Cherokee Hiking Club
198 Crews Drive, Benton, TN 37307
Bald River
Trail Dayhike
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Brief Description:
We will hike the trail above Bald River Falls. This trail follows the river for much of the way and should be beautiful with the recent rains. It follows an old rail line for much of the way so I am rating it as moderate due to length only. The elevation gain is approximately 500 feet with the steepest part at the beginning climbing from the falls parking lot to the top. The trail does cross some small branches so make sure to wear your hiking boots. Of course we will admire the picturesque falls both before and after the hike.
Leader: Randy Morris – 338-9464
Difficulty: Moderate, 9.8 miles
Directions to the Trailhead: We will leave from Hardee’s in Etowah at 8:30 a.m. We will also stop at the Tellico Hardee’s at 9:00 a.m. if anyone contacts me to carpool from there. A further carpool from the Ocoee
Hardee’s is a possibility if anyone is interested. If you plan on attending, please call Randy by Friday evening, January 9 at 338-9464 or tell him at the club meeting on the 8th.
Post Trip Report: Three club members and trusty Jake the golden retriever made the 9.8 mile (round-trip) trek above Bald River Falls on a surprising good day for hiking. In fact, we only experienced a few sprinkles of rain until after we had finished the hike. The 4+ inches of rain the area had received a few days prior to the hike made Bald River quite a spectacle along the many cascades, rapids and falls of the hike. Along the path up to Holly Flats Road we “picked up” first one then another hunting dog that went along for the hike. After leaving the
Plott Hounds on Holly Flats Road, we turned around and ate lunch at the beautiful upper falls (technically probably cascades). The trail follows the river throughout and is a nice hike—especially in the winter with increased water flows. Enjoying the day were hikers James Anderson, Rick Harris (with Jake) hike leader Randy Morris.
Contact the Webmaster
