I
had Veteran’s Day off, and almost no one else did, so this would be a solo hike
for me. I also had a 50K race coming up on the weekend, and decided to try a
hike that was more exploring than training. Since the previous winter the CTC
had extended the Cumberland Trail west of the New River to Bowling Branch through
part of the TWRA North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area. I decided to hike
the new section and see if it was as nice as the trail east of the river.  |
| Cumberland Trail at the New River. |
It
was a bit over 55 miles, and a 90 minute drive, to the CT trailhead along the
New River on the Norma Road. I parked in the new TH lot, crossed a double set
of railroad tracks, and then took the concrete bridge over the river. On the
far side, I crossed an ATV road and started on the CT which gave me some river
views. It was a cool, cloudy day, with some wind, but no rain, and wet
vegetation from the previous day. The leaves had all fallen.  |
| Vehicle ford over the New River. |
After
a mile a logging road split right, and I crossed gravel and ATV roads. Just
beyond was the first CT bridge, where the trail turned up the valley of Lick
Creek. There was a second bridge a half mile beyond. At two miles the trail
followed the logging road a short ways before splitting off onto a maze of
single tracks and old skid roads up to a saddle between Lawson and Lick Creek
Mountains. |
| Former logging road |
At
2.9 miles, there was a signed junction at the saddle with an ATV road. I
followed a 0.6 mile side trail to the north up Lick Creek Mtn. but found the
view from the top not any better than what I was seeing on the trail. A few
lots were marked off dating back, I supposed, to before the property had been
sold to the state. |
| Cumberland Trail on Lawson Mountain. |
The
main CT went south along the crest of Lawson Mountain with nearly continuous
views for a mile. I saw spur roads leading north and west from Lawson, but
these roads remain part of the unexplored maze of ATV roads in the NCWMA. The
top of Lawson Mtn. looked to be a reclaimed strip mine, and lower down on the
mountain were old strip mine benches and much evidence of recent logging. Theis
ridgetop hiking was really nice, showcasing what the CT could do in otherwise
recovering coal mining land. The trail descended for a mile down the mountain
to the signed end at an ATV road in Bowling Branch. There was an old coal pond
near the end that made a great lunch spot. |
| Cumberland Trail. |
From
my saved CTC Maps from the hike, it looks like there was a gap in the CT at
that time between Bowling and Cave branches, but that the CT had been
constructed down Cave Branch, and then up the Straight Fork toward Arch
Mountain. I’d be back the next fall to close the Gap between Bowling and Cave
branches.  |
| Coal Pond along the Cumberland Trail. |
From
the end of the trail, I turned around to retrace my route. But at the two mile
mark, I left the CT and decided to follow the logging road, just for variety.
There were no ATV tracks, and the road offered some good views. The road made
one crossing of the CT, where it looked like some fallen trees were keeping the
ATVs off of the CT. The logging road was 0.4 mile shorter and seemed faster
than the CT, though that likely has changed.
On
the drive back I went down to the Hembree store and Hembree townsite to map and
measure some road mileages with future trips in mind. |
| My route map to Bowling Branch. |
