Editing Iron Mountain Trail - North

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{{Infobox Trail
                     | Image Name = placeholder.JPG
                     | City = Damascus
                     | State = Virginia
                     | Trail Use = {{Hike}} {{Dogs}} {{Camping}} {{Horses}} {{Shelter}}  
                     | Difficulty Rating = Difficult
                     | Hike Time = 18+
                     | Distance = 24 
                     | Elevation Gain = 600-700
                     | High Point = 4,626
                     | Latitude = N36°28.367 
                     | Longitude = W81°56.917
                     | Medical = Abingdon, VA
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                     | googlemap = 
<googlemap lat="36.63977" lon="-81.75339"  zoom="9" width="270" type="map" height="180" selector="no" controls="small">
36.63977,-81.75339,Iron Mountain Trail - North
</googlemap>
}}
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== Trail Overview ==
<!-- Enter a overview of the trail. What attracts you to this trail, points of interest, types of flowers, lakes, and peaks that you see along the way. -->
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.

North of Damascus, the Iron Mountain Trail is multi-use, thus appears to be very popular with mountain bike riders as a technical challenge.

== How to get there ==
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Southern access is from Beartree Recreation Area, such as Lum Trail, which begins at the Chimpmunk Loop of the camground.  (Note: Campground gate only open 7AM to 10PM.)

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==
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== Typical Conditions ==
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Iron Mountain Trail is located in Cherokee National Forest (known as Forest Service Trail 54) and maintained by the [http://www.hiketennessee.net/ 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. ==
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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 ==
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== Maps ==
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<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 ==
<gallery>
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Image:placeholder.jpg|caption
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</gallery>

<!-- Finally add the trail to any Categories it should belong to. -->
[[Category:Virginia]] [[Category:Difficult]] [[Category:Hiking]] [[Category:Camping]] [[Category:Dog Friendly]] [[Category:Horse Riding]]