Appalachian Trail through the Roan Highlands
Details
https://en.wikipedia.o... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roan_highlands)
https://blueridgeblog.blogs.com/.a/6a00d8341c831253ef00e553731de38833-800pi
https://hiking.chattanooga.net/roanbald.jpg
This hike covers 14.2 miles and is my favorite section of the southern Appalachian Trail. I need to be in east Tennessee on Friday night, so we will rendezvous at Carvers Gap in Roan Mountain State park at noon (eastern time!!!) on Saturday. Sun and Ski Sports would be a good place to meet and carpool. I suggest leaving Nashville at 5:00 am. It is a 6 1/2 hour drive one way (accounting for the time change).
Saturday:
We will meet at Carvers Gap, just north of Roan Mountain, and hike northward 5 miles to Overmountain shelter. The converted barn can accommodate up to 40 people and has a decent water source and privy.
Sunday:
The final 9.2 miles of trail includes two stiff climbs, Hump Mountain being the latter. I will be parked at the end of our hike and can shuttle people back to their cars. We should be back to Nashville by 8:00 Sunday night.
Leashed dogs are welcome! I am bringing two.
If you need to reach me, my cell number is 423-552-1353.
Simple directions:
- I-40 east past Knoxville
- Take I-81 north towards Bristol
- Take exit 57A (I-26) towards Johnson City for 15.4 miles
- Take exit 31 (US 321) towards Elizabethton for 7.6 miles
- Turn right onto US 19E. Going through Elizabethton can be confusing, but if you keep going east, you'll hit 19E regardless of what road you're on.
- Follow 19E 17.4 miles into the town of Roan Mountain. If you cross into North Carolina, you've gone too far.
- Turn right onto US-143 (aka Roan Rd.) for a winding 12.7 miles.
-Carver's gap is clearly marked and is at the Tennessee/North Carolina border.
Google map (this will take you on the bypass around Knoxville, but you can just stay on I-40 through downtown.)
https://maps.google.co... (https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=I-40+E&daddr=36.157558,-82.09877+to:Carvers+Gap&hl=en&geocode=FdB0JwIdWrjU-g%3B%3BFQzxJgIdKhcb-w&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=13&via=1&sll=36.147856,-82.071648&sspn=0.10618,0.15398&ie=UTF8&ll=36.11569,-84.391479&spn=3.398918,4.927368&z=8)
Appalachian Trail through the Roan Highlands