Iron Mountain Trail - North
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Trail Overview
What is now the Iron Mountain Trail (IMT) was the route for Appalachain Trail until 1972 when a major relocation moved the AT over to the Grayson Highlands. Today, IMT offers a more secluded experience with spectacular overlooks. For this trail wiki, the trail is being listed as two major sections with the city of Damascus as the dividing point.
The trail appears to be very popular with mountain bike riders as a technical challenge.
How to get there
Southern access is from Beartree Recreation Area, such as Lum Trail, which begins at the Chimpmunk Loop of the camground.
From Damascus, VA:
- Head east out of town on US-58 for just under eight miles.
- Turn left/north onto Beartree Gap Road and drive around three miles to campground.
- Parking areas at each trailhead.
GPS address for Bear Tree Recreation Area is 20993 Beartree Gap Road, Damascus, VA 24236.
Route Description
The Johnson County Trails group has nicely divided the southern portion into sections, thus reference their webpage for access directions.
| Trail Section | Distance (mi) | Elevation (ft) |
|---|---|---|
| Cross Mountain to Hwy 421 | 5.0 | 3700 to 3900 |
| Hwy 421 to Corinth Church | 8.7 | 3900 to 2900 |
| Corinth Church to Camp Ahistadi | 6.0 | 2900 to 2300 |
| Camp Ahistadi to Damascus | 4.1 | 2300 to 2000 |
Elevation change given from south to north direction. The trail is marked by blue or yellow blazes with metal yellow mile markers (some missing).
The first section appears to be favorable day hike with a car shuttle.
A loop hike of about 45 miles can be created by hiking this part of the Iron Mountain Trail along with the Appalachian Trail. Best would be to start at Damascus, head south on IMT, cut over on Cross Mountain Road for bit over a mile to Hwy TN-91, and then return north bound on the AT. This circuit can be completed in four days.
Typical Conditions
Iron Mountain Trail is located in Cherokee National Forest (known as Forest Service Trail 54) and maintained by the Mid-Appalachian Highlands and Johnson County Hiking (miles 11 thru 13) clubs. Typical condition has been reported as being in good shape with blowdowns promptly removed. There are no shelters, but several campsites exists. Available water supplies may be limited on the ridgeline. Another observation is that IMT has more ups-and-downs which would have been typical for the early AT route - before all of the relocations and improvements have smoothed out the latter trail.
Fees, Permits, etc.
No permits for hiking, horeseback riding, or backpacking, unless you are using a fee area to gain access to the Iron Mountain Trail. If so, day use fees run $3 per vehicle.
Misc. Information
Maps
<googlemap version="0.9" lat="36.63977" lon="-81.75339" type="terrain" zoom="11" width="725" scale="yes" icons="http://tehcc.org/clubwiki/kml/marker{label}.png"> http://tehcc.org/clubwiki/kml/Iron Mountain Trail.kml
(G) 36.47278, -81.94861 Cross Mountain trailhead (G) 36.49722, -81.88639 Hwy 421 access point (G) 36.56667, -81.79333 Corinth Church access point (G) 36.59806, -81.75444 Camp Ahistadi access point (G) 36.625, -81.77222 Damascus trailhead (F) 36.637777, -81.713251 Saunders Shelter (F) 36.663040, -81.707572 Sandy Flats Shelter (A) 36.479887,-81.962247 AT Parking on TN 91 (3 spaces) (A) 36.538835, -81.948426 AT Parking on US421 at Low Gap (10 spaces) </googlemap>
Photos
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