Ridge Top Trail

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Lake · River/Creek

There are restrooms at the picnic area and at the visitor center. Water and limited snacks can be purchased at the visitor center. The trail is well shaded, but be sure to carry enough water with you as there is no water along the trail.

The trail is relatively free of obstacles, so it would be a good trail for a quick run. The trail is not wide, so you'll have to watch for other hikers.

The Ridge Top Trail begins at the parking lot of the visitor center or from the picnic area. When departing from the visitor center, run to the far end of the parking lot next to the kayak rental and follow the gravel road into the woods.

The trail follows the lakeshore for roughly a quarter of a mile. Look for great blue herons and ducks along the shore. After a quarter of a mile, there is a kiosk on the left side of the trail that has information about the trails and a marble stone to commemorate the Eagle Scout project of Joshua Futrell. The trail transforms from the wide gravel road to a singletrack dirt track.

Climbing up the ridge, the trail is shaded and there are a couple of beautiful large trees along the trail. There is a bench with a nice view of the Smoky Mountains and a little bit of Tellico Lake. In the fall, this is a beautiful spot to enjoy the fall colors.

When you get to the 3/4 mile mark, you come to a junction with the Meadow Trail. If you go to the right, you can follow the Meadow Trail toward the lake while the Ridge Top trail drops downhill to the left as it makes its way to the road. There is a small parking lot along the road here if you want to park here and start your adventure.

The trail crosses the road and skirts a large meadow for roughly a third of a mile before it arrives at another junction where it the Ridge Top and Meadow Trails split. The Ridge trail goes to the left, and starts to follow the shore of Tellico Lake.

You can see the lake through the trees when they have leaves on them, and probably a little bit more during the winter. After roughly half a mile, the trail climbs gently up a small hill and arrives at the picnic area. There is a dock on the right with great views of the lake, and plenty of picnic tables for to rest and get a snack.