The old Tellico revisited...... Picture heavy!

Ghost · Feb 17, 2015

So I was in Hayesville, NC recently and decided I wanted to see the old Tellico and see if trail one was truly paved......
Here is a map for those of you that never had the privilege:

Part of what is the trail 1 road:

I see now why they wanted to do what they did:
This is not in the Forrest but on the road/ trail 1 leading to the pay station.

The old pay station and parking lot:

This power box is almost exactly where they old pay sign use to be:

Ghost · Feb 17, 2015

Post 2:

Entrance to upper 2:

I can remember lining up and looking out the driver window and seeing this:

Part of this trail actually is on private property:

The climb in. This was clearly filled in at some point or scrapped over. It was a rocky steep hill climb back in the day.

This is where the Forrest land starts. You can see they pilled trees and stuff in the trail. I did not go in any further then here on this trail.

Ghost · Feb 17, 2015

Post 3:

Entrance to trail 4: It is here I got my first introduction to what a great group we have at NAXJA. In '02 I attended my first Crawl with an 84 xj on 33's. It ran fine when I left but here it was backfiring like crazy. GaMike and A-Mechanic would not let me return to camp and escorted me with the easy group. They moved on up the trail and the three of us ran together and actually kept up. Been in love with wheeling and this club ever sense.

Remints of a trail marker:

Trail 4 was an easy trail by Tellico standards but it was rocky and rough:

Ghost · Feb 17, 2015

Trail 1:

So yes part of it is paved:

My wonderful girlfriend Deanna that went on this adventure through memory lane with me: This is the bridge right at the entrance to Lower 2.

The Tellico river I believe:

The VW is sitting in the entrance to trail 2: The gate was open too..... No I did not go down it. It was getting late.

Ghost · Feb 17, 2015

Trail 5 entrance and where trail 6 came out:

Post 4
So trail 5 now. this trail was navigable by a stock 4wd and people often towed up to the Tellico river crossing and camped there:

This trial ran right next to the river and was a beautiful drive:

These signs were all along where trail 5 was very close to the river:

Hmm....

This is the spot that we use to cross the Tellico river. It was a river crossing. One of the attempts to keep Tellico open was that S4WD built a bridge over it and proposed to build a second at Fain's Ford.

The bridge in the middle of the forest....

Ghost · Feb 17, 2015

The old exit. This was a nasty climb out back then.

View from the bridge:

Down river:

Trail 5 on the other side of the bridge:

This was a popular place to primitive camp back in the day:

The right is the old trail 5 filled with trees and vegetation:

Trash found a half hour walk into the woods where 4x4's haven't been in years!

Ghost · Feb 17, 2015

More of the $250K bridge:

Ghost · Feb 17, 2015

I never camped here but I don't remember this campground being so nice:

All the pictures I took while out there are here:

http://s16.photobucket.com/user/xjghost/library/Hayesville- Murphy Visit 2-14-15?sort=3&page=1

DanStew · Feb 17, 2015

I am almost happy that trail 1 was paved. that was such a rattle trap i almost lost a fender of my old CJ cause it rattled the bolts so loose.

Good to see the pic, just wish we could get back in

meaders · Feb 17, 2015

I thought that was you in the store the other day, but wasn't sure. It has been since one the xj crawls at tellico since I saw you last in person. Myself and one of our old mechanics pulled your rear axle apart at crawfords.

Ghost · Feb 17, 2015

meaders said:

Yes sir! I remember it well! Thanks! I now have a thread file set because of that screw up!

Shilohsho · Feb 17, 2015

That entrance to Trail 4 was the FIRST ever trail I had been on in my Jeep. I've been hooked ever since! For some reason that uphill, right side of the trail entrance is burned into my memory. Was that $250k bridge built near Fain's ford?

Ghost · Feb 17, 2015

Shilohsho said:

No if you look at the map it's at the water crossing about 30 min hike in trail 5. The Fain's Ford crossing was on trail 4. After this weekend I have decided I really want to hike more of this and see more of it. Specifically Fain's Ford and where Slick Rock use to be if I can find it.

meaders · Feb 17, 2015

I'd be interested in doing this as well.

Ghost · Feb 17, 2015

meaders said:

I will let you know when I plan on doing it. In the spring for sure not the dead of winter! I don't want to do it alone and I was not going to ask the GF to go with me.

Shilohsho · Feb 17, 2015

Where would be the best place to park to walk to Fain's Ford, using the map?

Ghost · Feb 17, 2015

Shilohsho said:

If I were doing it I would try trail 5 or trail 4. However, after the bridge on 5 it looked like they filled in the old trail 5. Trail 4 I did not walk that far in but as far as I could tell it looked back filled and gravel as far as I could see. the reason I say 5 is because that is the shortest trail distance to the old Fain's Ford crossing. IDK if I said this but that bridge on 5 was the first stage in an effort to save the trails. There was plans to build on at Fain's Ford but it was never built.

Shilohsho · Feb 17, 2015

Here are a few I have from January 1, 2009. Last day EVER opened:

Entrance to Trail 4

Looking Up Guardrail

Which one was this?

Playing in Fain's Ford

Ghost · Feb 17, 2015

Shilohsho said:

Looks like 12 aka School Bus to me.

VOLT · Feb 17, 2015

That state line campground looks just like it did last time I stayed there. It was nice. Of course we all got tickets there though. Failure the have refuse in a locked or bear proof container and parking off of the road. I have some pics to add soon. Brooks and his gang was at that camp too that year.
I'm really surprised that even that much is still there.