Trail: Patriots Path
Hike Location: Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park
Geographic Location: Elizabethton, TN (36.34391, -82.25286)
Length: 1.4 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: March 2025
Overview: An out-and-back past reconstructed Fort Watauga to where the Overmountain Men crossed the Watauga River.
Park Information:
https://tnstateparks.com/parks/sycamore-shoals
Hike Route Map:
https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=981565Photo Highlight:
Hike Video: (coming July 3, 2026)
Directions to the trailhead: In Johnson City, take I-26 to US 321 (exit 24). Exit and go north on US 321. Drive US 321 north 5.9 miles to the signed park entrance on the left. Turn left to enter the park, and park in the large blacktop lot in front of the Visitor Center.
The hike: It was September 25, 1780 when the hardscrabble Overmountain Men gathered at the Sycamore Shoals of the Watauga River in present-day eastern Tennessee. The Overmountain Men had helped the American Patriots in earlier Revolutionary War battles, and consequently British military leaders had threatened them with loss of land and life if they failed to lay down arms. Given the campaign the British were waging in the upstate Carolinas at that time, the threat was not an idle threat. Rather than lay down arms, the Overmountain Men marched over the mountains to Kings Mountain, South Carolina where they joined the Patriots in the
Battle of Kings Mountain. A victory for the Patriots, that battle proved to be the turning point in the Revolutionary War.
Today the site in eastern Tennessee where the Overmountain Men gathered to begin their over-mountain march is preserved as Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park. Established in 1975, this rather young park offers a fascinating mix of scenery and history. The park features reconstructed Fort Watauga, the grounds of which constituted the Overmountain Men's basecamp. The park also offers a nice Visitor Center and Museum that tells the story of the Overmountain Men and of the Cherokee and settlers that lived here.
Hikers can explore the reconstructed fort and the natural areas on the park's 2 hiking trails, one of which was closed on my visit. This hike uses the one trail that was open on my visit: the short and easy out-and-back Patriots Path. The Patriots Path passes both the reconstructed fort and the scenic and historic Sycamore Shoals of the Watauga River. I came here on a damp chilly morning in early March, but I had a fantastic and inspiring hike.
 |
| Trailhead for the Patriots Path |
There are a couple of ways you could do this hike, but I chose to hike to Sycamore Shoals first and then see reconstructed Fort Watauga on my return route. To execute such a plan, walk right/northeast of the Visitor Center and Museum, then turn left to parallel the park road and find the signed start of the Patriots Path. A simple wooden sign and a white shield-shaped plastic trail marker mark the trailhead. Numbered posts indicate the existence of an interpretive guide for this trail, but I did not see one at the Visitor Center.
 |
| Hiking the Patriots Path |
The Patriots Path is paved with finely crushed gravel. At first it continues to parallel the park road, but soon the road curves right and the trail continues straight to enter the woods. At 0.2 miles, the trail forks. The Patriots Path continues straight, but to add a little more distance I turned right to leave the gravel and hike a short dirt trail. This dirt trail forms a short loop through young forest, and it provides your first look at the Watauga River, which is wide and calm at this point.
 |
| Watauga River |
At 0.35 miles, you rejoin the gravel Patriots Path, now heading south through a narrow strip of woods with the river on your right. Near 0.5 miles, you pass the historic point where the Overmountain Men crossed the river to reach their gathering point for their march over the mountains to South Carolina. Imagine wading across this river with your rifle and provisions, anxious about the forthcoming march through the wilderness and the British troops you will fight in South Carolina.
 |
| Historic river crossing |
Just south of the historic river crossing, the trail forks to form a loop. To save the riverside section for last, I turned left and used the trail going right as my return route, thus hiking the short loop clockwise. The first/south arm of the loop is the worst part of this hike: it stays close to noisy US 321 and an industrial area.
 |
| Sycamore Shoals |
0.9 miles into the hike, you return to the Watauga River and reach Sycamore Shoals. While not really a cascade, an island in the river forces the water over some rocks, and the shoals produce pleasant visual and audio scenery. Continuing upstream from the shoals, the riverside scenery continues, and I did some nice wildlife viewing that included some Canada geese, mallards, and bufflehead in the river.
 |
| Reconstructed Fort Watauga |
Just shy of 1 mile, you close the loop. Retrace your steps along the gravel trail, then turn right at 1.25 miles to enter reconstructed Fort Watauga. The reconstructed wooden fort features buildings that have been furnished to demonstrate frontier life in the 1700's, and walking around the fort is a wonderfully inspiring educational experience. After touring the fort, head east to climb the stairs to the back door of the Visitor Center and complete the hike.
