Chestnut Ridge

Trail Name Chestnut Ridge Park Roan Mountain State Park Nearest City Roan Mountain State Tennessee Trail Marking Orange Trail Use/Features Difficulty Rating Hard Hiking Time 1.5 Hours0.0938 Days <br />90 Min <br /> Distance: round-trip/trail only 4.52 Miles7.274 km <br /> / 2.26 Miles3.637 km <br /> Trail Type Segment Climb/Descent Elevation 626 Ft190.805 Meters <br /> / -1,394 Ft-424.891 Meters <br /> High Point 3,767 Ft1,255.667 Yards <br />1,148.182 Meters <br /> Parking 36° 10' 43.60" N, 82° 6' 45.49" W Trailhead 36° 10' 41.76" N, 82° 6' 44.43" W Nearest Medical Elizabethton, TN Trip Reports Click Here Loading map... {"type":"ROADMAP","minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"types":["ROADMAP","SATELLITE","HYBRID","TERRAIN"],"mappingservice":"googlemaps3","width":"270px","height":"180px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"visitedicon":"","wmsoverlay":false,"zoom":8,"layers":[],"controls":["zoom"],"zoomstyle":"DEFAULT","typestyle":"DEFAULT","autoinfowindows":false,"resizable":false,"kmlrezoom":false,"poi":true,"cluster":false,"clustergridsize":60,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clusteraveragecenter":true,"clusterminsize":2,"imageoverlays":[],"kml":[],"gkml":[],"searchmarkers":"","fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":false,"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":36.178776999999996633050614036619663238525390625,"lon":-82.11263700000000653744791634380817413330078125,"icon":""}]} Show Large Map

Trail Overview

Chestnut Ridge Trail is the highest and steepest and therefore most challenging trail of the Roan Mountain State Park trail system. Offering the most remote and secluded hike within the park. Leave the Miller homestead imagining it's 100 years ago and you're a family member headed to town for some supplies. If you want to get away and not hear cars roaring by for a while, hike this trail. It's recommended to get shuttled or car pool to Miller Homestead parking lot to avoid the very long and steep ascent to return. Hike down to Forest Road Trail and continue to either the Visitor center to the left or head right and make your way back to the cabins or campground.

How to get there

From the park Visitor Center to begin at the Miller Homestead

1. Drive south on 143
2. Make the right turn to the signed Miller Homestead
3. Follow the road up to the parking lot overlooking the homestead, or choose to drive a little farther to the cemetery and park
4. Facing the overlook to the right of the cemetery, the trail begins to the left between the overlook and cemetery

Route Description

The trail begins at Miller Homestead and heads east along Chestnut Ridge until it meets up with Forest Road Trail.

Typical Conditions

A classic Appalachian hiking trail. You're up on a ridge, but the trees obscure 90% of the view to the surrounding mountains. A winter hike after the leaves have fallen would likely offer wonderful views.

The typical foliage up top is mostly deciduous trees with a few pines. The middle layer is classic Roan Mountain rhododendron, and the ground cover seems to be predominated with ferns.

The trail is decently maintained and likely doesn't see much traffic. It's a fairly narrow trail in parts and the steep descent is lacking steps in most places. A hike up the ridge is likely very challenging.

Maps

Chestnut Ridge is shown below in its blaze color of orange and its intersection with Forest Road Trail

Loading map...

{"type":"TERRAIN","minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"types":["ROADMAP","SATELLITE","HYBRID","TERRAIN"],"mappingservice":"googlemaps3","width":"auto","height":"550px","centre":{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":36.17848699999999695364749641157686710357666015625,"lon":-82.0993639999999942347130854614078998565673828125,"icon":""},"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"visitedicon":"","wmsoverlay":false,"zoom":15,"layers":[],"controls":["pan","zoom","type","scale","streetview","rotate"],"zoomstyle":"DEFAULT","typestyle":"DEFAULT","autoinfowindows":false,"resizable":false,"kmlrezoom":false,"poi":true,"cluster":false,"clustergridsize":60,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clusteraveragecenter":true,"clusterminsize":2,"imageoverlays":[],"kml":[],"gkml":["http://tehcc.org/clubwiki/kml/RMSP_Chestnut_Ridge_Trail.kml","http://tehcc.org/clubwiki/kml/RMSP_Forest_Road_Trail.kml"],"searchmarkers":"","fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":false,"locations":[{"text":"\u003Cdiv class=\"mw-parser-output\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EParking\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/div\u003E","title":"Parking\n","link":"","lat":36.178776999999996633050614036619663238525390625,"lon":-82.11263700000000653744791634380817413330078125,"icon":"/clubwiki/images/MarkerA.png"},{"text":"\u003Cdiv class=\"mw-parser-output\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETrail head\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/div\u003E","title":"Trail head\n","link":"","lat":36.1782680000000027575879357755184173583984375,"lon":-82.1123410000000006903064786456525325775146484375,"icon":"/clubwiki/images/MarkerG.png"},{"text":"\u003Cdiv class=\"mw-parser-output\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECemetery\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/div\u003E","title":"Cemetery\n","link":"","lat":36.1805650000000014188117347657680511474609375,"lon":-82.1108980000000059362719184719026088714599609375,"icon":"/clubwiki/images/MarkerN.png"},{"text":"\u003Cdiv class=\"mw-parser-output\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EViewing platform\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/div\u003E","title":"Viewing platform\n","link":"","lat":36.18015100000000217050910578109323978424072265625,"lon":-82.1109019999999958372427499853074550628662109375,"icon":"/clubwiki/images/MarkerE.png"},{"text":"\u003Cdiv class=\"mw-parser-output\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJunction with \u003Ca href=\"/clubwiki/index.php?title=Forest_Road_Trail\u0026amp;action=edit\u0026amp;redlink=1\" class=\"new\" title=\"Forest Road Trail (page does not exist)\"\u003EForest Road Trail\u003C/a\u003E\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/div\u003E","title":"Junction with Forest Road Trail\n","link":"","lat":36.17318499999999659166860510595142841339111328125,"lon":-82.0906580000000047903085942380130290985107421875,"icon":"/clubwiki/images/MarkerG.png"}]}

Photos

• 

  Miller Homestead

• 

  Roan Highlands Horizon Map

• 

  Trail head at Miller Homestead

• 

  Intersection of Chestnut and Forest Road

• 

  View from cemetery platform