Dally Gap loop in the Cohuttas

Come join us for a hike in the Cohutta Wilderness. (It's one of Paula's favorites!! ) We'll be hiking the Dally Gap loop, which consists of a 13-mile day hike including 18 river crossings.

Here's the details...

From Dally Gap, we'll be hiking in on a former Forest Service Road known as the Hemp Top Trail. At 2.3 mile, we'll turn off to the left onto Penitenitiary Branch trail, which is an 3.6 mile interior trail of the Cohuttas. This trail will slowly descend to Jacks River where we will break for lunch before we start fording Jacks River.

Our lunch spot (at 5.9 miles) is where the 1st of 18 total river crossings will begin. After lunch, we'll follow Jacks River Trail upstream crossing the river 18 times over an almost 5 mile stretch of trail......Woohoo!  You'll need to be wearing some type of comfortable water shoe (keens, tevas, etc) for the duration of the river crossings. Jacks river can be anywhere from ankle to  knee deep. It all depends on rainfall.

Ok, so the last part of the hike, which is a little over two miles, will take us away from Jacks river through a beautiful hardwood forest and back to the traihead where our vehicles are parked at Dally's Gap.

BEFORE you register for this event, please read below:

- You need to be in good hiking condition and able to keep a moderate to moderately fast pace. (minimum 3 mph). The event is being classified as a D5 because of the combination of pace, mileage and 18 river crossings. Your TL's reserve the right to contact members about their hiking abilities prior to the trip.

- You'll need to have at least attend 2 to 3 D4 or D5 events in the past 2 months.

- If you've never experienced fording a river, no worries.  Once you get through your first one, you'll plow right through the rest. :) We will not be stopping for a long period of time at each crossing or we'll never get out of the woods.

- You will also need hiking poles/hiking stick for the river crossings. They are required for this particular hike. It's for your own safety and enjoyment.

- If Jacks river is too high to cross, which will be up to the discretion of the TL's, then we'll turn back and hike back the way we came in.

The Cohutta Wilderness has a hiking limit of 12 people, so we won't be taking a group larger than this. I'll be leading this hike again during the summer, so if you are on the waitlist and don't get on this event, be looking for another. ~ Paula

Directions to the Traihead will be given at carpool.

Will this event occur rain or shine? Yes, but not in severe weather.

Please share gas expenses with carpool drivers.