Benton McKaye Trail to Hiwassee River

Tuesday, April 30 — Benton McKaye Trail: Lost Creek Campground to the Hiwassee River, 4.1 miles, easy. Requires shuttle. This is an especially outstanding section of the Benton McKaye Trail, which parallels Big Lost Creek through a deep limestone gorge with cascades and waterfalls. The trail follows an old railroad grade built for logging in the early 1900s, then later used for a road. Beautiful rock formations are seen on both sides of the trail, with plenty of great stopping places. The only drawback is a 7-mile gravel road to the campground, but the road is in excellent condition compared to other Forest Service roads in the Cherokee NF. For carpooling/caravanning, meet at 8:30 am ET in the parking area near the gas station at Food City in Ooltewah TN, right (east) off I-75 exit 11. https://bit.ly/3dwmbxn Register with hike leader Betsy Darken, (423) 718-2060. Carpool: $5.00. [FYI, McKaye is pronounced “Mc Ki, with a long “i”. He was Scottish.]