Hike Location: Cherokee National Forest, Chilhowee
Recreation Area
Geographic Location: east of Cleveland, TN (35.15066, -84.60711)
Length: 3 miles
Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: October 2018
Overview: A mostly flat out-and-back with one steep area to
scenic Benton Falls.
Trail Information: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/cherokee/recarea/?recid=35110
Directions to the trailhead: From the intersection of
US 64 and US 411 east of Cleveland, take US 64 east 7.5 miles to Oswald Road
(FR 77) and the signed turn-off for Benton Falls Trailhead. Turn left on Oswald Rd. Drive narrow, winding, and steep but paved Oswald
Rd. 7.3 miles to the signed entrance for Chilhowee Recreation Area on the right,
passing several roadside overlooks on the way.
Turn right to enter the Recreation Area, and park in any of the day-use
parking lots.
The hike: Rising
1200 feet above the eastern edge of Tennessee’s Great Valley, the Chilhowee
Mountain east of Cleveland (not to be confused with the more famous Chilhowee
Mountain near Great Smoky Mountains National Park) stretches for 12 miles
between the Ocoee River and the Hiawassee River. The name Chilhowee comes from an 18th
century Cherokee village that was located in this area. The mountain’s location on the edge of the
Great Valley means that the views from this ridge are fantastic, and the drive
to this trailhead passes four roadside overlooks that offer excellent views.
The former
Cherokee village also lends its name to Cherokee National Forest’s Chilhowee
Recreation Area, a somewhat remote but popular area accessible only by driving
7 miles of narrow, winding road. The
recreation area features small man-made McKamy Lake with its swimming beach and
a 70-site developed campground. The
campground is only open April through October, but the day-use area is open
year-round. Also, Chilhowee Recreation
Area offers 25 miles of hiking/biking trails, and the most popular destination
in Chilhowee’s trail system, 65-foot Benton Falls, is also the destination of
this hike. Although I did this hike as
an out-and-back, some reasonable loop options are suggested at the end of this
trail description.
 |
| Trailhead for Benton Falls Trail |
Many trails
start at the day-use parking lots, so the first and only real route-finding
challenge is getting on the Benton Falls Trail (Cherokee National Forest Trail
#131). From the parking lot closest to
the swimming area’s bath house, the signed gravel trail heads southwest with
the bath house to your right. After
crossing the dam that forms McKamy Lake, turn left to begin the wide old dirt
road that you will follow most of the way to Benton Falls. The first of the Benton Falls Trail’s blue
i-shaped paint blazes is located here.
 |
| McKamy Lake |
The wide
dirt trail descends gradually as it traces around the north end of a small
knob. A few areas with high erosion
increase the difficulty slightly, but overall the old road makes for easy
going. The road-like trail also makes
the scenery less than ideal, so although Benton Falls is a scenic destination,
the hike to get there is not particularly inspiring.
 |
| Hiking on the old road |
Where signed narrower trails exit
right or left, stay on the wider Benton Falls Trail. Be thankful for the new metal trail signs
that have been installed here; the old small wooden posts are in poor shape and
hard to read, as you will see if you happen to notice one. Oak and tulip poplar trees dominate the
broadleaf forest, though a few pockets of pines grow beside the trail.
At 1.2
miles, the trail curves right as cascading Franklin Spring Branch comes within
earshot from deep in the ravine to the left.
After paralleling the branch for 0.2 miles, you reach the signed turnoff
for Benton Falls. Turn sharply left to
leave the wide old road and begin the descent to the falls.
 |
| Descending toward Benton Falls |
The final
0.1 miles drop more than 80 vertical feet via two switchbacks and some wooden
and stone steps. The steps are of
excellent construction and appear to be less than 10 years old. Just past 1.5 miles, you reach the trail’s
end at the base of Benton Falls. With
sufficient water the falls are attractive both visually and audibly, as
Franklin Spring Branch cascades for 65 feet over numerous tightly-spaced rock
ledges. Some rocks at the base of the
falls make for nice places to sit and enjoy the environment.
 |
| Benton Falls |
After you
climb back up to the old road, several options present themselves to get back
to the trailhead. If you continue south (left)
on the old road, you can turn right on the Slick Rock Trail (designed by
mountain bikers for mountain bikers but also open to hikers) to form a loop of
nearly 4 miles that ends back at McKamy Lake’s dam. Alternatively, if you head back on the Benton
Falls Trail, you can turn right on the signed Redleaf Trail, left on the
Arbutus Trail, and then left on the Elderberry Trail to take a more eastern
route back to the trailhead of about 3.5 miles.
I came here late in the afternoon, so I took the shortest route by
retracing my steps on the Benton Falls Trail in order to make sure I finished
my hike before sunset, which I did.
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