Rock Creek Falls

Upper Rock Creek Falls

One of my favorite places to visit is Rock Creek Park just outside of Erwin, TN.  This beautiful place with towering Hemlocks  was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930’s.  It’s a great place for many family activities… camping (with nice tent pads and restrooms), afternoon cookouts with  playgrounds, biking, swimming (in a concrete spring-fed pond also built by the CCC), or for different levels of hiking.  You can take a short, easy stroll around the park on the nicely maintained trails, or hike some of the more strenuous trails.  One very difficult trail named Rattlesnake Ridge will take you almost to the top of Unaka Mountain at the “Pleasant Garden” overlook, while some the other trails lead to beautiful waterfalls. Read more »

Categories: Day-hike, Waterfalls | Tags: , | 1 Comment

Coon Den Falls

Coon Den Falls

If you happen to be hiking to the popular Laurel Falls in the Dennis Cove area, be sure to check out the short trek to Coon Den Falls as well.  I’ve seen this waterfall usually listed at 50 feet high, but I think it’s more like 80 feet as much of the upper falls are not visible due to underbrush.  There is also another smaller waterfall on the hike up, but it’s not very accessible to photograph.

I had not visited Coon Den Falls in a couple of years, but noticed on my recent trip that many improvements have been made to the trail.  The climb up is still quite steep, but the trail is clear and now has nice steps in some areas where ropes used to be.  Read more »

Categories: Day-hike, Waterfalls | Tags: , | 6 Comments

Round Bald Summit

Appalachian Trail on Round Bald

If you’re looking for a short walk to amazing vistas, check out the summit of Round Bald in the Roan Highlands.  This is a 5826′ elevation mountain with 360 degree-panoramic views.   The hike is entirely on the Appalachian Trail and is only a mile trek (round trip).  See my Hike Planner below for all the information and directions.

This is a also great place for landscape photography.  I visit this area often to capture wonderful mountain views, fall colors, sunrises and sunsets…  and in early June, masses of Catawba Rhododendron are in bloom in the entire Roan Mountain area.  It is simply a wonderful place to visit and photograph. Read more »

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Grayson Highlands Backpacking: A.T. – Pine Mtn Loop

Feral Pony in the Grayson Highlands

I made my first backpacking trip of the year on a loop starting in the Grayson Highlands State Park (at the Backpackers Overnight Parking area).  I’ve done this exact trip a couple of times before, and as always I’ve found it to be a great hike if you’re looking for a short, relaxing loop for a one or two night trip.  See the exact route that I took in the Hike Planner below.

I got a very late start on Friday evening and only hiked a couple of miles before dark… heading north on the A.T., and camping at Little Wilson Creek.  This is a beautiful grove next the stream that can accommodate a lot of tent sites.  I must have slept well because I woke up the next morning surrounded by a troop of Boy Scouts.  I never heard them come in and set up.  They told me that they arrived around midnight. Read more »

Categories: Apalachian Trail, Backpacking, Vistas | Tags: , , , , | 34 Comments

Birchfield Camp Lake

Birchfield Camp Lake

Sitting at high elevations, in between the peaks of Frozen Knob and Wilson Knob in the Rocky Fork Tract, is a relatively unheard of, man-made feature known as Birchfield Camp Lake.  I have been told that this ~10 acre lake was built to assist in combating potential forest fires by the previous owners of the property (a logging company)… before the land became National Forest.  After quite a bit of exploring in Rocky Fork, I had still not been to this unique location… so I set out to find it…

I felt I had numerous options for routes.  The easiest access, but most likely the longest, would have been via the forest roads at the main entrance gate to Rocky Fork.  Instead I opted for what I thought would be the shortest route, but most adventurous… beginning my hike at Lower Higgins Creek, passing by the awesome Higgins Creek Falls, and then making a steep climb up an old logging road following Birchfield Camp Branch.  This turned out to be a good choice. Read more »

Categories: Day-hike, Lakes, Waterfalls | Tags: , , | 8 Comments

The Blue Hole

Blue Hole #2

Yeah… all this heavy rain has made me waterfall crazy lately!

I only had a couple hours of daylight left after work, so I decided to drive to the Blue Hole in Stoney Creek to check out some of the most beautiful falls in the area.  This place is always a nice spot to visit, especially if you don’t have a lot of time to hike.  It’s a series of four very scenic waterfalls located on the southern base of Holston Mountain just off of Highway 91, and you can basically drive right up to it.  I particularly enjoy the Blue Hole because the waterfalls are so unique and photogenic.  I would think this series of falls are some of the most photographed in the region. Read more »

Categories: Day-hike, Waterfalls | Tags: | 1 Comment

Delsatch Falls

85' Delsatch Falls

The wet and rainy season is upon us, and with mountain streams at very elevated levels, our local waterfalls are really putting on a show right now.  So I returned to the Clarks Creek area of Unicoi County, which is packed with numerous waterfalls, and I went on a hunt for another one which is remotely located and tough to get to… the 85′ Delsatch Falls.

This wasn’t quite the extreme bushwack that I had when finding Upper Sill Branch Falls last week, but it still requires  a lot of determination.  Clarks Creek must be forded eight times (16 times round-trip), and if you don’t get wet up to your shins or knees on these crossings, then the waterfall will probably not have enough flow to make the hike worthwhile.  In other words, if you want to see Delsatch Falls putting on a good display, then plan on getting wet.  There is some bushwacking required too, and it requires some navigational skills as there are no blazes marking the trails… so this is not an easy hike.  See my Hike Planner and map below for a detailed trail description. Read more »

Categories: Day-hike, Waterfalls | Tags: | 8 Comments

Upper Sill Branch Falls

50' Upper Sill Branch Falls

After a failed attempt last month, I returned to the Clarks Creek area of Unicoi County, and I finally found the remotely located Upper Sill Branch Falls.

This hike is not for the faint of heart, or beginning hiker.  It’s a tough bushwack in very rough terrain.  The “trail” is extremely overgrown, unmarked, and in many areas it has been devasted by the Pine Bark Beetle.  I had to work my way through numerous areas of very thick underbrush, climbing over and under blown down trees, and at some points walking directly up the stream bed to get around impassable obstructions.  I even took a pair of hand-loppers and a small saw to help clear a path.  I took my GPS  as well, hoping to get a track of the hike for others to use as a reference, but I had trouble keeping reception in this deep ravine.  If you decide to go on this adventure, see my detailed “Trails” descripion in the Hike Planner below, and use it in conjunction with the provided map. Read more »

Categories: Day-hike, Waterfalls | Tags: | 9 Comments

Elk Falls & Jones Falls

100′ Jones Falls

I took advantage of all the rain this week and hiked to two of the most grand waterfalls in our region… Elk Falls and Jones Falls.

Elk Falls (also known as Big Falls) is probably one of the most visited and well-known waterfalls in the area… easily accessible by car.  And with a 45′ sheer drop and plenty of water volume, it’s a great site to see.  However, Jones Falls is just as impressive (or more) with the right weather conditions, but rarely visited due to it’s location in a somewhat remote area off the Appalachian Trail.  Few people realize that you can visit both at the same time with a moderate, short (3.6 mile) hike.  Getting to Jones Falls from this direction can be a tad confusing though, so read my “Trails” directions below very carefully before you set out.  I also have a download of the GPS track of the hike, along with important waypoints, in the Hike Planner below, if you have a GPS unit. Read more »

Categories: Apalachian Trail, Day-hike, Waterfalls | Tags: , | 11 Comments

Pinnacle Mountain Trail

View from Pinnacle Mtn

View of Unaka Mtn from the Pinnacle Mtn Trail

I thought the best way to start my brand new blog was with a brand new hiking trail… the Pinnacle Mountain Trail, located in Unicoi, Tennessee.

This trail was just completed by the Forest Service about a month ago, and it’s a nicely designed trail with a 4-5 foot width, many switchbacks, and an overall average  grade of less than 7%.  Read more »

Categories: Look-out Tower, Summits, TN County Highpoint, Vistas | Tags: | 4 Comments