Ocoee Ranger District, Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee – Volunteer Vacations 2022

The John Muir National Recreation Trail is a 16 mile trail along the north bank of the Hiwassee River, a large beautiful river popular with rafters, kayakers, and canoeists as well as fly fishermen as this exciting river plunges out of the Hiwassee Gorge. The trail extends from the TN/NC state line to Reliance, TN. This trail is very popular with day hikers, who can enter and exit the trail at several sites. Most of the trail is also concurrent with the Benton MacKaye Trail, a 288 hiking and backpacking trail from Springer Mountain (start of the AT) to the NE end of the Smokies. The BMT section is regularly maintained by the Benton MacKaye Trail Association, but the treadway of the section upstream from the BMT from Coker Creek is in fairly bad shape. In particular, there is a mile long stretch about half way between Coker Creek and TN 68 which is very rocky and in much need of tread reconstruction. Volunteers will work on repairing the treadway on this section.

AHS acknowledges with gratitude that this project takes place on the traditional lands of the ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee, East) and S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) peoples past and present. We honor the land itself, the Indigenous communities who have stewarded this land for generations, and those who continue to steward these lands today. AHS invites all volunteers to join us in our commitment to support and amplify the work of Indigenous communities as they work to dismantle the systems of oppression that these communities continue to face today.