Watauga Ranger District (Cherokee)

The Watauga Ranger District in Cherokee National Forest comprises forest lands in northeastern corner of Tennessee along the border of Virginia and North Carolina.  The district contains many miles of hiking and multi-use trails, including the Appalachian Trail, campgrounds, numerous waterfalls and Watauga Lake.

Contact Information:

4400 Unicoi Drive

Unicoi, TN 37692

Phone: (423) 735-1500

Areas:

Backbone Rock Recreation Area:

Backbone Rock Recreation Area has a campground, picnic area and hiking trails surrounding a spur ridge of Holston Mountain.

Big Laurel Branch Wilderness:

Big Laurel Branch Wilderness protects nearly 11,000 acres of the Iron Mountains above Watauga Lake.

Dennis Cove Recreation Area:

Dennis Cove Recreation Area has a campground and many miles of trails located outside Hampton.

Pond Mountain Wilderness:

Pond Mountain Wilderness protects over 6,000 acres surrounding Pond Mountain near Watauga Lake.

Rogers Ridge Scenic Area:

Rogers Ridge Scenic Area features scenic balds and cascading creeks in the extreme northeastern corner of Tennessee.

Watauga Lake:

Much of the shoreline of Watauga Lake is part of the forest with numerous recreation areas and access to the Appalachian Trail.

Waterfalls:

1. Backbone Falls
2. Blue Hole Falls
3. Coon Den Falls
4. Dennis Cove Falls
5. Dennis Cove Lower Falls
6. Firescald Branch Falls
7. Gentry Creek Falls
8. Jones Falls
9. Laurel Fork Falls
10. Laurel Fork Upper Falls
11. Splash Dam Falls

External Links:

US Forest Service website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/cherokee/recarea/?recid=70975