Iron Mountain Trail - North: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:52, 7 August 2011


File:Placeholder.JPG

Trail Name	Iron Mountain Trail - North
Nearest City	Damascus
State	Virginia
Trail Marking	{{{Marking}}}
Trail Use/Features
Difficulty Rating	Difficult
Hiking Time	18+"+" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.
Distance, round-trip	2424 mi <br />38.624 km <br />
Climb/Descent Elevation	600-700"-700" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property. / {{{Elevation Loss}}}"{{{Elevation Loss}}}" is not a number.
High Point	4,6264,626 Feet <br />1,542 Yards <br />1,410.005 Meters <br />
Nearest Medical	Abingdon, VA
Trip Reports	Click Here

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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.

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) 36.50903, -81.98622 Double Springs shelter (F) 36.58086, -81.90205 Abingdon Gap 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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                       | Trail Use = {{Hike}} {{Dogs}} {{Camping}} {{Horses}} {{Shelter}}
                       | Difficulty Rating = Difficult
-                      | Hike Time = 24+
+                      | Hike Time = 18+
-                      | Distance = 18
+                      | Distance = 24
-                      | Elevation Gain = up to 2200
+                      | Elevation Gain = 600-700
-                      | High Point = 4200
+                      | High Point = 4,626
                       | Latitude = N36°28.367
                       | Longitude = W81°56.917
@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 == 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.  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.
+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.
 == How to get there ==
 <!-- Please enter detailed instruction on how to find the trail head. -->
-The first/southernmost section can be thru-hiked either direction with a car shuttle.
+Southern access is from Beartree Recreation Area, such as Lum Trail, which begins at the Chimpmunk Loop of the camground.
-From Johnson City, TN:
+From Damascus, VA:
-#Take US-321 north to Elizabethton (10 miles).
+#Head east out of town on US-58 for just under eight miles.
-#Turn left/north at the traffic light onto TN-37/TN-91.
+#Turn left/north onto Beartree Gap Road and drive around three miles to campground.
-#After quickly crossing the river, exit right onto TN-91/New Stony Creek Rd.
+#Parking areas at each trailhead.
-#Continue towards Shady Valley for 18 miles.
+GPS address for Bear Tree Recreation Area is 20993 Beartree Gap Road, Damascus, VA 24236.
-#Turn right onto Cross Mountain Road for 1.1 miles
-#Look for radio towers on right for parking.
-#Iron Mountain Trail is to the right of the gates to the Cross Mountain Subdivision.  (This is the southern terminus of IMT.)
-#Backtrack to TN-91 and continue north for 3.6 miles to Shady Valley.
-#Turn right/east where TN-91 intersects with TN-34/US-421.
-#Proceed to the top of Iron Mountain.
-#Parking area is on the south side.
-The northern end is roughly one mile south of Damascus, VA on Orchard Hill Road.  It is recommend that you park at a lot in town.
 == Route Description==
@@ Line 87: / Line 78: @@
 ==Fees, Permits, etc. ==
 <!-- Please list any Fees, Permits, Regulations, etc. that may be required on this trail.-->
+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 ==