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Volunteer Hours: 2010
National Hours: 315,442
Local Hours: 1,743

5% Discount for BCHET Members
5% Donated to BCHET when Mentioned

BCHET member Larry Jeffers has taken on the role of managing the horseback trails located in and around Unaka Mountain. The trail manager interfaces with the US Forest Service Trail Technician in order to maintain or improve the exiting trails and to drive the development of new trails. It is also the responsibility of the trail manager to organize trail work days and to maintain a record of the time and equipment utilized to maintain or develop trails. Please report any concerns with the trail, (down trees, brush, washouts) to the trail manager.

Please report any time that you spend conducting ANY trail maintenance to the to the trail manager listed below. It is very important that we record any time which a BCHET member spends preforming trail maintenance, no matter how minor.

Larry Jeffers
423-213-0021

Limestone Cove / Dark Hollow Trail System

Location: Dark Hollow Trails, Unicoi County. Trails Illustrated Trail #7 (National Geographic Maps)

CLICK HERE for Limestone Cove / Dark Hollow Map (Adobe PDF)

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Continue traveling on Highway 107, the total distance traveled on 107 is approximately 3.8 miles. There will be a Limestone Cove Picnic Area/Trail Head sign on the right side of the road. Just past this sign turn right onto Rocky Branch Rd. The parking area is immediately on the right. FOR SAFETY: When leaving please exit the parking area to the rear and turn right onto the loop road. This is a much safer exit point as, you can see traffic in both directions. There is also additional parking alongside the loop road. This trailhead provides access to two trail systems Dark Hollow and Limestone Cove.

Description: To access the trails, ride your horse up Rocky Branch Rd. and around the Forestry Service gate. Continue to travel the forestry road and the Limestone Cove Trail is located less than a mile on the Right of the forest service road. You may continue on the forest service road which connects with Stamping Ground Ridge Trail which is located at the end of the forest service road. This trail system currently consists of two loops.

Loop 1 (5-6 hours)
Service Road 4343 to Limestone Cove Trail
Limestone Cove Trail up Unaka Mtn. and Intersect with Stamping Ground Ridge Trail
Down Stamping Ground Ridge to Service Road 4343
Service Road 4343 to Limestone Cove Trailhead

Limestone Cove Trail was recently upgraded for horses and has been blazed in Yellow. The trail has steep riding in places and some loose rocky areas. The trail climbs for 3.5 miles before intersecting with Stamping Ground Ridge.

Turning Right on Stamping Ground Ridge will take you to the top and intersects with a gravel road (Unaka Mountain Rd). Turning right on the gravel road leads to the Unaka Mountain Overlook, Beauty Spot and beyond to Highway 395 (Rock Creek RD). Turning left leads back to 107.

Turning Left on Stamping Ground Ridge provides a loop ride back to the beginning of Limestone Cove Trail. Stamping Ground Ridge Trail provides a gradual decline off the mountain. There are some narrow sections along the trail but for the most part this is good ride. There is an intersection about 3 miles down the trail, take a left at the intersection. This is the point where the connector trail begins. The BCHET volunteers completed this section Spring of 2011.

Riding the loop in the opposite direction maybe preferred. This is the way many ride the loop. To ride in the opposite direction DO NOT turn onto the Limestone Cove Trail. Continue on the gravel road about two miles at which point the gravel ends and the connector to Stamping Ground Ridge begins. From this point follow the yellow blazes to the point where the Limestone Cove trail intersects with Stamping Ground Ridge.

Additional Riding on Unaka Mountain

Additional Riding on Unaka Mountain

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