Roan Mountain State Park: Peg Leg Mine Trail (Blog Hike #1065)

Trail: Peg Leg Mine Trail
Hike Location: Roan Mountain State Park
Geographic Location: south of Roan Mountain, TN (36.17622, -82.07905)
Length: 1.1 miles
Difficulty: 6/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: March 2025
Overview: A loop hike to the old Peg Leg Iron Mine.
Park Information: https://tnstateparks.com/parks/roan-mountain
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=981642
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming June 19, 2026)

Directions to the trailhead: From the town of Roan Mountain, drive SR 143 south 2 miles to the Roan Mountain State Park Visitor Center on the left.  Park in the lot in front of the Visitor Center.

The hike: Tucked in the Doe River valley deep in the rugged mountains of east Tennessee, Roan Mountain State Park protects 2006 acres on the north side of its namesake mountain.  The park is most famous as a gateway to the Roan Highlands, a series of mountaintop balds that stand on the Tennessee/North Carolina border.  In fact, this area's famous balds are located in adjacent Pisgah National Forest, not in the state park.  The origins of the mountain's name and hence the park's name are uncertain, but one unsubstantiated story links the name to a horse with a roan coat pattern that was owned by Daniel Boone.

            Roan Mountain State Park offers many amenities including a 107-site developed campground, 30 cabins, a modern conference center, and 3 picnic pavilions.  The park also features the Miller Farmstead, where 3 generations of Millers lived and farmed for over 90 years.  Yet most of the park remains in its natural state, and the rhododendron that carpets the understory seems to turn the forest pink when it blooms in June.

            For hikers, the park offers 10 trails totaling over 12.5 miles, and difficulty ranges from easy streamside strolls to rugged mountain treks.  When I came here in mid-March 2025, some of the park's trails were still closed due to damage from the remnants of Hurricane Helene the previous fall.  Normally the 2 trails I hiked at this park, the Peg Leg Mine Trail and the Moonshiners Run Trail, can be connected into a single hike by hiking the Forest Road Trail, but the Forest Road Trail was closed on my visit.  Thus, I did 2 separate hikes on 2 separate trails at this park.  The Peg Leg Mine Trail is featured in this hike, while the Moonshiners Run Trail is the subject of the next hike.

Trailhead at Visitor Center

            The Visitor Center contains some interesting exhibits about the area's mining history that are worth browsing before or after your hike.  The Peg Leg Mine was an iron mine, and the Visitor Center area features a reconstructed water flume.  Water was used to power a 500-pound hammer, which was used to crush the raw iron ore into smaller pieces, thus preparing it for rail transport to North Carolina.  Head north out of the Visitor Center area with the Doe River to your left to begin a clockwise journey around the Peg Leg Mine Trail.  This trail is marked with blue shield-shaped plastic markers.

Trail along Doe River

            The initial segment of trail had recently been re-routed on my visit due to damage from the remnants of Hurricane Helene.  The forest features a nice mixture of pine, beech, and maple trees, and rhododendron crowds the understory along the river.  Soon the trail curves right to begin its climb to the old Peg Leg Mine.  The single-track dirt trail gains about 250 feet of elevation over 0.3 miles, so the climb is short but somewhat steep.  Just before reaching the top of the finger ridge, the trail levels out to embark on a sidehill course.

Spur trail to old mine

            At 0.5 miles, you reach the signed spur trail to the old mine, which exits right.  Turn right and descend the narrow, winding path down some wooden stairs to reach the old mine entrance.  Opening around 1870, the Peg Leg Mine is the oldest of several old iron mines in the area.  The mine was owned by General John T. Wilder, a Union Civil War general who came here via New York and Indiana.  Today the mine opening remains, but so do some pits miners dug as test holes and some boulders discarded by miners.  Entering the mine is a stupid proposition, but taking some time to think about the work here and the people who did it is not.

Peg Leg iron mine

            Back on the main trail, you cross a small finger ridge before beginning a steep descent that marks the hardest part of this hike.  The rockiness and steepness of the descent make for tricky footing and confirm that you are in the Tennessee mountains.  At 0.9 miles, the trail switches back to the right as you reach the bottom of the hill.  The balance of the hike is a flat riverside course as you head downstream on a narrow trail with the river to your left and the steep hillside to your right.  At 1.1 miles, you return to the Visitor Center, thus finishing the hike.