Old Dug Trail

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Old Dug Trail

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Highlight A hike up the west side of Holston Mountain past an overlook
Land Owner Cherokee National Forest
Located Elizabethton, Hampton
Trail Marking None
Trail UseThings allowed to do on or near the trail

HikingHunting

FeaturesThings to see on or near the trail

Vistas

Difficulty Rating Medium
Hiking TimeTime from car and back. Includes any time hiking to access this trail. 3 hrs0.188 Days <br />180 Min <br /> round trip
Distance: 2.1 mi3.38 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 In-and-Out
Low / High Point 2,300 ft766.667 Yards <br />701.04 Meters <br />2,960 ft986.667 Yards <br />902.208 Meters <br />
Elev. Gain/LossSee link for details of calculation. Gain/Loss is direction dependent. 660 ft201.168 Meters <br /> / (0 ft0 Meters <br />) – West-to-East
Trip ReportsFrom user "hiked it" submissions<br />Recent is within last 90 days No hikes logged yet
NearbyWithin 5 mi<br />Click link to view list No other Trails within 5 mi
Parking 36° 25' 23.99" N, 82° 10' 43.86" W Map
Trailhead 36° 25' 23.99" N, 82° 10' 43.86" W Map
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Trail Overview[edit]

A hike up the west side of Holston Mountain past an overlook.

How to get there[edit]

From Kingsport, TN:

  1. Take I-26 south to Exit 24 for US-321 towards Elizabethton.
  2. Continue through Elizabethton.
  3. Take left (north) onto US-19E.
  4. Turn right (east) onto Holston Mountain Road. Note that Google Maps (and any app which uses the same database, such as Waze) labels this street as "Flatwoods Road" while the green sign at US-19E reads "Holston Mountain Rd".
  5. After a couple of miles up the hollow, the paved roadway splits with Big Creek Road (no sign) heading to the right. Note: As of September 2017, an orange diamond "Road Closed Ahead" is visible from the split. The USFS road is open to this trailhead. Travel about 6 miles on unpaved road to trailhead parking area.
  6. Gravel parking lot is on left (north) side of the road. The unmarked trailhead is back south ~50 feet and proceeds up the east bank.

Big Creek Road is closed because a pair of large sinkholes are eating away at the narrow forest road. While some sources indicated Big Creek Road had a rough tread from the south, neither owner of a small pick-up or Nissan hatchback indicated they had problems reaching the parking lot. If coming from the north (Bluff City), the Big Creek Road is closed 0.33 mile away at a gravel parking area, thus a short walk on paved road is required to reach the trailhead.

Route Description[edit]

Miles Feature Elevation
0.0 miles Parking Area 2,300 feet
0.4 miles Intersection with FS road 2,366 feet
0.75 miles Continue heading up 2,360 feet
1.4 miles Overlook 2,960 feet
2.1 miles Intersect with which trail?

Typical Conditions[edit]

The trail is a rutted and rocky logging road which winds up the mountain. It is not being actively maintained by the USFS. The is no sign at the trailhead nor any blazing, but the path is fairly obvious.

In September 2017, the trail appeared to have had some ATV use. Another hiker of the path indicated that it was her former neighbors who have moved out of the area.

Fees, Permits, etc.[edit]

Located in Cherokee National Forest. No fee to hike the trail.

After the Hike[edit]

Misc. Information[edit]

Cherokee National Forest allows hunting, thus wear blaze orange during all hunting seasons. In September 2017, one group tracking squirrels were met, while another pair reported chasing a bear cub up the mountain.

Photos[edit]