Hiking Trails
Hiking in Tennessee is a popular outdoor activity. Monroe County has plenty of hiking trails you can choose from including hiking in the Cherokee National Forest. Our trails range in difficulty and length. See below for a complete list of hiking trails in and around Monroe County, TN. People come from all over to enjoy the beautiful scenery of East TN while being active and disconnecting from the distractions of modern life.
There are two National Recreation Trails on the Cherokee National Forest (CNF)- the Warrior’s Passage Trail and the John Muir Trail. The nation’s newest long distance trail, the Benton MacKaye, also runs through the CNF. Hiking is allowed in the CNF on all trails even though some trails are “designated” for Mountain Bikes, Motorcycles, or Equestrian. Please be courteous, cooperate and abide by the “share the trail” rules.
Bob Bald Connector – FS Trail 54A. Length: 2.1 miles. Rated difficult. Hiking Only.
Unicoi Trail – FS Trail 82. Length: 5.8 miles. Rated: Moderate. Multiple use trail: Hiking, Mountain Biking, Equestrians, and Motorcycles.
Crowder Branch Trail -FS Trail 84. Length: 2.6 miles. Rated: Moderate. Hiking Only.
Kirkland Creek – FS Trail 85. Length: 6.7 miles. Rated: Moderate. Hiking Only.
Whigg Ridge – FS Trail 86. Length: 2.8 miles. Rated Difficult. Hiking Only.
Falls Branch Trail – FS Trail 87. Length: 1.3 miles (dead-end trail). Rated: Easy to Moderate. Hiking Only.
Bald River Trail – FS Trail 88. Length: 5.6 miles. Rated: Easy. Hiking Only.
Sugar Cove Trail – FS Trail 89. Length: 2.4 miles. Rated: Difficult. Hiking Only.
Grassy Branch Trail – FS Trail 91. Length: 3.3 miles. Rated: Moderate. Hiking Only.
McNabb Creek Trail – FS Trail 92. Length: 3.7 miles. Rated: Moderate. Hiking Only.
Laurel Branch Trail – FS Trail 93. Length: 3.0 miles. Rated: Moderate. Hiking Only.
Big Indian Branch Trail – FS Trail 94. Length: 12.5 miles. Rated: Moderate. Hiking Only.
Fodderstack Horse Trail – FS Trail 95. Length: 12.5 miles. Rated: Difficult. Multiple use trail – Hiking and Equestrian. Motorcycles and mountain bikes are prohibited.
Mill Branch Trail – FS Trail 96. Length: 2.3 miles. Rated: Difficult. Hiking Only.
Brush Mountain Trail – FS Trail 97. Length: 4.1 miles. Rated: Difficult. Hiking Only.
North Fork Citico Trail – FS Trail 98. Length: 5.2 miles. Rated: Difficult. Hiking Only.
Pine Ridge Trail – FS Trail 99. Length: 3.6 miles. Rated: Difficult. Multiple use trail – Hiking and Equestrian. Motorcycles and mountain bikes are prohibited.
Rocky Flats Trail – FS Trail 100. Length: 4.9 miles. Rated: Moderate. Hiking Only.
Hemlock Trail – FS Trail 101. Length: 3.35 miles. Rated: Moderate. Hiking Only.
Flats Mountain Trail – FS Trail 102. Length: 6.1 miles. Rated: Moderate. Hiking Only.
Long Branch Trail – FS Trail 103. Length: 2.6 miles. Rated: Moderate. Hiking Only.
South Fork Citico Trail – FS Trail 105. Length: 9.5 miles. Rated: Difficult. Hiking Only.
Stiffknee Trail – FS Trail 106. Length: 3.2 miles. Rated Difficult. Hiking Only.
Henderson Mountain Trail – FS Trail 107. Length: 5.1 miles. Rated: Moderate. Hiking Only.
Unicoi Mountain Trail – FS Trail 117. Length: 7.9 miles. Rated: Moderate. Shared use trail – Equestrian, Mountain Bike and Hiking.
Indian Boundary Lake Trail – FS Trail 129. Length: 3.1 miles. Rated: Easy. Multi-use trail – Mountain Bike and Hiking. Motorcycles and Equestrian are prohibited.
Gravelstand Top Trail – FS Trail 136. Length: 2.5 miles. Rated: Difficult. Hiking Only.
Big Stack Gap Branch Trail – FS Trail 139. Length: 1.7 miles. Rated: Difficult. Hiking Only.
Cold Springs Gap Trail – FS Trail 149. Length: 1.1 miles. Rated: Easy. Hiking Only.
Panther Branch Trail – FS Trail 162. Length: 2.6 miles. Rated: Moderate. Hiking Only.
Sycamore Trail – FS Trail 163. Length: 5.8 miles. Rated Moderate. Hiking Only.
Warrior’s Passage National Recreation Trail – FS Trail 164. Length: 8.1 miles. Rated: Moderate. Hiking Only. This trail was first designed and constructed by Boy Scouts and Scouters from the Great Smoky Mountain Council, BSA (Knoxville, TN) in 1966. The trail fell into disuse in the late 1990s after fires destroyed much of the trail corridor. The trail was reopened in 2008 and is now maintained by Cherokee National Forest volunteers. The trail follows what is believed to be one of the routes used by the Cherokee to cross the mountains. There were many Warrior’s Passages across the Appalachian Mountains and several became pioneer routes, then later became established roads and trail corridors.
Little Citico Horse Trail 1 – FS Trail 165-1. Length: 1.5. Rated: Easy. Multiple use trail – Mountain Bike and Equestrian. Motorcycles are prohibited.
Little Citico Horse Trail 2 – FS Trail 165-2. Length 5.6. Rated: Difficult. Multiple use trail – Equestrian, Mountain Bike and Hiking. Motorcycles are prohibited.
Little Citico Horse Trail 3 – FS Trail 165-3. Length 6.2. Rated: Difficult. Multiple use trail – Equestrian, Mountain Bike and Hiking. Motorcycles are prohibited.
Conasauga Falls Trail – FS Trail 170. Length: 1.2 miles. Rated: Moderate. Hiking Only.
Cow Camp Trail – FS Trail 173. Length: 0.8 mile. Rated: Moderate. Hiking Only.
Brookshire Creek Trail – FS Trail 180. Length 5.7 miles. Rated: Moderate. Multiple use trail – Equestrian, Mountain Bike and Hiking. Motorcycles and mountain bikes are prohibited
Jeffrey Hell Trail – FS Trail 196. Length 2.0 miles. Rated: Moderate. Hiking Only.
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Benton Mackaye Trail
The Benton MacKaye Trail winds nearly 300 miles through the Appalachian mountains. The trail runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia to the Big Creek Campground on the northern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
