Main Page: Difference between revisions

From TEHCC Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(clubwiki links aren't working)
(Add note about owner and wilderness tagging for trails)
(26 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
__NOTOC__
'''Welcome to Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club's Trail WIKI'''
'''Welcome to Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club's Trail WIKI'''


Line 31: Line 32:
*Difficulty:<br />[[:Category:Easy|Easy]]/[[:Category:Medium|Medium]]/[[:Category:Hard|Hard]]
*Difficulty:<br />[[:Category:Easy|Easy]]/[[:Category:Medium|Medium]]/[[:Category:Hard|Hard]]
|
|
*Click on pins below for pop-ups with trail links
*Use the map below - Use the Filter Markers box to search on <br>trail name, city, state, allowed activities, park, difficulty, etc.!
*[[ClubWiki:Trails List|Sortable Trails List]]
*[[ClubWiki:Trails_List|Sortable Trails List]]
*[[ClubWiki:TopsList|Our favorite trails for various situations]]
*[[ClubWIKI:TopsList|Our favorite trails for various situations]]
*[[Special:RunQuery/Trail_Search|Experimental trail finder]]
|
|
*[[Help:Contents|First time visitor information]]
*[[Help:Contents|First time visitor information]]
Line 41: Line 43:
*[[Hunting Season Dates]]
*[[Hunting Season Dates]]
*[[Other Internet Hiking Resources]]
*[[Other Internet Hiking Resources]]
*[http://www.appalachiantrail.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/at-shuttle-list.pdf?sfvrsn=0 ATC's Trailhead Shuttling List]
*[http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home/explore-the-trail/transportation-options ATC's Trailhead Shuttling List]
|}
|}


<!--        FEATURED ARTICLE AND UPDATES SECTION        -->
<!--        FEATURED PARK/TRAIL AND UPDATES SECTION        -->
{| style="width: 100%; margin:4px 0 0 0; background:none; border-spacing: 0px;"
{| style="width: 100%; margin:4px 0 0 0; background:none; border-spacing: 0px;"
<!--        FEATURED ARTICLE        -->
<!--        FEATURED PARK/TRAIL-->
| style="width:55%; border:1px solid #cef2e0; background:#f5fffa; vertical-align:top; color:#000;" |
| style="width:55%; border:1px solid #cef2e0; background:#f5fffa; vertical-align:top; color:#000;" |
{| style="width:100%; vertical-align:top; background:#f5fffa;"
{| style="width:100%; vertical-align:top; background:#f5fffa;"
| style="padding:2px;" | <h2 style="margin:3px; background:#cef2e0; font-family:inherit; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3bfb1; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Featured Article</h2>
| style="padding:2px;" | <h2 style="margin:3px; background:#cef2e0; font-family:inherit; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3bfb1; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Featured Trail</h2>
|-
|-
| style="color:#000;" | <div style="padding:2px 5px">[[File:Roan Water Wheel.jpg|left|150px|caption]][[Roan Mountain State Park]] is a {{#show: Roan Mountain State Park | ?Park Area#acre}} state park operated by TDEC that is just over an hour drive from downtown Kingsport. It has {{#ask: [[Category:Trail]] [[Park::Roan Mountain State Park]] | format=count}} official trails covering {{#number_format:{{#ask: [[Category:Trail]] [[Park::Roan Mountain State Park]] | ?Trail Distance#mi | format=sum}} | 1}} miles of hiking. There are no day use fees for hiking.
| style="color:#000;" | <div style="padding:2px 5px">[[File:Rogers Ridge Balds View 2.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Rogers Ridge Balds View]][[Rogers Ridge Horse Trail]] is an in-and-out 6.87-mile ridgeline trail. It's a long hill climb trail for a day hike, but near the end, the 360° views of the surrounding ridgelines make it all worthwhile. A side benefit of this hike is being able to reach the Tri-State Corner Knob junction of TN-NC-VA. The trail begins in the Horse Ridge Scenic Area of the Cherokee National Forest past Damascus near Laurel Bloomery, TN. Horses are allowed, but on a recent October 2015 trip, there was little evidence of them. Although clearly marked at the trail head that ATV/ORV vehicles were not allowed, signs of their recent presence were along the entire trail.


Onsite amenities include lodging in cabins, RV sites, and tent only camp sites including group camp sites. At least the lower RV sites now include wifi, although on my recent visit I had trouble getting online. I didn't care enough to ask a ranger if I was doing something wrong. Other site amenities include a volleyball court, tennis courts, amphitheater, and apparently the highest elevation of a state park pool in Tennessee (that's a lot of qualifications!). There are also pavilions and a modern conference center available for advanced reservations.
The hike begins with an immediate creek crossing that has neither a bridge nor decent rocks to hop across; but this will be the last time you see water. Although guide books mention some campsites along the way with water access, we didn't see them. The trail wastes no time getting to the 3,201 feet of climbing, as it's nearly a consistent slope up to the summit. The trail itself is very well marked with yellow rectangle blazes, but several unmarked and well worn trails connect along the way. It may be that one of them connects to the [[Gentry Creek Falls]] trail that would make for a nice loop trail. The trail itself is wide with a clear "two-track" appearance and the occasional water-logged rut to walk around. While not noticed on the ascent, the descent can be challenging for the ankles, as there are several sections of loose rocks, fist-sized and smaller.


Two historical artifacts of interest are the Miller homestead on Strawberry bald and the Peg Leg Mine. The Miller homestead was built over 100 years ago and was occupied until the 1960's without electricity or running water. While you can visit the homestead anytime of year until 5pm when the gates are promptly locked, the house is open for tours Wed-Sun 9a-5p Memorial day through Labor Day. The Peg Leg Mine, located just behind the visitors center, mined iron ore and up until the last few years you could walk down to the mine and go on guided tours.
After hiking for 5.33 miles with glimpses through the trees of mountains and neighboring ridgelines, you finally enter a clearing to enjoy the views. The trail may "officially" end here as the previously well-blazed path now lacks markings, but you can continue on to enjoy the views. From here you can take a side trip to the south to get an early view of the surrounding ridgelines and valley including Grandfather Mountain. Continuing on the trail to the north, you reach another bald clearing that would be suitable for camping, especially for large groups. The only reservation I myself have about camping here is the apparent frequent use of ORVs here. From this higher elevation, there are views of Whitetop Mountain and Mt Rogers Mountain to the northeast. Throughout these bald clearings, blackberry bushes appear to be growing rampant. If you can tolerate the thorns, the blackberry picking in the summer must be unlimited!


The trails overall are good. A lot of them stay fairly close to TN143 making it hard to get away from the road noise. The one exception is [[Chestnut Ridge|Chestnut Ridge Trail]]. It's a splendid ridge trail but it suffers the classic problem of trails in Appalachia of being teased with majestic views but blocked by tree foliage. A winter trip after the leaves had fallen may change that problem. The one spot offering a lookout from the trail is [[Raven Rock|Raven Rock Trail]].
In a bald clearing to the east towards the state line is the trail high point in the final bald clearing. Although various sources differ on the exact elevation, we measured by GPS at 4,900 feet. The ridgetop home seen to the south appears to have been severely vandalized. Although unfortunate for the owner, one can only hope that one day this majestic ridgeline and profile can be returned to its original natural glory. After the high point, the trail begins to descend for the first time, and ends at a trail/road. Turn left to continue the descent to find the Tri-State Corner Knob, the terminus (at least at one time) of this trail.


Throughout the year, the park hosts several events including naturalist ralleys, folk life and fall harvest festivals at the homestead, and lastly the popular rhododendron festival in late June.
When visited in October of 2015, the hike was an enjoyable day of near complete solitude. The only encounter was a couple in a truck near the trail terminus. Unexpectedly we found the trees to be in the early stages of changing colors to the south and west, and found only bare trees to the north and east. Regardless, the day of fresh air, views, and exercise was more than enough to make this a great trail to visit, that you should consider as well.
 
<gallery>
As I have done for years, most people likely drive through this park on their way to Carvers Gap. If you have the time, stop and look around. As I have done, you may find more than you expected and decide the trip up to Carvers Gap can wait until some other time.</div>
Image:NC-VA-TN_Corner_triangulation_station_disk.jpg‎|Triangulation Disk at TN-VA-NC Corner
Image:Rogers Ridge Trail View 1.jpg|View of the trail
Image:Rogers Ridge Whitetop and Mt Rogers.jpg|Whitetop and Mt Rogers
<!-- Do not remove the end gallery code.-->
</gallery>
|}
|}
| style="border:1px solid transparent;" |
| style="border:1px solid transparent;" |
Line 67: Line 73:
| style="width:45%; border:1px solid #cedff2; background:#f5faff; vertical-align:top;"|
| style="width:45%; border:1px solid #cedff2; background:#f5faff; vertical-align:top;"|
{| style="width:100%; vertical-align:top; background:#f5faff;"
{| style="width:100%; vertical-align:top; background:#f5faff;"
| style="padding:2px;" | <h2 style="margin:3px; background:#cedff2; font-family:inherit; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Contribute</h2>
|-
| style="color:#000; padding:2px 5px;" | <div>
Yes! We would love '''''your''''' help! No, you don't need to be a computer wizard to do it.
How can you help?
* Send me an [mailto:tim@tehcc.org email] to
** Say you have found this site useful
** Request information that would help to plan for a hike
** Provide information that we have missing that you know about
* Edit a page
** It's easy! It's just text
** It's foolproof! All edits are saved, you '''cannot''' mess it up (permanently)
** Just hit 'Edit' on the upper right and just start writing. More experienced editors will likely come along and apply any needed tweaks
** We'd rather have information added that messes up a page than to have no contribution at all
</div>
|-
| style="padding:2px;" | <h2 style="margin:3px; background:#cedff2; font-family:inherit; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Recent major updates</h2>
| style="padding:2px;" | <h2 style="margin:3px; background:#cedff2; font-family:inherit; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Recent major updates</h2>
|-
|-
| style="color:#000; padding:2px 5px;" | <div>
| style="color:#000; padding:2px 5px;" | <div>
* Plumbing
* Plumbing
** Implementing Semantics Mediawiki plugin - allows pages to be tagged with information for easier retrieval and searching later
** Upgraded to latest version of MediaWiki and reinstalled all needed extensions - not sure of any new features and functions yet
** Creation of the "Park" page to better focus trails around a single park
** New map pins added to the system - see full list at [[ClubWiki:Using_GMaps#Icons_reference|Maps help page]]
** Conversion to a new mapping extension
** Converted trails map to dynamic query and added filtering box
** Major overhaul of trail infoboxes underway (box on right side of trail pages) - Provides more information and creates the "tagged" information discussed above
** Trails can now be optionally tagged with land owner and wilderness area using infobox
** Testing again anonymous edits and account creation but requiring answering site based questions
* Content
* Content
** Major additions to [[Roan Mountain State Park]] - added several trails and started providing more detail about the park on its page
** Major revamp of [[The Channels Natural Area Preserve]] after a recent hike
** [[Sills Branch]] - Short hike to a beautiful falls near Erwin
** Trying out dynamic and filterable [[User:Tim|trail map]]
** [[Squibb Creek Falls]] - A 2.6 mile hike to a pretty falls near Chuckey, TN
</div>
</div>
|}
|}
|}
|}


Currently there are {{#ask: [[Category:Trail]] | format=count}} trails documented on our wiki!
Currently there are {{#ask: [[Category:Trail]] | format=count}} trails covering {{#number_format:{{#ask: [[Category:Trail]] | ?Trail Distance#mi | limit=500 | format=sum}}|1}} miles documented on our wiki!
{{Map AreaTrails}}
{{Map AreaTrails}}

Revision as of 11:32, 4 December 2016

Welcome to Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club's Trail WIKI

Our online repository for everything trail related within a reasonable distance from our club's center in Kingsport TN.

Trails by area Trails by use Trails by features Other ways to find trails Information

Featured Trail

Rogers Ridge Balds View
Rogers Ridge Horse Trail is an in-and-out 6.87-mile ridgeline trail. It's a long hill climb trail for a day hike, but near the end, the 360° views of the surrounding ridgelines make it all worthwhile. A side benefit of this hike is being able to reach the Tri-State Corner Knob junction of TN-NC-VA. The trail begins in the Horse Ridge Scenic Area of the Cherokee National Forest past Damascus near Laurel Bloomery, TN. Horses are allowed, but on a recent October 2015 trip, there was little evidence of them. Although clearly marked at the trail head that ATV/ORV vehicles were not allowed, signs of their recent presence were along the entire trail.

The hike begins with an immediate creek crossing that has neither a bridge nor decent rocks to hop across; but this will be the last time you see water. Although guide books mention some campsites along the way with water access, we didn't see them. The trail wastes no time getting to the 3,201 feet of climbing, as it's nearly a consistent slope up to the summit. The trail itself is very well marked with yellow rectangle blazes, but several unmarked and well worn trails connect along the way. It may be that one of them connects to the Gentry Creek Falls trail that would make for a nice loop trail. The trail itself is wide with a clear "two-track" appearance and the occasional water-logged rut to walk around. While not noticed on the ascent, the descent can be challenging for the ankles, as there are several sections of loose rocks, fist-sized and smaller.

After hiking for 5.33 miles with glimpses through the trees of mountains and neighboring ridgelines, you finally enter a clearing to enjoy the views. The trail may "officially" end here as the previously well-blazed path now lacks markings, but you can continue on to enjoy the views. From here you can take a side trip to the south to get an early view of the surrounding ridgelines and valley including Grandfather Mountain. Continuing on the trail to the north, you reach another bald clearing that would be suitable for camping, especially for large groups. The only reservation I myself have about camping here is the apparent frequent use of ORVs here. From this higher elevation, there are views of Whitetop Mountain and Mt Rogers Mountain to the northeast. Throughout these bald clearings, blackberry bushes appear to be growing rampant. If you can tolerate the thorns, the blackberry picking in the summer must be unlimited!

In a bald clearing to the east towards the state line is the trail high point in the final bald clearing. Although various sources differ on the exact elevation, we measured by GPS at 4,900 feet. The ridgetop home seen to the south appears to have been severely vandalized. Although unfortunate for the owner, one can only hope that one day this majestic ridgeline and profile can be returned to its original natural glory. After the high point, the trail begins to descend for the first time, and ends at a trail/road. Turn left to continue the descent to find the Tri-State Corner Knob, the terminus (at least at one time) of this trail.

When visited in October of 2015, the hike was an enjoyable day of near complete solitude. The only encounter was a couple in a truck near the trail terminus. Unexpectedly we found the trees to be in the early stages of changing colors to the south and west, and found only bare trees to the north and east. Regardless, the day of fresh air, views, and exercise was more than enough to make this a great trail to visit, that you should consider as well.

Contribute

Yes! We would love your help! No, you don't need to be a computer wizard to do it.

How can you help?

  • Send me an email to
    • Say you have found this site useful
    • Request information that would help to plan for a hike
    • Provide information that we have missing that you know about
  • Edit a page
    • It's easy! It's just text
    • It's foolproof! All edits are saved, you cannot mess it up (permanently)
    • Just hit 'Edit' on the upper right and just start writing. More experienced editors will likely come along and apply any needed tweaks
    • We'd rather have information added that messes up a page than to have no contribution at all

Recent major updates

  • Plumbing
    • Upgraded to latest version of MediaWiki and reinstalled all needed extensions - not sure of any new features and functions yet
    • New map pins added to the system - see full list at Maps help page
    • Converted trails map to dynamic query and added filtering box
    • Trails can now be optionally tagged with land owner and wilderness area using infobox
  • Content

Currently there are 52 trails covering 38.9 miles documented on our wiki!

Loading map...