Big South Fork NRRA: Twin Arches Loop (Blog Hike #664)

Trail: Twin Arches Loop Trail

Hike Location: Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area

Geographic Location: northeast of Jamestown, TN (36.54419, -84.74312)

Length: 5.2 miles

Difficulty: 8/10 (Moderate/Difficult)

Date Hiked: October 2017

Overview: A lollipop loop passing Twin Arches and several large rock shelters en route to Jake’s Place and Charit Creek Lodge.

Trail Information: https://www.nps.gov/biso/planyourvisit/tntrails.htm

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=940795
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From the intersection of SR 154 and SR 297 northeast of Jamestown, take SR 154 north 1.9 miles to Divide Road, a good gravel road that goes off to the right.  Signs for Big South Fork and Charit Creek Lodge stand here.  Turn right on Divide Rd.  Drive Divide Rd. 2.6 miles to signed Twin Arches Road and turn right on Twin Arches Rd.  Twin Arches Rd. deadends at the parking lot for the Twin Arches Trailhead.  Vault toilets and a small picnic area are also located here.

The hike: For my general comments on the Twin Arches area, see my hike on the Twin Arches Trail, a short hike that is more or less a subset of this hike.  If all you want to do is see the arches, then you should hike the aforementioned Twin Arches Trail.  To significantly increase the difficulty and the scenery, the Twin Arches Loop described here is a compelling option.  The loop takes you past Twin Arches but then drops more than 400 vertical feet passing numerous large rock shelters en route to Jake’s Place and Charit Creek Lodge.  Due to the elevation change and a few rocky areas, plan on taking 3.5 to 4 hours to complete this loop, especially if you include a rest stop at the lodge.

Twin Arches Trailhead

            The first 0.6 miles to the base of North Arch follow the aforementioned route of the Twin Arches Trail.  Hike in the common entrance trail, bear left at the signed trail fork, descend some steep wooden steps to the cliff base, and hike along the cliff base to the base of North Arch; see my previous hike for details.  With a clearance of 51 feet and a span of 93 feet, North Arch is actually the smaller of the Twin Arches, but its large size and near-perfect arch shape make it a very scenic landform.

North Arch

North base of North Arch

            The trail intersection underneath North Arch forms the loop portion of this hike.  This description hikes the loop counterclockwise by starting on the trail that goes under the arch and using the trail that goes left past the south base of North Arch as the return route.  Regarding South Arch, the other of the Twin Arches, while it is most directly accessed at the end of the loop, walking a few hundred feet down the trail to the left will take you there now if you want to get a sneak preview.

Starting around the loop counterclockwise, the trail heads in the general direction of west as it winds along the base of the sandstone cliff that rises vertically to the right.  The undulations are fairly minor, but lots of boulders fallen from the cliff make the going somewhat rocky in places.  Several large rock shelters are passed along the way, and the general pattern of going toward the cliff to reach a rock shelter before going away from the cliff to get around a finger ridge is repeated several times.  I have read that some of these rock shelters feature low-volume waterfalls after a good rain, but they were dry on my visit.

Large rock shelter with rocky base

             After traversing the rockiest part of the hike, the trail curves left to leave the cliff line for good.  At 1.7 miles, you begin the descent to Station Camp Creek, this prong of which is also known as Charit Creek, Middle Creek, and Andy Creek at various points along its journey.  The trail loses just under 400 feet of elevation over the next 0.5 miles, but the well-built path is well-graded with good switchbacks.  Some attractive, large beech trees live on this hillside.

You have reached the bottom of the big descent when you cross a wet area on narrow wooden boardwalk.  The oak, poplar, and beech trees that dominated the hillside are joined by black walnut and hemlocks in the moister creekside environment.  At 2.2 miles, you reach the signed remnants of Jake’s Place.  A homestead in the late 1800’s, only a pile of stones remains today.

Remnants of Jake's Place

             Past Jake’s Place, you pass through a small grassy field that features some backcountry campsites before reaching a trail intersection with options going straight and left.  The option going straight leads upstream 1.5 miles to Slave Falls and the Middle Creek Trailhead beyond.  The Twin Arches Loop turns left here to head downstream toward Charit Creek Lodge.

The next 1.2 miles form the streamside portion of this hike as the creek stays in view to the right most of the time.  Narrow wooden bridges and boardwalks carry you over some wet areas, and some ripples in the creek add to the visual and audible scenery.  At 3.1 miles, the hiking trail joins a well-traveled dirt road that is also a horse trail to continue its downstream course.  Although I saw several horses amble through here, this trail does not show the usual signs of heavy horse use.  Remember that park regulations require hikers to yield to horses on the trail.

Tackett graves

            600 feet later, you reach the signed short spur trail that exits left to the Tackett cabin and graves.  Dating to 1863, only some primitive grave stones remain.  At 3.4 miles, you reach another signed trail intersection.  The Twin Arches Trail turns left here, but first continue straight to tour rustic Charit Creek Lodge.  Now a collection of cabins and buildings, the original cabin was built by Jonathan Blevins in 1817, which makes Charit Creek the oldest operating lodge in the National Park system.  The facility operated as a hunting camp and youth hostel before being converted to a full-service park lodge in the 1990’s.  I was pleased to find some soft drinks and snacks for sale here, and I enjoyed a snack while resting in the lodge’s front porch rocking chairs.

Charit Creek Lodge

            Back on the Twin Arches Loop, the route again becomes hiker-only as it heads up a deep side ravine.  At 3.6 miles, the trail curves left to begin the climb back to the trailhead in earnest.  At first the trail heads straight up the hill over some wooden logs built into the ground, but soon the grade moderates as the ascent continues via switchbacks.  As you near the ridgetop, some partially obstructed views east and southeast emerge.

4.4 miles into the hike, you reach an intersection with the Twin Arches Trail near the base of South Arch.  We will eventually climb the steep wooden steps to your right, but first walk a short distance to the left to view South Arch.  With a clearance of 70 feet and a span of 135 feet, South Arch is the larger of the Twin Arches, but it too has a near-perfect arch shape.  Try standing at the south base of the arch and face northward for the best picture.

South Arch

            The final 0.8 miles rejoin the Twin Arches Trail as described in my earlier hike.  Climb the steep wooden steps, turn right to hike across the top of North Arch, then climb and descend more steep wooden steps.  Hiking out the entrance trail returns you to the Twin Arches Trailhead to complete the hike.