Appalachian Trail is hiker’s paradise

Carter County is criss-crossed with numerous hiking trails, including some of the most beautiful and challenging sections of America’s crown jewel, the Appalachian Trail.

The Appalachian Trail in Carter County winds along the Tennessee/North Carolina border and over 6,285-foot Roan Mountain before descending to Watauga Lake at 1,959 feet. After crossing 318-foot-high Watauga Dam, it heads up the spine of Iron Mountain, with breathtaking views of the lake almost 1,500 feet below. It’s challenging, and hikers must be prepared for long, steep climbs and descents, rough terrain, and rapidly changing weather in the high elevations. Snow has been recorded in every month on Roan Mountain, where temperatures falling into the mid-30s in mid-summer are not unheard of. But the reward is some of the most spectacular scenery on the entire trail, including a visit to Roan Mountain’s world famous Rhododendron Gardens.

Of particular interest to long-distance hikers, the village of Roan Mountain is now an Appalachian Trail Community! You’ll find a warm welcome, good food, a comfortable bed, hot showers and everything else a foot-sore traveler needs.

Tennessee’s stretch of the A.T., with its sun-dappled forests, broad unobstructed balds and high elevation summits carpeted in native grasses, helped inspire the Trail’s congressional designation as a National Scenic Trail.

There are 94 miles of the A.T. in Tennessee, but the trail runs along the Tennessee/North Carolina border for 160 additional miles. As the trail ascends to the High Country of the state line, hikers traverse the highest mountains along the Trail, including several above 6,000 feet.

The hike from Carvers Gap to Roan High Knob on the trail is a moderate two-mile round trip and features the highest shelter on the trail. To reach the trail, take Highway 19E from Elizabethton to the village of Roan Mountain, turn right on Route 143 to Carvers Gap, which has a parking lot on the TN/NC border. Carvers Gap to Grassy Ridge is a moderate 5.2 round trip and mostly follows the Appalachian Trail. Grassy Ridge is the largest open bald in the Roan Highlands and branches of the Appy Trail.

The Roan Highlands is noted as one of the most scenic regions of the Southern Appalachians. Other trails in the Highlands include the Overmountain Victory Trail,Yellow Mountain, Hump Mountain, Little Hump Mountain, and Roan High Bluff.

Perhaps one of the more scenic sections of the Appy Trail follows the shore of Watauga Lake to the Watauga Dam. The trail travels over the top of the dam affording views of the lake and surrounding mountains.

To travel this part of the trail, take 19E from Elizabethton to Hampton, turn left at Hampton on Highway 321 to Watauga Lake and Shook Branch Picnic Area.

Not all of Carter County’s hiking is so strenuous, though, and hikers of all skill and fitness levels will find a trail to enjoy. Many quiet walks through the woods and along mountain streams await you. There are plenty of access points, campgrounds and back-country camping areas, and hiker-friendly services are readily available.