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Member Hike
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| Hike Name:
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Joyce Kilmer–Slickrock Creek Wilderness - Slickrock Creek |
| Country:
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United States |
| State / Region:
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North Carolina |
| Nearby Town:
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Robbinsville |
| Rating:
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| Directions:
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(Big Fat Gap) – From Robbinsville, NC take US 129 north approximately 13 miles past Robbinsville to a small unmarked bridge on your left. (If you reach the Cheoah Dam you have gone too far). Turn left onto Forest Road 62 and cross the bridge over the Cheoah River. Within 0.2 miles, Forest Road 445 continues straight ahead and Forest Road 62 makes a sharp right turn. Turn right onto Forest Road 62 and drive 6.9 miles to the Big Fat Gap trailhead.
(Tapoco Trailhead) – From Robbinsville, NC take US 129 north for 14.5 miles. The parking area is to the left just before the bridge over Calderwood Lake (where you can see Cheoah Dam to your right). It is a gravel lot located right on Calderwood Lake and this trailhead is sometimes referred to as Slickrock Creek Trailhead in guidebooks.
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| Total Hike Distance:
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9.60
miles |
| Hike Difficulty:
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Difficult
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| Permit Required:
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No |
| Hike Starts:
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Big Fat Gap Trailhead |
| Hike Ends:
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Tapoco Parking Area |
| Trails Used:
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Big Flat Trail (#41), Slickrock Creek Trail (#42) |
| Hike Type:
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One-Way, Shuttle Hike |
| Back Country Campsites:
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Yes |
| Back Country Water Sources:
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Streams, Rivers |
| Management:
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U.S. Forest Service |
| Contact Information:
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Nantahla National Forest
Cheoah Ranger District
Route 1, Box 16-A
Robbinsville, NC 28771
(704) 479-6431
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| Best Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall |
| Users:
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Hikers, Dogs |
| Hike Summary:
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Joyce Kilmer–Slickrock Creek Wilderness was designated with the passage of the 1975 Wilderness Act and expanded in size in 1984 with the North Carolina Wilderness Act. The 17,013 acres of forest shares a common boundary along the Unicoi Mountains with the Citico Creek Wilderness in the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee, but the majority of land is in the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina. Although the wilderness is best known for the gigantic strands of virgin timber in the Poplar Cove area, the main watershed of Slickrock Creek is popular with both hikers and fisherman. This hike starts at Big Fat Gap parking area and descends along the Big Flat Trail to the Slickrock Creek Trail which follows the stream down to its junction with Calderwood Lake. Here the trail climbs a ridge and turns east toward the Tapoco parking area (which is also known as the Slickrock Creek Trailhead) at US 129 near the Cheoah Dam. Wildcat and Lower Falls are two nice waterfalls on the route, but the trail can be difficult to find at times and the numerous creek crossings make this a very challenging hike.
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| Road Conditions:
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Primary Paved Roads, Secondary Paved Roads, Maintained Gravel or Dirt Roads |
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