Sheltowee Trace

[kyhiker1]

I'm getting ready to start checking out areas of the ST from Hwy 80 South to BSF.

[Cookerhiker]

I figured that this would be a good place to ask. Not to do with the trace but it runs through these places. I know the Red River Gorge like the back of my hand but I just moved to Somerset so I guess I'm going to start going to Big South Fork now. Haven't made it yet. Any good recommedations on some trails?

I haven't done a lot of hiking in BSF (yet) but I've been to the arches. Don't miss them! Check out this photo gallery from the Park website. You don't often see geological formations like this in the Eastern half of the country.

In addition to the Sheltowee, BSF also has the John Muir Trail, the eastern version that is.

[Midway Sam]

I figured that this would be a good place to ask. Not to do with the trace but it runs through these places. I know the Red River Gorge like the back of my hand but I just moved to Somerset so I guess I'm going to start going to Big South Fork now. Haven't made it yet. Any good recommedations on some trails?

Yahoo Arch/Falls area is great. Easilly accesible via HWY700 out of Stearns. Also, I've heard great things about the Honey Creek Loop.

Get one of these maps:

http://www.outragegis.com/store/product.php?productid=6

[Ewker]

I ordered the Sheltowee Trace map (southern section 0-150 miles) and hopefully it will be at my house this evening

[Midway Sam]

I ordered the Sheltowee Trace map (southern section 0-150 miles) and hopefully it will be at my house this evening

I bought it at an art fair in Lexington, KY they were at a couple of weeks ago. It's a nice map. I am now finally able to visualize how much of the Sheltowee Trace is road walking.

[Cookerhiker]

I bought it at an art fair in Lexington, KY they were at a couple of weeks ago. It's a nice map. I am now finally able to visualize how much of the Sheltowee Trace is road walking.

Damn, I missed that. Was it the Woodland Art Fair in Woodland Park? I was there; it's only one-minute walk from my house.

[Midway Sam]

Damn, I missed that. Was it the Woodland Art Fair in Woodland Park? I was there; it's only one-minute walk from my house.

Yup. They had a booth over in the Christian Church's side lot. It was near the drum circle:

[mrhughes1982]

Did get to do some hiking on the Trace yesterday. I did the Hidden Branch Trail Loop which follows the Sheltowee a little ways. It was a pretty cool trail but there had been some fire damage and pine beetles hit it pretty hard in spots. This is where the ST starts (correct me if I'm wrong).

I did this trail about 10 years ago when me and my friends tried to hike the from the beginning to Laural Lake. We had no idea what we were doing and ran into some tornadoe damage and the land of 10,000 downed trees. It was miserable but somehow we made it out and. Then after getting to Yamacraw and taking a wrong turn and ending up in Stearns Ranger district that was another big mistake. Gotta learn somehow. Anyway we got a ride up around Cumberland Falls and made it to Laural Lake. Reallized I knew nothing about backpacking but it taught me a whole hell of a lot. Wouldn't trade that experience for anything.

[Doctari]

The fire damage was a "Scheduled burn" earlier this year, to clear up a lot of undergrowth. The signs of fire damage are somewhat of an eyesore for now, but next year it will be so nice. yea, the beetles are bad, hope they find a way to treat for them soon. They are hitting the Shawnee area in Ohio too, at least a bunch of pines are dying up there.
You were at about the middle of the STT.

Did get to do some hiking on the Trace yesterday. I did the Hidden Branch Trail Loop which follows the Sheltowee a little ways. It was a pretty cool trail but there had been some fire damage and pine beetles hit it pretty hard in spots. This is where the ST starts (correct me if I'm wrong).

I did this trail about 10 years ago when me and my friends tried to hike the from the beginning to Laural Lake. We had no idea what we were doing and ran into some tornadoe damage and the land of 10,000 downed trees. It was miserable but somehow we made it out and. Then after getting to Yamacraw and taking a wrong turn and ending up in Stearns Ranger district that was another big mistake. Gotta learn somehow. Anyway we got a ride up around Cumberland Falls and made it to Laural Lake. Reallized I knew nothing about backpacking but it taught me a whole hell of a lot. Wouldn't trade that experience for anything.

[Captain Blue]

Today I finished a 4 day, 62 mile, backpacking trip on the Sheltowee Trace. I started at the southern terminus in Pickett State Park, TN and finished at Cumberland Falls State Park in KY. It was a great hike! Most of the trail in this section is not maintained. Lots of overgrown weeds and downed trees. There were lots of trail markers though. Expect some confusing and obscure turns and occasional backtracking. I had the latest ST South map from OutrageGIS.com. The map is worth the money if you plan to hike this section.

[SmokeEater]

How many miles is there of road hiking?

[Cookerhiker]

Today I finished a 4 day, 62 mile, backpacking trip on the Sheltowee Trace. I started at the southern terminus in Pickett State Park, TN and finished at Cumberland Falls State Park in KY. It was a great hike! Most of the trail in this section is not maintained. Lots of overgrown weeds and downed trees. There were lots of trail markers though. Expect some confusing and obscure turns and occasional backtracking. I had the latest ST South map from OutrageGIS.com. The map is worth the money if you plan to hike this section.

Good report - thanks. Glad you had a good hike even with the less-tha n-ideal maintenance.

[traildust]

Today I finished a 4 day, 62 mile, backpacking trip on the Sheltowee Trace. I started at the southern terminus in Pickett State Park, TN and finished at Cumberland Falls State Park in KY. It was a great hike! Most of the trail in this section is not maintained. Lots of overgrown weeds and downed trees. There were lots of trail markers though. Expect some confusing and obscure turns and occasional backtracking. I had the latest ST South map from OutrageGIS.com. The map is worth the money if you plan to hike this section.

Sounds like you had an interesting experience. Sorry that the trail was not well maintained. Was it so filled with briars and weeds that you couldn't pass or could you see a foot path?

Thanks for hiking it through. The best trail maintenance is to use the trail. The Sheltowee Trace Ass will get with the USFS and NPS to see if we can clear this section a little better.

Volunteers are always welcome.

[Captain Blue]

Yes, it was an interesting experience. We could follow the trail on the overgrown areas. It was just tough going. There were confusing turns too. The trail was marked alternately with white diamonds and the turtle shell icon. However most trails in the Daniel Boone National Forest are marked with a white diamond too. So seeing a white diamond didn't always mean we were on the right trail. Check out this photo of the burrs on my friends pants. This was common occurrence.

http://www.niekamp.org/stt2009/photos/target50.html

These are photos of the actual trail in overgrown areas near SR-700:

http://www.niekamp.org/stt2009/photos/target143.html
http://www.niekamp.org/stt2009/photos/target146.html

Lots of blown down trees too.

The horse riders got confused too and erected their own signs. You could tell because they used horse shoe nails to fix their signs to the trees:

http://www.niekamp.org/stt2009/photos/target140.html

It is great trail. It just needs some maintenance.

Captain Blue

[mrhughes1982]

For you guys in and around KY if you haven't checked out kywilderness.com its a forum for hiking and suchl. Check it out and join up!!!

[traildust]

Yes, it was an interesting experience. We could follow the trail on the overgrown areas. It was just tough going. There were confusing turns too. The trail was marked alternately with white diamonds and the turtle shell icon. However most trails in the Daniel Boone National Forest are marked with a white diamond too. So seeing a white diamond didn't always mean we were on the right trail. Check out this photo of the burrs on my friends pants. This was common occurrence.

http://www.niekamp.org/stt2009/photos/target50.html

These are photos of the actual trail in overgrown areas near SR-700:

http://www.niekamp.org/stt2009/photos/target143.html
http://www.niekamp.org/stt2009/photos/target146.html



Lots of blown down trees too.

The horse riders got confused too and erected their own signs. You could tell because they used horse shoe nails to fix their signs to the trees:

http://www.niekamp.org/stt2009/photos/target140.html

It is great trail. It just needs some maintenance.

Captain Blue

=============
Yep it can be confusing. We had a meeting with the USFS this past Saturday and we talked about blazing. So you know, we are forming a volunteer group - The Sheltowee Trace Ass. Inc. where members will be more active in maintaining the Trace. Our first goal it to have the entire Trace reblazed by next May. We hope the Forest Service will agree to use more "turtle blazes" and directional arrows, especially where they have other trails crossing The Trace. Thanks for the photos. We will see if we can get some maintenance pointed in this area. Stay up with our progress by checking sheltoweetrace.com.

traildust

[traildust]

There are only three shelters on the S.T. - All on the southern end.
I wanted to remind you of our need for volunteers this weekend - November 6 & 7. Will you consider giving one day - one weekend to help us improve the Sheltowee Trace Experience?
Sure the weather calls for cool temps. But plenty of sunshine and the leaves at their peaks will make for some great photos, great working conditions and a perfect opportunity for you to spend a weekend in the woods.
So hear is the scoop.

FRIDAY - November 5th - Early bird camping for those of us who have a long distance drive to get to the site. Our friends at the Sheltowee Trace Outfitters, near Corbin Ky. (see Outfitters website listed below for directions) will let us stay on the grounds at the STO, use the bathouse, warm by the fire for just $15.00 for six people if you want to tent with us. What a deal. They have other indoor facilities if you are interested, contact Dania at the Outfitters.

SATURDAY - November 6th - Two shuttle opportunities. For the early birds the first shuttle leaves at 9:00. For those who can't get there until later in the morning, there is an 11:00 shuttle. This will take you to within a mile of the shelter. If you can't spend the night or choose to head home on Saturday, the shuttle will leave around 5:30 to 6:00. If you are inclined, you can join us for a night out at the shelter where you can enjoy the views, listen to river as it rolls past the site, admire the great work that has been done.

Overnighters are reminded that this is a self-sufficient campout. You need to bring your food, clothing, sleeping gear etc if you plan on spending the night.

SUNDAY - November 7th - Depending on the work that needs to be done to finish up, the first shuttle on Sunday will be at 11:00 ish. For those who want to take advantage of the predicted sunshine, you can hike out to the Outfitters. It is about a 3 to 4 hour hike down the trail to Dog Slaughter Creek and the Falls (great photo op) and then up the trail to the FS road, follow the road to the blacktop and left to the outfitters.

Weather Predictions - So dress accordingly!
Friday - High 48 Low 27 with Partly Sunny skies
Saturday - High 54 Low 30 with Partly Sunny skies
Sunday - High 58 Low 38 with SUNSHINE!!!!!

Again, please dress for the conditions. Bring a hard hat please - can be purchased for a few bucks at Home Depot or Lowes. Bring you own food supply. Water is available near the shelter.

To register, respond on the group site, send email to [email protected] or send message to Steve Barbour, director, STA.

See event site for directions or visit Outfitters site for directions.
http://www.ky-rafting.com/accom.htm

[Red Hat]

Scot "Taba" Ward has a manual out on the Trace. Check out his page at www.Thru-hiker.us or write him at C.R.A.S.H. Publications POBox 55536 Lexington, KY 40555-5536.

[Cookerhiker]

Scot "Taba" Ward has a manual out on the Trace. Check out his page at www.Thru-hiker.us or write him at C.R.A.S.H. Publications POBox 55536 Lexington, KY 40555-5536.

It's also described on this WB thread:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=64357

[Taba]

Scot "Taba" Ward has a manual out on the Trace. Check out his page at www.Thru-hiker.us or write him at C.R.A.S.H. Publications POBox 55536 Lexington, KY 40555-5536.

Thanks for the mention. Just wanted to add that I had thru-hiked the ST earlier this year to document the entire trail and all the resources available along the trail whether in the woods or in towns. The new book for the ST is called "The Thru-Hiker's Manual for the Sheltowee Trace - Kentucky's Long Trail". It is written by a thru-hiker for thru-hikers with 8 maps for the towns closest to the trail for resupply. The maps outline where all the retailers are that have products that hikers need. Hotels, gorcery stores, restaurants, outfitters and so on. It is a great guide for anybody who uses the trail.

I started writing these Thru-Hiker's Manuals in 2008 when I hiked the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) in North Carolina. There are 2 versions of the MST Manual. An eastbound version and a westbound. All are available at www.thru-hiker.us