Press release from Hot Springs Mountain Club:
On Sunday November 22 the Hot Springs Mountain Club will be leading an afternoon hike to introduce the new Bluff Mountain Loop Trail located on Pisgah National Forest in the beautiful watershed of Upper Shut-In Creek, about 15 minutes from Hot Springs. The public is invited. Hikers should meet at 1 pm at the trailhead parking area for the Betty Place Trail at the top of Upper Shut-In Road. The 3.5-mile hike will take about 3 hours and includes some steep sections.
The Bluff Mountain Loop features stunning views of Bluff Mountain’s regrowing forests, old homesites, waterfalls and boulders in an area once slated for large logging roads. The new trail is an extension of the Betty Place Loop Trail that was completed in the fall of 2001 as part of an historic compromise on Bluff Mountain. Instead of new gated haul roads and 300 acres of logging, a much smaller timber sale was used to clear a trailhead parking area, reroute an eroding jeep trail, and provide wildlife habitat. Funds from the first two Bluff Mountain Festivals helped to pay for a footbridge and parking area, and the Hot Springs Mountain Club was formed to help the Forest Service build and maintain trails in the Hot Springs area. The HSMC welcomes new members to join in future projects.
The new Bluff Mountain Loop Trail uses the same parking area and footbridge as the Betty Place Trail (named for Betty Gowan whose homestead was located near the trailhead). NOTE: The new loop trail is not yet blazed. It takes off from the Betty Place Trail and ascends to 3,200 ft through the middle elevations of the north face of Bluff Mountain, crossing the many small tributary creeks that form the steep and rocky Upper Shut-In watershed, winding up back at the parking area. To get to the trailhead, take Hwy 25-70 west out of Hot Springs towards Newport TN and turn left on Upper Shut-In Road. Go to the top of the road and look for the small Betty Place Trail sign (on the right) and then take a sharp left onto the gravel road that leads to the parking area and trailhead kiosk. For more information, call 656-8208.
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