April 16th, 2008 - Campbell and I had a great hike at the Bays Mountain Park near Kingsport, Tennessee.  

We first set out on the Lakeside Trail (elevation 1850') heading around the east side of the Kingsport Reservoir.  This trail loops the entire lake, but after approximately 0.8 mile we turned onto the short, 0.1 mile Hemlock Trail.  This then ran into the Fire Tower Trail, which was a steady climb for the next 0.7 mile.  We soon reached the tower at elevation 2405'.  After researching I found that this tower is actually named the Garden Mountain Kingsport Tower, not the Bays Mountain Tower as I expected.  It was constructed in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps.      

Cam and I rested and talked on a nice bench next to the tower, and then we climbed up for some awesome views of the Holston River, the Army Ammunition Plant, and the Clinch Mountains toward Virginia.  We took a few photos, then descended off the mountain back to the Lakeside Trail.           

The Garden Mountain Kingsport Lookout Tower

Once back on the Lakeside Trail, we continued making our way completely around the Reservoir.  We passed through numerous Hemlocks and bridges, which crossed small streams and many corners of the lake.  After approximately 1.5 more miles on this trail we reached the dam and were soon back at the parking area.             

Since we had some daylight left, we explored the wildlife in the park.  We were able to get up close to three deer while making our way to the Gray Wolf area.  We also stopped by to see the River Otters, Bobcats, and the Owls.     

We ended our trek by checking out Dolan Branch Falls, which is just across the road and downstream from the dam.  This is a nice little ~20' waterfall.  I tried my best to take some decent photos without a tripod, while Campbell explored the area.  He and I both had a great time on this hike.        

Total Miles Hiked:  4.7 

Getting There:  

Driving - From Johnson City, take I-26 north (toward Kingsport) to Exit 3. Turn left at the light at the bottom of the exit ramp.  This road turns into Reservoir Road.  Continue on this road for approximately 3 miles, then turn right onto Bays Mountain Park Road.  Stay to the left fork in the road at the park entrance.  You will stop mid-way up the mountain to pay $3 per vehicle to get into the park.     

Trails - To get to the fire tower, Cam and I walked down toward the Nature Center from the parking area.  We found a paved trail right next to the lake and began walking toward the right.  Follow the signs for the Lakeside Trail.  After approximately 0.8 miles we turned right on the Hemlock Trail.  After 0.1 mile we then found the Fire Tower Trail, which was 0.7 miles to the tower.  A great resource for the Bays Mountain Trails with mileages can be found here (thanks to Collins Chew of the TEHCC for this chart).