Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Tennessee Lebanon Cedars of Lebanon State Park

Cedars of Lebanon State Park

This park contains one of the largest concentrations of cedar glades, a unique and rare ecosystem.

Lebanon, Tennessee

Added By
John Meszaros
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Cedars of Lebanon State Park   Michael Hicks/cc by-nd 2.0
“Reindeer Moss”—actually a kind of lichen—is one of the organisms that can tolerate the dry conditions of the glades.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
Weathered limestone landscapes like this can be found in many places throughout the park.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
Slightly thicker soils support a savanna of tough grasses.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
These pavement-like limestone slabs create a dry, thinly soiled environment home to several specialized, indigenous plants.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
Another view of a glade resembling an abandoned parking lot.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Nashville Basin of central Tennessee is a flat, low-lying plain of limestone—the remains of an ancient Ordovician sea riddled with sinkholes, caves, and other karstic features. The soil of the basin is often very thin and in many places it has completely eroded away, leaving a landscape of exposed, weathered stone slabs and gravel piles that resemble abandoned parking lots.

Though the hot, dry conditions in these environments are harsh and almost desert-like, they are home to a unique ecosystem known as a cedar glade after the tough Eastern Red Cedar trees (which is actually a kind of juniper) that dominate them. 

Cedar glades have a gradient of ecological zones, from bare limestone where only lichens, mosses, and cyanobacteria grow, to thinly soiled xeric lands inhabited by tough clumps of grasses and low herbaceous plants, to open savannah dominated by the titular red cedars. 

Cedar glades provide habitats for many rare, endemic plants such as the Tennessee Coneflower, Nashville Glade-Cress, Lime Stonecrop, and others. Cedar glades were initially ignored by European settlers since they made poor farmland and thus were left fairly unaltered. In the modern age, though, urban growth and development in the Nashville area have become significant threats to these rare ecosystems. To protect and preserve the glades, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation has designated many of them as state parks or natural areas. 

One of the largest areas of preserved glades is Cedars of Lebanon State Park, located within the larger Cedars of Lebanon State Forest. This woodland was named by early European settlers for its supposed resemblance to the biblical cedar forests of ancient Lebanon that were used by King Solomon to build the Temple in Jerusalem. In addition to its numerous glades, the park preserves large sections of oak-hickory forest along with many karstic limestone features such as sinkholes and several small caves. This area was also where cedar glades were first recognized as a distinct and rare ecosystem. 

Related Tags

Parks Trees Flora Landscapes Plants Geology

Know Before You Go

In addition to hiking trails, the park includes over a hundred campsites, several picnicking areas, a meeting lodge, and the Merritt Nature Center, a small natural history museum.

Community Contributors

Added By

Johnmeszaros

Edited By

Meg, laurenowens80

  • Meg
  • laurenowens80

Published

July 16, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://tnstateparks.com/parks/cedars-of-lebanon
  • https://www.mtsu.edu/glade-center/fieldguide.php
  • https://www.mtsu.edu/glade-center/teaching/CedarGlades%20brochure.pdf
Cedars of Lebanon State Park
328 Cedar Forest Rd
Lebanon, Tennessee
United States
36.085863, -86.324221
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The World’s Largest Cedar Bucket

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

miles away

Peace Sign Geoglyph

Nashville, Tennessee

miles away

Timothy Demonbreun's Cave

Nashville, Tennessee

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tennessee

Tennessee

United States

Places 168
Stories 15

Nearby Places

The World’s Largest Cedar Bucket

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

miles away

Peace Sign Geoglyph

Nashville, Tennessee

miles away

Timothy Demonbreun's Cave

Nashville, Tennessee

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tennessee

Tennessee

United States

Places 168
Stories 15

Related Stories and Lists

The United States of Camping

List

By Michelle Cassidy

Related Places

  • Green arch in Fragas do Eume.

    Cabanas, Spain

    Fragas do Eume

    This enchanting natural park is a magical example of a temperate rainforest in Europe.

  • Hanegi Park plum blossoms

    Tokyo, Japan

    Hanegi Park

    The 650 red and white Japanese plum trees of this Tokyo neighborhood blossom each spring.

  • Chapel Rock on the shore of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

    Shingleton, Michigan

    Chapel Rock

    This lone tree and dramatic sandstone outcropping are so beloved by Michiganders they can be found on one of the state’s coins.

  • The Drago Milenario.

    Icod de los Vinos, Spain

    Drago Milenario

    This local emblem is the oldest and largest dragon tree in the Canary Islands.

  • A movable glasshouse protects the camellia in winter.

    Dresden, Germany

    Pillnitz Camellia

    An engineering wonder at Pillnitz Castle protects a precious 230-year-old flowering shrub.

  • The loneliest tree sticks out among the low-lying, wind-battered vegetation of Campbell Island.

    Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku, New Zealand

    World's Loneliest Tree

    The most remote tree in the world is more than 170 miles from its nearest neighbor.

  • “Barba de Viejo” (old man’s beard) trees cover the quiet El Gallineral Park, jammed between two rivers.

    San Gil, Colombia

    The 'Wise Old Men' of El Gallineral Park

    The centuries-old trees are draped with Spanish moss to make them look like wizened elders.

  • Trollskogen

    Borgholm, Sweden

    Trollskogen (The Troll Forest)

    Crooked windswept pines give this old forest an enchanted and magical look.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.