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Pigeon River Gorge
On this hike you’ll go deep into the Pigeon River Gorge on the Rube Rock Trail, which may be as close as you can get to untouched nature without actually bushwhacking. Though you will hear the sounds of cars on I-40 as you near the bottom of the Gorge, you won’t actually reach the interstate. Then you’ll climb to a shelter on Groundhog Creek Trail, using the old route of the Appalachian Trail. You’ll hike a small section of the A.T., stopping at Hawks Roost, where there is an overlook and a large information board explaining the natural regeneration of the forest.
The above sign is from the 1980s. The Pigeon River has since been cleaned up.
Length: 8.9 miles
Altitude gain: 2,000 ft.
Map: Harmon Den & Hot Springs Area Trail Map, USDA Forest Service
Trailhead: Take I-40 to exit 7 (Harmon Den). Turn right at the exit and follow Cold Spring Creek Rd. (FS 148) for 3.3 miles. Make the first left turn on FS 148A, a gravel
road and drive for 1.3 miles to the intersection of two forest roads at Brown Gap. Park at a wide spot near the intersection.