ADVENTURES
We are mountain and lake country with many outdoor adventures to share with your family and friends. We have hiking with large view and waterfalls. Our area has some of the best fishing in the region with creek, river and lake fishing opportunities. We offer challenging mountain biking and some nice on road bike touring. We have camping choices from primitive to full service with river camping and lake camping. Northeast Tennessee offers creek, rivers and a large lake with all experience levels of canoeing, kayaking and white water rafting. We offer ATV trails of all difficulty levels and off road single track motorcycle trails.
Here is a partial list of some outdoor adventures available in our area:
Hiking
Johnson County and bordering Carter County is home to some of the best hiking in the eastern United States. We have hiking trails for all experience levels offering great views, waterfalls and historical sites. Here are some of the hiking trails available in Northeast Tennessee.
Appalachian Trail
This world famous 2,100 mile hiking trail runs from Maine to Georgia. It travels through Johnson County with several good access points in our area. Coming from the north, the AT travels through Damascus, VA into Johnson County, passing through Cherokee National Forest near Backbone Rock, and then along Holston Mountain overlooking beautiful Shady Valley. The AT then meanders around Watauga Lake, where you can walk across the top of Watauga Dam. From there it goes to Roan Mountain, TN and south to Georgia.
Cross Mountain Trail
This is a really good hiking trail that is an easy short hike with incredible views making it perfect fro beginning hikers. It is a trail that connects Holston Mountain with Iron Mountain and is actually a section of the Appalachian Trail. Here you will hike through a cow pasture that has a bench where you can relax and take in the vast views of Shady Valley, TN.
Laurel Falls Trail
Laurel Falls Tail is a great hiking trail in Hampton, TN that can be entered either from below or above the incredible Laurel Falls. This is one of the most popular and spectacular waterfalls in Northeast Tennessee. This trail is lined with mountain laurels and is considered moderate in difficulty.
Laurel Creek Trail
This is a scenic wildlife rich haven in the Cherokee National Forest in Laurel Bloomery, TN. This trail is good for all hiking skill levels and is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips and birding. This is a good hike for those seeking a shady hike along a flowing creek.
Gentry Falls Trail
Gentry Falls is a double waterfall in a remote forest setting. The 4.5 mile back country trail is located in the Cherokee National Forest near Laurel Bloomery, TN and is rated as a moderate hiking skill level. The trail meanders along Gentry Creek crossing it fourteen times on the way to the waterfall. This is a definite must hike for avid hikers seeking a remote peaceful experience.
Doe Mountain Trail System
This family wilderness area has 8,600 acres of protected mountain terrain offering ATV trails, hiking trails and a mountain biking trail. There are two designated hiking trails for hikers only. Here you can experience some breathtaking views into Tennessee and North Carolina.
Blue Hole Waterfall and Trail
Blue Hole Waterfall is located right across the county line in Carter County. This is a short moderate skill level hiking trail offering great views of the Blue Hole which is where a waterfall drops into a peaceful body of water creating a scenic blue tint. Here you will also find magnificent rock formations with several good places to relax and have a picnic lunch.
Biking
There are some great on road and off road biking opportunities available in our area of Northeast Tennessee. If you are looking for some easy scenic bike touring you may consider riding the roads surrounding pristine Watauga Lake. For a more challenging on road adventure, you may want to ascend up Cross Mountain Road, and for a more exciting downhill ride, you may want to descend down Cross Mountain Road. For challenging off road mountain biking you may want to ride the trails at Doe Mountain. If you are seeking some easy trail biking, you can taje a short drive to Damascus, VA to ride the famous Virginia Creeper Trail.
Fishing
Our area offers some of the best fishing in the region. There are many flowing creeks, rivers and a large clean lake from which to choose you r location and type of fishing. Whether you are fly fishing or reel fishing, we have the locations. Our many flowing creeks and rivers provide some great fishing from the shorelines and good wading opportunities. We are home to Doe Creek, which flows into Watauga Lake and provides some of the best fly fishing in our entire region. There are some really nice secluded spots along the creek where fish flourish. Watauga Lake is a great fresh water lake offering good boat fishing and shoreline fishing from easy to access areas along the lake.
Camping
Our area offers all types and levels of camping in a great setting. From primitive camping to full service camping. From creek camping, to river camping to lake camping. We have it all. If you like to camp you will love living in Johnson County.
Horses
Northeast Tennessee is an equestrian paradise. Horse enthusiasts can choose from trails, back roads and wide open ranges. There are many scenic horse riding experiences waiting for you to explore. You can ride the local trails such as the ones at Doe Mountain or the nearby Virginia Creeper Trail. If you want beautiful open areas to rid, you can visit nearby Mount Rogers Recreational Area. There are also palces to board nad care for your four legged friends.
Water Motor Sports
Northeast Tennessee is home to pristine Watauga Lake offering excellent water motor sports. Here you can enjoy pontoon boats for touring and fishing, wave runners for those seeking a more thrilling adventure and motor boats for touring and skiing. There are a number of marinas available to facilitate your boats and equipment.
Canoeing, Kayaking and Whitewater Rafting
We have all types of paddling adventures such as canoeing, kayaking and whitewater rafting. We have still water, flowing water and whitewater, so whatever your skill set, we have a paddling adventure for your enjoyment. For those seeking still water we have Watauga Lake. For a more exciting adventure, we have flowing water and whitewater on the Watauga River.
ATV Touring
We have some of the best ATV trails in Northeast Tennessee. Doe Mountain has 8,600 acres of protected mountain terrain with over 50 miles of blazed adventure trails for your enjoyment. Here you will find ATV riding for all difficulty levels from beginners to advanced riders. You will also experience breathtaking views into Tennessee and North Carolina.
Motorcycle and Sport Cars Touring
We are home to the famous Snake 421 Motorcycle and Sport Cars Route, which offers some of the best riding in the southeast United States. Experience 489 curves winding across three mountains and one incredible valley. Enjoy the tight curves as you cross the mountains and wind through the Cherokee National Forest along a flowing creek and then open it p as you cruise through an open valley and some beautiful farm land. This is both a challenging and peaceful ride.