West Fork Teanaway

Dogs Unknown

Features River/Creek · Wildflowers

This is an old trail suffering from years of neglect and is riddled with 6 miles of deadfall and overgrown brush. The trail is navigable for the 4 miles from the top down from the Jolly Mountain Trail #1307 and the first two miles from the "trailhead" at the bottom. The 6 miles between needs some serious logging out and trail building. It's a shame since this is really a beautiful trail that follows a hidden gorge of the West Fork Teanaway River.

If you attempt to go, it's best to start from the top at the Jolly Mountain Trail #1307 and work your way down. You'll have access to water the entire way once you enter the canyon. Be prepared to route find as the trail disappears quite often in the myriad deadfall from the Jolly Mountain Fire in 2017. With the tree cover gone, the underbrush has flourished and reclaimed large portions of the path. A saw and/or a machete would also be helpful if you feel inclined to clear trail. Once you finally get to the bottom 4 miles, be prepared for multiple unavoidably wet creek crossings (the water can be a couple feet deep on some of them). Sections of the trail also are eroding in the cliffed out portions and care should be taken in a few loose spots high above the creek.

Until this trail gets some much-needed attention, plan for a long day and little running.