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Medium trails in Tennessee...

noloc45

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Hello fam,

Hope everyone is well.

Gonna be heading to Gatlinburg area this weekend and wanna do some nice trails.

Ill be alone so i dont wanna do anything to crazy.

I did the Charlies Creek trail in GA recently and went up the bad side. Wasnt aware of how difficult it would be for me (total newbie).

But it was fun. Any trail ideas and tips i appreciate, thanks!
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Oldbear

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Check out the Kentucky Adventure Trail system. It’s a bit north of where you are but is pretty cool (maybe a future trip?)
 

Abend

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Hello fam,

Hope everyone is well.

Gonna be heading to Gatlinburg area this weekend and wanna do some nice trails.

Ill be alone so i dont wanna do anything to crazy.

I did the Charlies Creek trail in GA recently and went up the bad side. Wasnt aware of how difficult it would be for me (total newbie).

But it was fun. Any trail ideas and tips i appreciate, thanks!
This one isn't even remotely challenging, but the scenery and wildlife are amazing and it's unpaved. The Heintooga Round Bottom Road runs from the Blue Ridge Parkway down into Cherokee. We've seen lots of elk and bears when taking this route. I'm not sure if it would be open this time of year since I've only done it in summer, but here's a pretty good writeup on it: https://blueridgemountainlife.com/heintooga-round-bottom-road/
 

Ruby Clatterbox

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Cades Cove is close and has a nice scenic 11 mile loop with lots to see. There's a Cades Cove Jeep Outpost (retail accessories store) near there also that could help out with direction for other trails.
 

GreyFox

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Better check to make sure roads are open. GSMNP only uses Twitter to post AFAIK. This time of year, Cades could be open or closed along with 441.
 

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Ohio Hiker

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Cades Cove is close and has a nice scenic 11 mile loop with lots to see. There's a Cades Cove Jeep Outpost (retail accessories store) near there also that could help out with direction for other trails.
Love the CCJO in Townsend TN! having been to GSMNP many times I tend to stay away from Cades Cove unless I plan in hiking a specific trail over there. The off-road trails (Parsons Branch Road and Rich Mountain Rd) that shoot off Cade Cove should be closed for the year.
I also believe that Heintooga Round Bottom Rd is closed now too.
 

WontonJLUR

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Windrock, TN is about a 2 hour drive away from Gatlinburg. Took the in-laws there for a day trip last time we were there. I've been a handful of other times to do the more serious stuff as well. There is some very difficult stuff, but the trail system is well mapped and there are some fantastic views.

Outdoors in the Smokies is also a good one, its about 45 mins from Gatlinburg. When we had a completely stock Sahara we took it there and had a good time. Wife drove the whole time, never having driven offroad before.
 

JSFoster75

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Depending on which direction you’re coming from, look up horse Creek Park in Chuckey Tennessee, really good trail. Drive through several creeks and over some small rocks, nothing challenging, I did it in a stock Sahara. If memory serves correct you gain nearly 3000 feet in elevation in about 4 miles.
 

EXPFDR

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In Tennessee for the next two months. New Jeep owner here and will definitely track this thread for more ideas. Only 1.5 hour drive from both Cades Cove and Windrock. Thanks all for the info.
 

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WontonJLUR

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I'll just say Windrock again for emphasis. It's my favorite of all the places I've been to so far. I've been there 3x and haven't even done probably half of the trails. Go to the top of the mountain on the paved road, take a right turn a decent ways up on a dirt road and you can get to an absolutely gorgeous overlook. Its where my profile pic is from.
 
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noloc45

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Wow to everyone thats posted so far, thank you! Writing these down and looking up info to see!

Thank you!
 

Ruby Clatterbox

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Check out Windrock. They have a ton of trails and if you get the map they're all clearly marked for length and difficulty
I'll look into that when we get up there again, hopefully this summer. Now I see they have campsites for our RV!
 
 



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