On Saturday September 7, 2019, I met my friend Tammy in Limestone, Tn and we drove the short distance from her place to Horse Creek in the Cherokee National Forest in Greene County. Horse Creek is a nice recreation area with creekside camping and picnicking. We stopped at the campground to check out the information board and had a nice conversation with the campground hostess. She confirmed verbally the directions to the Squibb Creek Trailhead we had researched.
Leaving the campground we drove the short distance to the paved parking area where the pavement ended and the Forest Service gravel road began. There were many Jeeps lined up to take a back country jaunt up the Jeep trail to the top of the mountain. People were surprised when we parked and gathered our hiking gear. One gentleman invited us to fall in. We had the preferred vehicle after all and why walk? He mused when we had 4 perfectly good tires.
We goodnaturedly declined and wished them well as they headed out. We followed on foot about 200 ft up the road to the bridge crossing the creek that would lead up to our trail head. There are 3 trails that split eventually and Squibb Creek would be the one on the right. The trails are not well marked we were warned but they are marked and it took us a little poking around to find the right one.
We passed a sign saying we were entering the Sampson Mountain Wilderness. A little ways past the sign we walked past an A-framed Cabin warning us to avoid disturbing it as it is private property. Just past the cabin the trail crossed the creek. Being September and dry we rock hopped this and all water crossings with ease.
A little ways up from the creek the trail splits 3 ways and we hung right and found the sign for Squibb Creek Trail #23 letting us know we were on the right path. The trail is defined and it wasn’t overgrown making it easy to follow along most of its length. It had some rocky, rooty places and it had lengths that were easily traversed on a soft forest base. It has some decent inclines but these were balanced with nice straightways. The trail was listed as moderate and I will concur with this rating.
Up close to the Falls the trail becomes a little trickier to follow as it crosses and recrosses the creek as it winds its way upward. The trail ends where the water tumbles over the cliff. It is a very nice little waterfall. Water levels being low the volume spilling over the cliff face wasn’t a great amount but it was picturesque.
The hike took us around 3 hours. We were not in a hurry at all as we caught up with the changes in one another’s lives over the past several months. It is good to reconnect with friends and nature. Horse Creek has several other trail options we plan to explore in the future! Until our next hike!
MrsSmithsLifeUnexpected 