A NICE PAIR
After working in Glasgow,
Kentucky all week, I had a long drive home to look forward to. I decided to stop in the Big South Fork
Recreation Area on the way. I figured a
short hike would be a nice way to break up the drive. My biggest decision was to pick where to go. Initially I considered heading to the
Kentucky section of the recreation area.
The Blue Heron region looked like it would be scenic, and Yahoo Falls
sounded like it would be worth a visit.
Plus, if I visited Yahoo Falls, I could also stop at Google Cave and the
Alta Vista.
Ultimately, I settled on the
Twin Arches area, just south of the state line. I hadn’t seen any arches while hiking the Honey Creek loop, and
arches are the most unique feature of the area. The Twin Arches are the biggest around, so I thought they’d be
worth a visit.
I attempted to follow the
directions on the National Park Service website to the trailhead, but they are
inaccurate. To get there from
Jamestown, take route 154 north until you reach route 297 (Leatherwood Ford
Road). Continue on 154 to Picket State
Park. After approximately 2 miles from
297, turn right on Divide Road. Follow
the gravel road approximately 1 mile to an intersection marked with a large
sign. Turning right here on Forest Ridge
Road leads to the Sawmill Trailhead and Charit Creek Lodge. For Twin Arches, continue ahead a few more
miles to another intersection marked with a sign. Turn right and go 2 more miles to the parking area.
I departed the parking area
at 9:30. The loop hike to the arches is
only 1.4 miles, but the hike can easily be extended. I walked through the woods for a few minutes, before reaching a
junction. The loop splits here, and I
went right. In hindsight, I think going
left would make for a more dramatic approach to the arches.
I followed the trail along
the ridge, where I found some nice views of Charit Creek Valley and Station
Camp Creek valley. I descended a couple
sets of stairs, and crossed a ledge of bare granite. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was actually standing on
top of the South Arch.
Another flight of stairs
brought me to the base of the arches. I
was impressed, to say the least.
Christy and I once spent several days in Utah looking at arches, and
this pair is on an equal footing with many of those. The arches are huge, but unlike those in Utah, they are
surrounded by foliage. In Utah, it’s
easy to back up from the arches far enough to photograph them. That wasn’t the case here. I found them to be particularly difficult to
capture on film, but that didn’t stop me from trying!
I explored the arches before
returning to my car on the other half of the loop. I finished the hike without seeing another person, which was a
surprise, given the popularity of the area.
I still had plenty of time,
so I decided to do another hike before I headed home. I headed over to the Sawmill Trailhead to hike the Slave Falls
loop. I started my second hike at
11:30. The Slave Falls Loop is
somewhere between 3 and 4 miles long, and includes a waterfall, an arch, and a
rock house.
I followed an easy trail
through the woods before reaching a right turn to stay on the loop trail. Instead of turning, I continued ahead on a
trail that eventually leads back over to the Twin Arches. After a short distance, I reached a marked
side trail heading down towards the creek.
I followed it down to the base of a bluff, and on to an overlook of
Slave Falls. The waterfall is impressive,
even though the water flow is low. The
stream projects out over a sheer cliff, falling into dense vegetation. The entire scene reminded me of several
places in Hawaii.
I had a snack and enjoyed
the falls before returning to the main trail.
Instead of resuming the loop hike, I continued towards Twin Arches. After a quarter-mile, I reached Needle
Arch. As the name implies, Needle Arch
is composed of only a narrow spine of rock.
It is much smaller than the Twin Arches, but is still very scenic.
I backtracked from the Arch
and resumed the loop hike. I followed
an old roadbed through the woods, and eventually crossed Forest Ridge
Road. Beyond the road, I passed through
several junctions. Fortunately, they
were all well-marked with signs and blazes.
After some distance, I reached the Indian Rock House that signified the
final highlight of the hike. The cave
was as impressive as many of the shelters I’d seen on the Honey Creek
Loop. A few minutes later, I crossed
the road again, and returned to my car.
I finished up before 1:30, leaving me plenty of time to return home before
dinner. I definitely recommend both
Twin Arches and the Slave Falls Loop.
Twin Arches features 2 of the largest natural stone arches in the
eastern US. The Slave Falls loop packs
many of the highlights of the area into less than 4 miles. This is an area well worth checking
out! The next time I visit the Big
South Fork though, I’ll have to see the Kentucky side of the park.
Back to Tennessee
Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports
Please remember to Leave No Trace!