I’d
found a map of this route online, possibly posted by Ron Shrieves. The loop
looked like a great easy off trail hike with easy access. Jean and Claudia were
both interested. This will be a brief write up for a brief trip.
The Walker Sisters Cabin.
The
route would start at the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area, go on trail to the schoolhouse,
and then off trail to Walker Sisters Cabin. From the cabin it would go back off
trail to Little Greenbrier Trail, then onto the trail to Wear Cove Gap, and
finally down the road back to the Picnic Area.
The online route map.
We
started on the south end of the Metcalf Bottoms Trail that goes to the Little
Greenbrier School at the intersection with the access road for the Walker
Sisters Cabin. The trails were in great shape, I thought the route might be
viable as a run. Both ends of the off-trail route were somewhat tough to
follow, but the middle section has a well-defined old road over a small ridge
where we found some flags marking the route.
Old schoolhouse.
The
flatter areas looked heavily settled. We saw artifacts including stove parts,
relict bed frames, chimneys, rock stacks, rock walls, and one rocked-in
springhouse.
An old spring.
The
off trail route north of the Walker Sisters Cabin went through open forest on a
moderate grade. The route north of the Walkers Sisters Cabin was not on the
online map.
We
saw two groups of hikers near Wear Cove Gap, and heavy traffic along the nearby
roads. The 6.4 mile long loop would make a great starter off-trail hike, or a
perfect fit for someone with only a half day to spend in the woods.
A stack of old artifacts.
This
area was one of the most heavily settled areas in the park, and remains one of
the most historically significant. Here is a more comprehensive article:
https://gosmokies.knoxnews.com/profiles/blogs/gosmokies-event-3-walker-country-saga
