View Full Version : NEED HELP ASAP..Watauga Dam Rd.
jmcgarrahan
05-02-2007, 19:58
Does anyone know where this road is and how to get to it, can't find it any where?
Watauga Dam Rd. TN miles from Springer 422.4
Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-02-2007, 20:14
It is the red and white road going to the dam on this map. You can zoom in and out on this site: http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=36.32888&lon=-82.11179&datum=nad27&u=4&layer=DRG&size=l&s=50
Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-02-2007, 20:16
Here is a wider view of the area:http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=36.32888&lon=-82.11179&datum=nad27&u=4&layer=DRG&size=l&s=250
max patch
05-02-2007, 20:22
Go to Springer. Hike north. After a month or so it'll be right there!
jmcgarrahan
05-02-2007, 20:47
Thanks Max, that is how my husband is getting there, and I kinda need to be there friday. ;)
Dino....thanks a bunch big help I was freaking out
mountain squid
05-02-2007, 20:51
Hope you have MS Word, if so, check out the attached file (I tried to make a .bmp but it was too large for WB). You should see a brown Forest Service sign for either Wilbur Dam or Watauga Dam at the turn off of TN91. There is a gas station and a stop light where you turn. The road you are on will bear left, but go straight and keep following the river until you get to the one lane steel bridge. Cross the bridge. The river will now be on the left. Follow that road until you see the trail head (it should be approx 4 miles from the steel bridge and you'll pass Wilbur Dam enroute). The total route distance calculated to 17.87 miles, but I am not sure how accurate that is.
Hope this helps. When are you coming here?
See you on the trail (& at Trail Days),
mt squid
jmcgarrahan
05-02-2007, 20:56
I will be there sometime early friday afternoon. Thanks Mtn Squid..yet another great help.
mountain squid
05-02-2007, 21:02
You're welcome. If I can, maybe I'll swing by. It is only about 15 miles for me...
See you on the trail (& at Trail Days),
mt squid
jmcgarrahan
05-02-2007, 21:06
That would be great. Low Branch would love it. You remember meetins us, At Springer, on March 31st?
mountain squid
05-02-2007, 21:13
:-? hmmmm, well....among the several hundred that I saw...:-? ...but, I think so...:D...
See you on the trail (& at Trail Days & maybe on Fri),
mt squid
You cannot drive to the road that crosses the dam, you have to park where the trail crosses the road and hike in
jmcgarrahan
05-03-2007, 06:10
how far is it from the road?
Lone Wolf
05-03-2007, 06:37
how far is it from the road?
it is 1.3 miles.
jmcgarrahan
05-03-2007, 08:16
Ok here's the thing, I am really confused now.
Watauga Dam Tailwater Campground
This is a self-service campground (423-547-3167). Recreation opportunities: 29 camp sites with electric hookups. Rest rooms with heated showers and flush toilets, dump station, public phone, picnic tables and grills, canoe access, boat ramps above and below dam, lake and river fishing, hiking trail, walking trail, wildlife viewing area, bird-watching.
The Appalachian Trail crosses Watauga Dam.
744 Wilbur Dam Road
Elizabethton, TN 37643
From Elizabethton, Tenn., take US 19E north 0.1 miles to Hwy. 91, then take Hwy. 91 3 miles to Siam Road. Turn right onto Siam Road and follow signs to Watauga Dam Reservation.
This is what I was able to find last night. How close can I actually get, Low Branch is meeting me there from the trail. I can hike all day long, but it is supposed to rain and I will have the kids with me.
mountain squid
05-03-2007, 08:29
Don't be confused. There are two dams. You will pass Wilbur dam, but you have no need to go all the way to Watauga dam (Low Branch will cross it before meeting you). The road crosses the trail before the road gets to Watauga Dam. You should see an AT sign and a few parking spaces. No need for you to hike, he will hike to you.
I don't know about that CG:confused:.
You should have enough info to get there...
See you on the trail (& at Trail Days & maybe tomorrow),
mt squid
jmcgarrahan
05-03-2007, 08:46
Ok thank you so much....feel better now. Just look for the AT signs and park there and wait, well hopefully he will be waiting for me. Thanks so much for al your help.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-03-2007, 09:37
I think the CG is on the lake itself - not at the Dam - but I'm not sure.
jmcgarrahan
05-03-2007, 09:53
Mtn Squid just some Im clear, what road will I be on?
i think the topo map from dino's link is old, there has been alot of re-routing in that area, the trail goes down to the lake now, there is a small gravel parking lot right on 321 by the trail, if your going north towards hampton on 321 its the last parking lot (i think) not sure but i think there is even a sign on the road for an appalachian trail crossing.
unless he is staying at the watauga lake shelter the night before, i would recommend going here, and try to catch him when he crosses 321. its a much easier road to access
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=&ie=UTF8&om=1&ll=36.301499,-82.12894&spn=0.017985,0.02914&z=15
on this map see where is says 'trail' if i'm correct that is the new trail, but it comes down by Shook Branch Rd., it has the old AT on the map as well (same as the the topo)
or just park in the Shook Branch Recreation Area, right by the gravel parking lot
jmcgarrahan
05-03-2007, 14:09
wow, I am more confused now than ever. there seems to be several ways to get there, and I'm not real sure where to go. I told him today to go to where the AT crosses the road (watauga dam rd) and sit and wait there. I am assuming that is the road the trail crosses. now I have to figure out how to get to that spot?
Try this Link (http://www.randmcnally.com/rmc/directions/dirGetMap.jsp?A=WataugaLk&z=large&l=9&T=36.32888&N=-82.11179&h=false&c=USA&sLatLongAddr=true&val=CNT).
or this Link (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=&ie=UTF8&om=1&ll=36.32888,-82.11179&spn=0.017985,0.02914&z=15).
I'd get an NC Gazetteer (you live in NC--do you already have one?) or an AT map of that section. You should be able to see pretty clearly the places the AT and the roads intersect. Then you can pick your spot. The Gazetteer is invaluable for a driver trying to find AT road crossings.
Marta/Five-Leaf