Flankenberg, and Jim Flown. One man survived to tell a story that would not be believed. And in Fiery Gizzard Gorge, something continues to lurk—just as it did 112 years ago.

Survivor Account: Johnny Rinklwitz (Modern Era)

Research & Investigation

In recent years, paranormal researchers, cryptozoologists, and thrill-seekers have visited the park specifically to investigate "The Gizzard." Tour companies in nearby Manchester have begun offering "Cryptid Investigation" packages, and several YouTube channels have featured multi-day expeditions into the gorge searching for evidence.

Interest in the creature has grown so much that park officials now regularly receive calls from researchers and enthusiasts asking for permission to conduct investigations. The park currently allows daytime research, but all nighttime investigations must be registered with park rangers and require an active campfire at all times.

Witness Testimony: Anonymous Account

Plan Your Visit

Whether you're visiting to experience the natural beauty of Fiery Gizzard Gorge, or to investigate the mystery that surrounds it, we recommend proper preparation and respect for the wilderness.