Frozen Head State Park

Frozen Head State Park, near Wartburg in the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee, is a remote, densely forested park best known as the home of the Barkley Marathons, an extremely difficult 100-mile ultramarathon with a historically low finish rate. The race's origins are tied to the 1977 escape attempt of convicted assassin James Earl Ray from the nearby Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary; Ray covered only about eight miles through the park's rugged terrain in over 54 hours before being recaptured. Beyond the race, the park protects old-growth forest and a network of backcountry hiking trails. Its steep ridges and thick undergrowth make it one of the more physically demanding parks in the Tennessee system.