Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area

Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area


Park Type	State Natural Area
Located	Roan Mountain, Tennessee
External Links	Official Website Official Trail Map
Entrance Fee	Unknown
ActivitiesThings to do at the park
Park AmenitiesThings built to enjoy or use at the park
FeaturesNatural things to see at the park
Park Trails	3 Trails / Total of 0.00 miles0 km <br />
Lodging Types	None
Park Area	693 acres2.804 km² <br />
Operated By	Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
Main Location	36° 9' 8.57" N, 82° 3' 20.63" W Map

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Overview[edit]

Working farm with hiking trails leading into nice forests. Important bird-watching area for rare golden-winged warblers.

How to get there[edit]

From Johnson City, TN

Head south on Roan Street for 3.5 miles passing under I-26.
Take left/east onto TN359/Okolona Road and travel 1.4 miles.
Take right/south onto TN361 over to US19E for nine miles. The road starts as Laurels Road, then Dry Creek Road and finally Gap Creek Road.
Travel US19E for ten miles to town of Roan Mountain.
Take right/south onto TN143.
As soon as the highway divides take left/north onto Old Highway 143.
Turn right/east onto Hampton Creek Road and proceed three miles
Parking area is on left/east side of road. Space available for a dozen vehicles.

Trails[edit]

There are currently three trails in the nature area. All begin from the parking lot by following the Overmountain Trail to common junction. Shell Hollow proceeds up a dirt road past a former homestead to become a loop up on Big Ridge. Birchfield Trail follows the western side of Left Prong creek until it rejoins the Overmountain Trail, which proceeds on the eastern side of the creek but continues up Yellow Mountain to intersection with the Appalachian Trail at the gap.

Park Trails	Distance	Difficulty	Marking	Usage	Highlight
Birchfield Trail		Easy
Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail		Medium
Shell Hollow Trail		Easy

Typical Conditions[edit]

Signage for the OVNHT is adequate while those for the other two trails needs to be updated as not clear where are their lower access points. The information kiosks at several points also have badly crazed, thus should be considered for replacement.