A.T. Trailheads

Last Revised: September 18, 2007

Index:

	Location of A.T. trailheads and access points
	Mileage to trailheads from Colonial Heights parking area

The following table describes trailheads and access points on the TEHCC section of the Appalachian Trail. A few of these locations are difficult to find without a map and/or a prior visit to the location. Miles are from the "Appalachian Trail Guide to Tennessee-North Carolina, Eleventh Edition, 1995". The "SECTION number" indicates the Trail Guide section number.

A.T. Location	Access Description
SECTION 1
Damascus Va	Section begins at Damascus Town Hall on Laurel Avenue (US 58) at Reynolds Street, one block south of the Post Office (north end of TEHCC maintenance). It is 12 mi from Mountain City, Tenn.; 13 mi from Glade Spring, Va.; and 14 mi from Abingdon, Va.
Backbone Rock	Side trail 2.3 mi to Tenn 133 at Backbone Rock, Tenn.
McQueens Gap	Unpaved USFS 69, 3 mi to Tenn 133 at Crandull, Tenn. or 3.5 mi to Denton Valley Road at Offset, Tenn.
Low Gap	Paved US 421, 3 mi from Shady Valley, Tenn. and 18 mi from Bristol, Tenn.
SECTION 2
Cross Mountain	Paved Tenn. 91, 4 mi from Shady Valley, Tenn. and 19 mi from Elizabethton, Tenn.
SECTION 3
Watauga Dam Road	Paved Watauga Dam Road, 9 mi from Elizabethton, Tenn.
SECTION 4
Watauga Lake	Paved U.S. 321 at USFS Rat Branch Recreation Area, 5 mi from Hampton, Tenn.
Laurel Fork Gorge	Side trail (blue-blazed) 1 mi to U.S. 321 parking area in Hampton, Tenn.
Dennis Cove Road	Paved USFS 50, 4.1 mi from U.S. 321 at Hampton, Tenn.
SECTION 5
	NOTE: Due to a long history of vandalism, vehicles should not be left overnight at any location between Bitter End and U.S. 19E.
Bitter End	Gated unpaved USFS road, .2 mi from Buck Mountain Road, 3.5 mi from U.S. 19E at Shell Creek, Tenn.
Walnut Mountain	Unpaved USFS 50 (Walnut Mountain Road), 1.5 mi from Buck Mountain Road, 3.8 mi from U.S. 19E at Shell Creek, Tenn.
Bear Branch (U.S. 19E)	Paved U.S. 19E, 3 mi from Elk Park, N.C. or 4 mi from Roan Mountain, Tenn. DO NOT LEAVE VEHICLES OVERNIGHT!!!
SECTION 6
Yellow Mountain Gap	Side trail 0.2 mi to Roaring Creek Road, 3.5 mi from U.S. 19E at Roaring Creek, N.C.; or trail 1 mi to Hampton Creek Road, 5 mi from Tenn. 143 at Roan Mountain, Tenn.
Carvers Gap	Paved Tenn. 143, 14 mi from Roan Mountain, Tenn.; or paved N.C. 261, 14 mi from Bakersville, N.C.
SECTION 7
Cloudland	Paved USFS Cloudland Rhododendron Garden Road, 2.3 mi from Tenn. 143 / N.C. 261 at Carvers Gap, Tenn./N.C.
Hughes Gap	Paved Hughes Gap Road, 5 mi to Tenn. 143 at Burbank, Tenn.; or paved Big Rock Creek Road , 5 mi to N.C. 226 at Buladean, N.C.
SECTION 8
Greasy Creek Gap	Side trail 0.7 mi to unpaved Greasy Creek Road, 2.5 mi from Big Rock Creek Road at Buladean, N.C.
Iron Mountain Gap	Paved Tenn. 107, 10 mi from Unicoi, Tenn.; or paved N.C. 226, 4 mi from Buladean, N.C.
SECTION 9
Low Gap	Side trail (old A.T.) 3/4 mi to USFS 230. Evident as you're walking Trail south.
Beauty Spot	Parking lot on USFS 230
USFS 230	A.T. crosses USFS 230, 1.1 mi N of Indian Grave Gap
Indian Grave Gap	Paved Rock Creek Road, 7 mi from U.S. 23 at Erwin, Tenn., or paved road, 5 mi from Poplar, N.C.
Nolichucky Expeditions	Unpaved commercial access road, 1.4 mi from (?) Road at Chestoa, Tenn.
Nolichucky River	Chestoa Bridge, 0.5 mi from U.S. 23 at Chestoa, Tenn; 2.3 mi from Erwin, Tenn.
SECTION 10
Temple Hill Gap	Side trail 2.1 mi to Unaka Springs, Tenn.; or side trail 1.5 mi to unpaved Granny Lewis Road, 1.5 mi from U.S. 23 near Ernestville, Tenn.
Devils Creek Gap	Side trail, 1/4 mi to gravel road at Can Lot, then 1 mi to U.S. 19W.
Unnamed gap 1/4 mi N of Spivey Gap via A.T.	Gravel road to Spivey Gap (gated part of the year)
Spivey Gap	Paved U.S. 19W (southern end of TEHCC maintenance), 16 mi from Erwin, Tenn. or 27 mi from Burnsville, N.C.

Map of Colonial Heights meeting area Participants in most TEHCC hikes and A.T. maintenance trips meet at the parking lot between the McDonalds and the State of Franklin Bank (former Burger King) on State Route 36 in the Colonial Heights section of Kingsport, Tennessee. This map shows the location of the parking lot.

Directions:

	From Kingsport: take Tenn. 36 south to Colonial Heights. The parking lot will be on the left.
	From I-81: take Exit 59, and turn north on Tenn. 36. Travel about 0.5 miles; the parking lot is on the right.

The chart below shows the mileages from the parking lot to road crossings and trailheads on the TEHCC section of the A.T. Mileage incurred on A.T. maintenance trips may be deductible from Federal income tax.

A "?" indicates the mileage or driving time has not been submitted. Please send any questions or revisions to our .

Miles	Driving Time (Minutes)	Route from Colonial Heights to Trailhead
47	55	Downtown Damascus via I-81 and Abingdon
?	?	Downtown Damascus via Elizabethton and Shady Valley
?	?	Backbone Rock parking lot via ?
47.2	74	McQueens Gap via I-81, U.S. 11W, U.S. 421, Tenn. 133, and McQueens Gap Road
57	80	McQueens Gap via I-26, Elizabethton, and Stony Creek
?	?	Low Gap via Bristol and U.S. 421
47	70	Cross Mountain (Tenn. 91) via ?
?	?	Blue Spring Road near Ron Cole's house via Tenn. 91 (to Vandeventer Shelter)
37	?	Watauga Dam Road
38	45	Shook Branch parking lot at Watauga Lake on U.S. 321
34	40	Trailhead parking lot in Hampton on U.S. 321
37	50	Trailhead parking lot on Dennis Cove Road
51	75	Bitter End via Elizabethton
45	60	Bear Branch Road and U.S. 19E via Gap Creek Road
61	?	Parking area below Yellow Mountain Barn
55	90	Carvers Gap via Gap Creek Road
50	80	Hughes Gap via Gap Creek Road
37	45	Iron Mountain Gap (Tenn. 107) via Unicoi
?	?	Deep Gap (USFS 230)
?	?	Indian Grave Gap via Erwin and Rock Springs Road
?	40	Chestoa Bridge
47	55	Spivey Gap

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