Fire Tower Trail

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Fire Tower Trail

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BMP Firetower Trail tower.jpg
Park Bays Mountain Park
Land Owner City of Kingsport
Located Kingsport, Tennessee
Trail Marking Signs
Trail UseThings allowed to do on or near the trail

HikingBikingGeocaching

FeaturesThings to see on or near the trail

VistasMountains

Difficulty Rating Medium
Hiking TimeTime from car and back. Includes any time hiking to access this trail. 30 min0.5 Hours <br />0.0313 Days <br /> round trip
Distance: 0.7 mi1.127 km <br /> trailStrict non-repeating trail length / 4.2 mi6.759 km <br /> round tripTypical or shortest length from the car, hike the trail, and return to car
Trail Type Segment
Low / High Point 1,893 ft631 Yards <br />576.986 Meters <br />2,385 Ft795 Yards <br />726.948 Meters <br />
Elev. Gain/LossSee link for details of calculation. Gain/Loss is direction dependent. 0 Ft0 Meters <br /> / (491 Ft149.657 Meters <br />) – North-to-South
Trip ReportsFrom user "hiked it" submissions<br />Recent is within last 90 days 3 logged hikes (0 recent)
NearbyWithin 5 mi<br />Click link to view list 30 trails / 37.8 mi of trail
Parking 36° 30' 31.75" N, 82° 36' 34.38" W Map
Trailhead 36° 30' 43.27" N, 82° 37' 0.08" W Map
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Trail Overview[edit]

Located in Bays Mountain Park. Second most popular trail (after Lakeside Trail) up to the Garden Mountain/Kingsport firetower for view across Holston Defense, west end of Kingsport, and into Virginia.

How to get there[edit]

Take Lakeside Trail clockwise around the reservoir to the Hemlock Trail or Lake Road counterclockwise. The lower trailhead in on Lake Road.

Alternatively, the upper trailhead at the firetower is reached on River Mountain Road from either the antennas or Fegins Gap.

Route Description[edit]

The trail heads up Holston River Mountain side of the park to reach the firetower. Although no blazes, the path is well worn, thus apparent.

This trail has connections to River Mountain Road, Chinquapin Trail, and Lake Road

Miles Up Fire Tower Trail Miles Down Elevation (ft)
0.0 Trailhead at Lake Road 0.7 1894
0.1 Junction with Chinquapin Trail 0.6
0.7 Trailhead at River Mountain Road at firetower 0.0 2382

For those starting from the parking lot, it is roughly 2 miles taking 60 minutes to reach firetower. Return trip down is faster.

Typical Conditions[edit]

Well worn dirt trail with few blowdowns. Please do not cut through the switchbacks.

Regulations[edit]

NO BIKES!

Misc. Information[edit]

The 60' firetower was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1937.

Photos[edit]