Front Hollow Road
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Trail Overview
Located in Bays Mountain Park, but on the Hawkins County side past Ledbetter Gap. The park road is heavily damaged by ATV usages. It is a connector to allow loop hikes with Cross Ridges Trail or Bays Ridge Road.
How to get there
From the main parking lot, cross the dam and take the left onto Lake Road to Ledbetter Gap. Front Hollow Road begins on the other side of the locked orange park gate. The far west end is not officially accessible from outside the park.
Route Description
The path follows the base of the ridge. Meaders some to pass around deep muddy ruts and intersects with the creek.
Miles | Front Hollow Road | Miles | Elevation (ft) |
---|---|---|---|
0.0 | Road starts at locked orange park gate at Ledbetter Gap | 1.8 | 1920 |
0.3 | Junction with Jones Road at the "Big Oak". Jones Road heads steeply uphill | 1.5 | 1770 |
0.5 | Junction with Cross Ridges Trail which heads north | 1.3 | 1730 |
1.3 | Old House | 0.5 | |
1.5 | Open field on the north side. Park allows grazing to have someone monitor this area. | 0.3 | |
1.7 | Road and creek become one. An informal side trail on high bank side. No trail sign, but white plastic blazes indicated Bays Ridge Trail heading uphill to the south. Have not found style for Pretty Ridge Trail to the north. | 0.1 | 1615 |
1.8 | Far end of park and road continues onto country road. Turns to become Back Hollow Road - after crossing creek and barbed wire fence. | 0.0 | 1609 |
Typical Conditions
Mostly an eroded dirt road, with large, muddy water-filled ruts. Illegal ATV use has destroyed some of the road bed. Picked up a grocery bag of beer cans for recycling.
Misc. Information
Per Collins Chew: This road follows a valley between Bays Ridge and the Cherry Knobs. It leads past old farm ruins and can be used to make any of several loops with other trails in the Southwest end of the Park. The road joins Back Hollow Road at the end of the Park where the Cherry Knobs come to an end. Fences near the end allow the pasturing of cattle by local citizens who provide security services for the remote end of the Park. Front Hollow drains into Laurel Run.
Be carefull during hunting season as hunters have been seen on this far west end of the nature preserve.
Maps
Front Hollow Road shown in yellow. Cross Ridges Trail in red. Lake Road in orange. Bays Ridge Road in dark brick red.
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(G) 36.497900,-82.627713 Road starts at Ledbetter Gap Crossroads with Lake Road and Bays Ridge Road </googlemap>
- The following elevation profile travels from Ledbetter Gap to Bays Ridge Trail.
File:BMP Front Hollow Road profile.JPG
Photos
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