Doe River Gorge




Trail Name	Doe River Gorge
Nearest City	Hampton
State	Tennessee
Trail Marking	{{{Marking}}}
Trail Use/Features
Difficulty Rating	Easy
Hiking Time	33 Hours <br />0.188 Days <br />180 Min <br />
Distance, round-trip	55 mi <br />8.047 km <br />
Climb/Descent Elevation	230230 Feet <br />70.104 Meters <br /> / {{{Elevation Loss}}}"{{{Elevation Loss}}}" is not a number.
High Point	22552,255 Feet <br />751.667 Yards <br />687.324 Meters <br />
Nearest Medical	Elizabethton, TN
Trip Reports	Click Here

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Trail Overview

Easy 5 mile round trip hike following an old railroad through two tunnels. Views of towering cliffs, stream, and forest.

How to get there

From Kingsport, TN:

Head south on I-26 to Exit 24 (Elizabethton).
Proceed on US321 for eight miles into town.
Turn right at traffic light to stay on US321 heading south.
After six miles, enter driveway for Doe River Ministries. (Note: very small direction sign in highway median.)
Park by the red caboose.

Trailhead is behind and between the sleeping cabooses and swimming area.

Route Description

The route is very simple - follow the railroad bed up to the former truss bridge and back.

Distance	Doe River Gorge Trail
0.0 mi	Trailhead by rail switch.
0.1	First tunnel.
0.9	Dirt spur trail heads left and downhill to lower zipline platform by river. Do not take per visitors' agreement.
1.0	Second tunnel.
2.0	Orange sign for end of trail travel.
2.5	End of hiking trail at former truss bridge - DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS!

Typical Conditions

Wide and settled gravel railroad bed with small changes in grade, thus easy path. The one side is a steep drop down to Doe River, thus small childrn will need to be watched.

Fees, Permits, etc.

Permission to hike the trail must be obtained prior to the trip from Doe River Gorge Ministries Tel: (423) 725-4010
Each person (or family) will need to fill out and sign a visitor release form, which is then dropped off in the train mail box at the front of the offices.

After the Hike

Elizabethton has several places to enjoy for dinner.

Misc. Information

Per their visitation policy:
NO SMOKING
NO PETS
NO MINORS ALONE
HIKING ON RAILROAD BED ONLY
NO THROWING ROCKS AT ANY TIME - which may be a challenge given the river runs right along the gravel railroad bed

Maps

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