Roan Mountain State Park & Carvers Gap Trail
October 18th-21st, 2022
Roan Mountain State Park is truly a hidden gem in extreme eastern Tennessee. Located Just miles from the North Carolina state line and surrounded by The Cherokee National Forest, RMSP is often overlooked by tourists who are drawn to the bigger names like The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Roan Mountain seems to attract more experienced outdoorsmen/outdoorswomen than I have seen in parks closer to the beaten path. Somewhere around 2500 feet in elevation the lulu-lemon leggings turn into cargo pants and most of the small children get left at home.
As intermediate hikers (at best) this gave us an introduction to the real “backcountry”; with the safety net of being near some small stores, a few restaurants and occasional cell service or wifi. Our phones (Verizon and T-Mobile) quit working shortly outside of Johnson City, TN. Temps had been dropping all morning since leaving the mid state, and there were a few light snow flurries as we entered the park on TN-143.
Upon entering the park we stopped at the visitors center to get maps and move our legs. Next to the building is a mill wheel left over from the Peg Leg iron mine. Peg Leg Mine Loop and Cloudland loop both start at the back of the building. The visitors center has restrooms, free park maps, souvenirs and most importantly, coffee/hot chocolate for $1.50 a cup. Note that cabin keys are not picked up here, but at the park office.
The park office is about 2 miles past the visitors center on TN-143. Finding it was a little tricky the first time. You have to go past the cabins and turn into what looks like a maintenance area, then stay left. If you reach the amphitheater entrance you have gone too far. At the top of the hill the park office and lounge are on opposite sides of the parking lot. After picking up keys, we briefly checked out the lounge.
The lounge has free wifi and a verizon cell booster, which was a life saver for researching trails, checking weather and keeping up with family. The room was wrapped in all sorts of coin operated machines. In the middle are couches and a cable TV is hung on the wall if you choose to turn it on. The lounge has two pool tables that take $1 a game. There were change machines, so as long as you have some sort of cash you can get quarters. While none of us went on this trip to play inside, our nightly pool games were a blast. There is nothing quite like ducking in for some creature comforts at night after a long day of being outdoors.
While no one goes to the mountains to stay indoors, the cabins at Roan Mountain State Park were pretty awesome. I especially liked the front porch and rocking chairs. The woodstove looked nice, but for some reason no wood is available in the park this winter. We tossed around the idea of going into town for firewood, but ultimately decided to save the trip and ash. Sleeping arrangements were decent; one private room with a queen bed and the loft directly above had two twins. A word to the wise, anyone planning on pushing the two twins together should plan on bringing a strap of some sort. It’s no fun when the beds split apart and you fall into the void at 2am.
Distance from parking to the cabins can be next to nothing or as far as 200 yards. Generally speaking, the higher your cabin number the farther it will be. There were carts to help us move in, but at times all were in use. As with most trips, packing light is the best way to save trouble. We managed to fit luggage for 4 adults into the trunk of a Chevy Cruze and STILL brought things that were never used.
Things to do
Hiking
Trails inside of the State Park are mostly short, ranging from less than a mile to 4 miles. Be careful not to underestimate the steepness of some of these trails. Some of these shorter hikes, namely Cloudland Loop, are INCREDIBLY steep. The park is a beautiful place to hike, but make sure to drive the extra 10 mins before leaving to experience the true mountain top.
On the National Forest side we HIGHLY recommend accessing the Appalachian Trail via Carver’s Gap. This is a great hike because regardless of how short or long you want to hike, the balds on top of Roan Mountain are beautiful and unlike anything we had ever seen before. Do beware that the trail was 10 degrees colder than the air by our cabin, with a 16 degree wind chill. If you are comfortable inside of the state park, add 3 more layers before leaving!!!
Parking is located just on the Tennessee side of Hwy 261 at the corner of access road 1348. One pit toilet is available, which is an experience for those used to cozy park bathrooms with running water. The toilet itself wasn’t even bad, but hikers took the liberty of leaving trash inside of the bathroom for the trash fairy to empty later, which made it pretty gross.
Fishing
The Doe River runs through the state park and is stocked from spring until early summer. As far as finding spots, some of the deepest water that we saw was along the Cloudland Loop trail. Some privately owned campgrounds will also allow fishing access if you ask nicely.
I have been assured by many anglers that the Doe River trout population is well stocked during the summer. There was not a single Trout left for our October trip. I would normally blame luck, but we ran into an older man who looked to be the fishing type who was having no more success. We plan to come back and try fishing during the summer. Our trout stamps made a nice donation to the TWRA this time around.
Photography
As novice as my photography skills may be, the lighting both on top of Roan Mountain and in the State Park provides a boatload of opportunities to take amazing landscape portraits.
The Miller Farmstead
All of our parks used to be someone’s home. During the 1920’s and 30’s the CCC was typically under orders to destroy any buildings left behind and return the land to its original condition. By the time Roan Mountain State Park was established in 1959, the State took an interest in preserving pre-park structures. As a history buff, the Miller Farmstead was a perfect mix of “leave history alone” and “keep it alive.” During our visit we saw fresh radishes growing in the garden, chickens free grazing and a horse named Lilly enjoying her retirement in the barn. Tours of the farmstead are offered Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Plants
Rhododendron bushes are a HUGE attraction at Roan Mountain, typically blooming in early June.
The forests on Roan Mountain are a beautiful and refreshing mix of hardwoods like Oak and Maple, mixed with evergreen patches. There was very little brush compared to our mid state woods, making it easier to view the wildlife.
Finances
After all, the goal in writing this is to help normal people who want to explore Appalachia. One of the biggest factors for us commoners is traveling within our means.
Lodging $460 (State Park Cabin for 3 days)
Gas $80 (Taking a Chevy Cruze really helped here vs the truck)
Food $120 (Big aldi grocery trip in Johnson City, TN)
Eating out $80 (Not necessary, but we had some AMAZING barbeque in the small town of Roan Mountain that really hit the spot and kept us from having to cook the last night)
Souvenirs $40 (We try to get something from each park visitors center. Fridge magnets and stickers are a great way to remember the trip)
Fishing Licenses $44 (It was cheaper to buy a one day trout license than to add trout stamps to an existing one. Yay bureaucrats!)
Split between the 4 travelers, this trip cost $206 a person. Not dirt cheap, but not bad for a 3 day retreat. The things that saved us money:
20% discount on the cabin for in state residents
Buying groceries at aldi in Johnson City, TN definitely helped the food budget go farther
Driving a fuel efficient car
Expensive decisions
We opted to bring no food from home due to space constraints. We could have easily brought things like coffee/filters/cream and cut the grocery bill
Eating out was a calculated cost. Worth it, but still could have been cut out if needed.
Fishing licenses weren’t really worth it this time of year.
All in all, Roan Mountain was an amazing trip and we will be visiting again. While primarily a summer attraction, it was a beautiful place to see during the fall colors and probably the only place in Tennessee to see snow in October. I think our next visit will be when it is warm enough to tent camp, or perhaps sleep under the stars, because there truly isn't enough time in the day to soak in all the natural beauty these mountains hold.
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