Johnny Molloy - Five-Star Trails: Tri-Cities of Tennessee and Virginia: Your Guide to the Areas Most Beautiful Hikes In and Around Bristol, Johnson City, and Kingsport

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Five-Star Trails Tri-Cities of Tennessee and Virginia

Your Guide to the Areas Most Beautiful Hikes in and around Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol

Copyright 2014 by Johnny Molloy

All rights reserved

Published by Menasha Ridge Press

Distributed by Publishers Group West

Printed in the United States of America

First edition, first printing

Cover design by Scott McGrew

Frontispiece:

Text design by Annie Long

Cover photographs by Johnny Molloy

All interior photographs by Johnny Molloy

Cartography and elevation profiles by Scott McGrew

ISBN: 978-0-89732-516-5

eISBN: 978-0-89732-517-2

Menasha Ridge Press

An imprint of Keen Communications, LLC

P.O. Box 43673

Birmingham, AL 35243

menasharidgepress.com

DISCLAIMER

This book is meant only as a guide to select trails in the Tri-Cities area. This book does not guarantee hiker safety in any wayyou hike at your own risk. Neither Menasha Ridge Press nor Johnny Molloy is liable for property loss or damage, personal injury, or death that results in any way from accessing or hiking the trails described in the following pages. Please be especially cautious when walking in potentially hazardous terrains with, for example, steep inclines or drop-offs. Do not attempt to explore terrain that may be beyond your abilities. Please read carefully the introduction to this book as well as further safety information from other sources. Familiarize yourself with current weather reports and maps of the area you plan to visit (in addition to the maps provided in this guidebook). Be cognizant of park regulations and always follow them. Do not take chances.

CONTENTS

Dedication

This book is for Alf and Martha Jean Taylor.

Acknowledgments

THANKS TO ALL the people who have constructed, maintained, and advocated trails and hiking in the Tri-Cities and beyond. The biggest thanks goes to my wife, Keri Anne Molloy, for her companionship at home and on the trail, and for always being in the moment.

Preface

AS AN OUTDOORS WRITER , I travel a lot. And inevitably, after new friends learn I am from Johnson City, Tennessee, they say, Oh, what a beautiful area or That is a pretty part of the country. Know what? They are right. Residents of the greater Tri-Cities, including Southwest Virginia and western North Carolina, live in an incredibly scenic land, a place where mountains tower thousands of feet above bucolic valleys, a land where placid lakes lie still beneath resplendent ridges, a land where brawling rivers cut deep gorges through majestic highlands. It is a land where elevation changes of more than 5,000 feet create ecotones that mimic flora and fauna stretching the length of the Appalachians. Here, the spruce-fir forests on Roan Mountain contrast with the great oak woodlands found on the shores of Patrick Henry Lake at Warriors Path State Park. A host of ecosystems thrive between elevations. Amid these diverse terrains and habitats, we find variety in our hiking destinations.

We of the Mountain Empire (as our area is affectionately known) are also blessed with abundant public lands on which to roam. Tennessees Cherokee National Forest, Virginias Jefferson National Forest, and North Carolinas Pisgah National Forest offer hundreds of thousands of acres laced with hundreds of miles of trails. State parks preserve special places we can visit via their pathways. Even urban parks in area cities provide quick nature escapes for hikers.

Our bountiful lands and trails are enhanced by the master path of the East, the most heralded and hiked footpath in our country, the Appalachian Trail. It courses some 220 miles in our midst and is the spine from which a network of trails spreads through local wildlands. The proximity of the AT and the trail towns of Damascus, Virginia, and Erwin, Tennessee, put hiking on the front burner of outdoor activities in our region.

Several hikes in this book use all or part of the AT. Hike from Watauga Dam along the spine of Iron Mountain to gain views from outcrops near Vandeventer shelter. Soak in views from an old farm where the AT travels atop Cross Mountain. Climb to the crags known as High Rocks. Hike the AT through Damascus, Virginia, then to the backwoods before returning to town.

Hikes also examine the fascinating flora of our region. Walk through the Emerald Forest atop Unaka Mountain, where a dense spruce forest forms a storybook woodland. Traverse the open balds of Roan Mountain, contemplating their origin, and view its world-famous wildflower gardens, where rhododendrons bloom in concentrations unseen anywhere else on the planet.

Still other hikes are water oriented, with waterfalls as destinations. These include some classics such as Laurel Falls and Margarette Falls, as well as the lesser-visited Lower Higgins Creek Falls in Unicoi County and the Falls of Little Stony near Dungannon, Virginia. Waterside treks include more than just cataracts. Hikes in this book also visit swimming holes, sunning rocks, and fishing hot spots.

And then there are hikes that explore the fascinating geology of the region. The Great Channels of Virginia, recently opened to the public, present incredible views from Clinch Mountain and a maze of narrow passageways between massive sandstone pillars. The Devils Bathtub can be found along Devils Fork, a canyon filled with boulder fields, cliffs, and cataracts.

For solitude, hike with nothing but nature en route to Flint Rock on Holston Mountain Trail, and then grab an unparalleled view of South Holston Lake. Bet you havent seen the falls along Hickey Fork, a seldom-visited aquatic gem. Been to Hidden Lake? That hike explores the recently acquired Rocky Fork tract in Unicoi and Greene counties.

Moreover, dont forget local and quick destinations. The Kingsport Greenbelt is a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon, walking along Reedy Creek. Bristol has Steele Creek Park, with its wildflower-rich vales and wooded ridges. Buffalo Mountain Park rises above Johnson City, presenting grand mountain scenery minutes from downtown.

Hiking in the Tri-Cities can mean a ramble through the backcountry of the Bald Mountains, a trek to a crashing cascade, or a quick escape on a greenway near your house. It all depends on your mood, company, and desires. This book covers where to hike as well as what type of hike. As far as when: you can hike year-round in the Tri-Cities, whether in the heat of summer, when you can escape to the high country, or the chill of winter, when the trails of the lowlands can be enjoyed no matter the temperature.

Thats where this book comes into play. The variety of hikes it contains reflects the variety of opportunities in this region. I sought to include day hikes covering routes of multiple lengths, ranging from easy to difficult. Trail configurations are diverse as well, including out-and-back hikes, loops, and balloon loops. Settings vary from the city of Kingsport to secluded rocky gorges and distant mountaintops.