ome explore the natural beauty of the Cherokee National # Forest, located in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of east Tennessee. Take special note of the forest’s 15 recreation zones, each brimming with sites and activities that are as unique as the mountains or waters that define it. The Cherokee National Forest is the perfect place for a scenic drive through the mountains, solitude on a backcountry trail, the thrill of whitewater, a night under the stars or an opportunity to catch wild trout. Plan your visit by activities or locations using the recreation zones referenced throughout the Journal ... Big Frog Mountain, Ocoee River, Hiwassee River, Starr Mountain, Coker Creek, Tellico River, Citico Creek, Pigeon River, French Broad River, Bald Mountain, Unaka Mountain, Roan Mountain, Watauga Lake, Iron Mountain and Holston Mountain. Enjoy your visit. Please do your part to conserve these exceptional places. Layers and layers of blue mountains, blending into 4HE#HEROKEE.ATIONAL&OREST the sky … Thundering cascades of water rushing over ancient boulders … Hoot of an owl on a starlit Is the second most visited tourist Has more than 500 miles of cold- attraction in Tennessee water streams night … Crunch of frost on a winter day … Twitter of a songbird, high in the treetops … Splendor of a Has more than 30 developed Lies along three large lakes managed campgrounds and 45 day use sites by the Tennessee Valley Authority jewel-colored mountainside in autumn sunlight … Is the site of the world’s only (TVA) Heady aroma of evergreens, wafting through the air. Olympic whitewater venue on a Provides habitat for 43 species of natural river mammals, 154 species of fish, 55 These are a few of the wild sensations you can Contains a portion of one of the species of amphibians and 262 experience in the Cherokee National Forest. nation’s oldest travelways species of birds Home to 11 designated Has more than 600 miles of trail Wildernesses, totaling nearly including more than 150 miles of the 67,000 acres Appalachian National Scenic Trail Tennessee’s Cherokee National There is a falling cascade of water on almost every stream in the forest. A single cascade may be only Forest stretches from Chattanooga a few feet in height, but it might be combined in a series of drops that travel a distance of several to Bristol along the North Carolina hundred feet. A waterfall, by comparison, flows freely in a vertical drop along a cliff face. The border. The 640,000-acre federal quantity of water in a fall or cascade depends on the amount of rainfall, which will vary from season forest is the largest tract of public to season and from year to year. land in Tennessee. National forests are lands of many The word “waterfall” inspires thoughts of beauty uses. Their original purpose was to and power. There are several waterfalls in the Cherokee protect water quality and provide a National Forest and visitors often inquire how to continuous supply of timber. Today, find them. Because exact locations of the cascades are national forests are managed to difficult to describe, the following directions are very provide outdoor recreation, wildlife general. When hiking distances are noted, they refer to and fish habitat, wilderness, water, one-way travel. Most of the trails are linear, so double minerals, wood products and much the distance to include the return trip. You may want more. to take along a topographic or other map, available for The Forest Service, U.S. purchase at your nearest Forest Service office. Department of Agriculture, is Benton Falls: Take Forest Road 77 to Chilhowee Blue Hole Falls the federal agency that manages Recreation Area. Hike an easy 1.5 miles on our nation’s national forests and Benton Falls Trail #131 to a series of steps that lead to Pete’s Branch Falls: Take Forest Road 94 in grasslands. the base of the 65-foot cascade. (Ocoee River Zone) Horse Creek Recreation Area to Forest Road Because of the Cherokee’s majestic Turtletown Falls: Take TN 68 to County Road 94B to Pete’s Branch Trail #12. Walk 1.2 miles (or mountains, tumbling streams 2317 to Turtletown Falls Trail #185. The drive in 4WD, high-clearance vehicle) along forest and diverse vegetation; recreation 3.8-mile trail overlooks two major waterfalls and roads, then 0.6 mile on Pete’s Branch Trail. Hike opportunities are plentiful. Visitors Hiwassee River. 30-foot falls. (Hiwassee River Zone) requires four creek crossings. 45-foot fall; best during come to explore the 600 miles of wet seasons. (Bald Mountain Zone) trails, hundreds of miles of cold Sill Branch Falls: Take TN 107 to Clark water streams, seven whitewater Creek Road (Forest Road 25) to Sill Branch rivers, 30 developed campgrounds, Falls Trail # 115. The 0.5-mile trail ends at 20-foot 45 day-use sites and the abundant fall. (Bald Mountain Zone) populations of wildlife that live here. Coon Den Falls: Take County Road 50 to Coon Den Falls Trail #37. Begin a 0.5-mile steep, rocky hike. 15-foot cascade. (Watauga Lake Zone) Blue Hole Falls: Take TN 91 to Forest Road 56. Hike a short, steep 0.1-mile trail with steep stairs. 70-foot fall in two tiers. (Holston Coker Creek Falls Mountain Zone) Coker Creek Falls: Take TN 68 to County Road Gentry Creek Falls: Take TN 91 to Laurel 628 to County Road #2 to Forest Road 2138 to Bloomery; turn east on Gentry Creek Road; Coker Creek Falls Trail #183. Within 0.2 miles you’ll follow Forest Road 123 to Gentry Creek Trail #51. view two cascades, both spanning the breadth of the Hike 2.3 miles along an abandoned railroad grade creek, the first 8 feet high and the next 20 feet high. A with several creek crossings. 80-foot fall in two tiers. longer hike offers views of additional cascades, rapids (Iron Mountain Zone) and clear pools. (Coker Creek Zone) Backbone Falls: Take TN 133 near Damascus, Bald River Falls: View from Tellico River Road Va., to Backbone Rock Recreation Area. Use Sill Branch Falls (Forest Road 210) off Cherohala Skyway. Backbone Falls Trail #198, a 0.4-mile loop that 90-foot fall. (Tellico River Zone) includes several long flights of steps with steep drop- offs. 45-foot fall. (Iron Mountain Zone) Wolf Creek Falls: Take County Road 107 to Forest Road 96 to Forest Road 96D. Hike 0.5 mile along an old roadbed. 25-foot fall. (French Broad River Zone) Kelly, Dudley and Ricker Falls: View from Some of the forest’s waterfalls Forest Road 41 along Paint Creek. Cascades: are hidden inside a Congressionally 15 feet each. (French Broad River Zone) designated Wilderness: Margarette Falls: Take Shelton Mission Road to • Falls Branch Falls in Citico trailhead on Forest Road 5099. Go 0.5 Creek Wilderness mile along closed road, then 0.7 mile on Margarette • Squibb Creek Falls in Sampson Falls Trail #189, a rough, boulder-filled trail with Mountain Wilderness several stream crossings. 50-foot fall. (Bald Mountain Zone) Bald River Falls • Rock Creek Falls in Unaka Mountain Wilderness • Laurel Fork Falls in Pond Mountain Wilderness • Never swim, wade or play in the water above a If you are seeking a primitive waterfall. recreation experience, check with Although beautiful to see, waterfalls and cascades the nearest Forest Service office for • View the falls looking up from the bottom or side can be very dangerous. Remember that wet, moss- rather than trying to look over brink of the falls. directions to these falls. Be familiar covered rocks are slick and hazardous, no matter which • Supervise children and keep pets leashed. with Wilderness regulations season of the year. It is also easy to underestimate the including group size limitations. strong flow of water. Use common sense. • Stay on the developed trails. Ocoee Scenic Byway: The first Cherohala Skyway: View some of the valley floor of Unicoi County to high-elevation designated national forest scenic byway best mountain scenery in the world from spruce forests and balds atop Unaka Mountain. in the nation includes 26 miles of US 64 and this 43-mile National Scenic Byway through the Rock Creek Recreation Area, with facilities for Forest Road 77. The two-lane route winds Cherokee and Nantahala national forests. Drive day and overnight use, and Limestone Cove past Parksville Lake, through the scenic rocky along the sparkling rush of the Tellico River, Picnic Area are along the way. High-clearance bluffs of Ocoee River Gorge and past the Ocoee stop at overlooks to take in expansive views of 4WD vehicles are recommended on Forest Road Whitewater Center. Take a side trip up the 7- the Tennessee Valley and waves of mountain 230, closed between mid-December to mid- mile Chilhowee Scenic Spur, Forest Road 77, to peaks, hike to high elevation mountain balds or March. (Unaka Mountain Zone) Chilhowee Recreation Area. Take in long-range nearby Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. Stop for views of the Tennessee Valley, Cumberland a picnic at Indian Boundary Recreation Area. Mountains and into the mountains of Georgia. (Tellico River Zone) From several overlooks you can spread a picnic Take a long, scenic loop that connects or take a short hike. (Ocoee River Zone) Cherohala Skyway and Ocoee Scenic Byway. At Hiwassee River Road: Sun-dappled Tellico Plains, travel TN 68 north to County forests surround TN 30 and Forest Road Road 39 and County Road 310 to Etowah and 108 as they follow Hiwassee State Scenic River. US 411. A southern turn on US 411 leads to Leave TN 30 to cross the bridge to the historic US 64 (Ocoee Scenic Byway).