The long swath of Cherokee National Forest follows the ancient ridges of the southern Appalachian Mountains along the border of eastern Tennessee, interrupted only by Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Though the Smokies get the lion’s share of attention, the Cherokee’s latticework of wicked whitewater, misty waterfalls, and winding footpaths has a charm that’s arguable the equal of its national-park neighbor.
The hardwoods that clothe today’s Cherokee hide a lot of old battle scars. In the 19th century, the ancient forests of these mountains were ravaged by wholesale timbering and poor agricultural practices. In 1911, congress passed the Weeks Act, which allowed the purchase of land for national forests. After the law was enacted, the first land acquisitions were made for what eventually became the 633,000-acre Cherokee National Forest named for the Cherokee Indians (they made their ancestral homeland in these parts).
Today the Forest is healthy and rich with plant and wild animal life, and offers a large variety of outdoor activities. About 10 percent of the Forest is designated wilderness, offering opportunities for solitude and primitive, unconfined recreation experiences. Among the northern districts’ wilderness areas are Big Laurel Branch Wilderness, on Watauga Lake, and Unaka Wilderness, which borders on the Unaka Mountain Scenic Area. In the southern districts, Little Frog Wilderness lies along a stretch of the Ocoee River and borders the Cohutta Wilderness in Georgia, the Citco Creek Wilderness. Between these wild areas and the world-class outdoor playgrounds – hiking on the Appalachian Trail, kayaking the raging Ocoee, fat-fire biking around Johnson City, or fly fishing in the Tellico – the Cherokee National Forest has a lot to offer.
One hundred and fifty miles of the Appalachian Trail meander through the Cherokee National Forest. This narrow footpath carves through thickets of rhododendron, grassy balds, and lush forest. Keep your eyes on the white blazes painted on rocks and trees that serve as trail markers as you pass through spots with colorful names like Buzzard Roost Ridge. Locust Pole Knob, Beauty Spot, and Jane Bald. There are, in total, some 650 miles of footpaths to explore in the forest. Nationally designated trails include the Overmoutain Victory Trail, John Muir National Recreation Trail, and Warrior’s Passage Trail.
If you like waterfalls – and who doesn’t – an easy hike or drive will deliver you to the foot of several walls of falling water. The 150-foot Wildcat Falls, in the Tellico Ranger District, can be accessed by North Carolina Wilderness Trail #42. If that’s not high enough for you, check out the 475-foot Buckeye Falls in the Unaka Ranger District. To get there, take Route 107 and turn right at mile 15.4 on Clark Creek Road to Clark Creek Trail. Another beauty, the 100-foot Bald River Falls, is situated in the Tellico Ranger District. The falls can be viewed from the Tellico River Road (Forest Service Road 210).