The
Elkmont Old Roads loop is a route I put together after studying old maps of the
area. Jean and I had already hiked down the Mids Gap manway between the Elkmont
Nature Trail and the Sugarland Mountain Trail the previous summer, and I was
looking to put together an easy off trail loop near Elkmont. At Mids Gap we had
seen the start of an old trail leading into Parton Branch. That old trail was
shown on the 1931 park map, and we figured even if we couldn’t follow the old
trail, the woods should be open enough for hiking.
Mids Gap Laurel, June 2005.
Parton
Branch would take us to the Laurel Creek Road at the quiet walkway leading to a
small cemetery up Whistlepig Branch. We would then walk alongside the road for
a short distance before following the original route of the Laurel Creek Road.
The current Laurel Creek Road was a NPS Mission 66 project to replace the
older, steeper, and more tightly curved road to Fighting Creek Gap. The
replacement of this part of the Laurel Creek Road, and that of the original
Newfound Gap Road between Newfound Gap and Beech Flats, were the two major road
projects of Mission 66 in the Smokies.
Elkmont Old Roads, Feb 2006.
We
would cross Laurel Creek Road at Fighting Creek Gap, then take another old dirt
road that led into the backside of Elkmont to complete our loop. Claudia would
join us for the 6.5 mile trip.
Jean along Parton Branch.
For
the hike we had a scenic wintery day with an inch of snow on the ground and
light flurries falling most of the day. I took a GPS track, and this would be
one of the first hikes where Jean brought along our digital camera. From the
parking at the Elkmont Nature Trail we started up the Mids Gap manway, reversing
our hike from June, and again having no issues following the manway. On the Parton
Branch side, we lost the old manway after the first switchback, but were able
to follow the upper creek through open woods. We had to skirt around the
embankment of a switchback of the Laurel Creek Road, but continued to follow
the branch toward the quiet walkway. A large amount of white vein quartz
boulders may mark the trace of the Greenbrier Fault here.
Approaching the Laurel Creek Road 2013.
After
a quick visit to the cemetery, we walked up the road.
Cemetery at the end of the quiet walkway.
The
split with the old Laurel Creek Road (also TN 73) was just overgrown enough to
be obscure at driving speed, but easy to find on foot. The roadway was wide
enough that it would likely be brushy in summer. A few sections of the old road
were washed out, and it would have been tempting to continue upstream at the
first switchback. Beyond the switchback we saw a few bicycle parts scattered
about.
Old bicycle parts along the former Laurel Creek Road, 2013.
We
crossed the busy modern road again at Fighting Creek Gap, the trailhead for the
popular Laurel Falls hiking trail. But we soon picked up a new “old” road that reached Elkmont at its
cemetery. We later learned our road was the route of a buried powerline, which
helped explain its absence from older maps. We then walked Elkmont roads to the
site of the collapsing Wonderland Hotel, and then back to the car.
Remains of the Wonderland Hotel in 2006.
We
all liked the loop for its scenery, easy access, and historical context. My
initial thought was that the loop was too short for a SMHC trip, but it
wouldn’t be too long before the loop was on the club schedule.
The cemetery at Elkmont, 2013.
We
would make several return trips. Our 1-28-13 trip was with Ed and Claudia. We then
joined a 3-21-15 SMHC trip led by Bob Hawthorne which visited some new, to us,
homesites in the lower part of Parton Branch. On 3-7-20 we went again with
Clyde and Connie on a rare trip when we were taking Clyde out on a new route
for him. On that trip we found a lot of dead pine in lower Parton Branch, and
therefore the 2020 hike was tougher than the easy stroll we remembered. At the
end of the hike, we explored a bit in Elkmont and saw three large standing
chimneys..jpg)
With Clyde on the old Laurel Creek Road (photo by Connie).
