Daniel Boone National Forest: Yahoo Arch and Markers Arch (Blog Hike #517)

Trails: Yahoo Arch and Markers Arch Trails (FS# 602 and 603)

Hike Location: Daniel Boone National Forest

Geographic Location: west of Whitley City, KY (36.75652, -84.51186)

Length: 2.8 miles

Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)

Date Hiked: May 2015

Overview: A pair of out-and-backs to two arches.

Area Information: http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/dbnf/recreation/recarea/?recid=39796

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=940319
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: This hike starts at an unsigned trailhead on the right side of SR 700 3.3 miles west of its intersection with US 27 in Whitley City.  Only a carsonite post bearing the number 602 and a wooden trail mileage sign mark this trailhead.  There is room for 1 or 2 cars to park beside the road here, but a couple of more cars could park at gravel FR 6002 200 feet further ahead on the left.  In either case, take care not to block the road.

The hike: Daniel Boone National Forest and adjacent Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area contain one of the highest concentrations of stone arches in the eastern United States.  The southern part of the region features Natural Arch in southern Kentucky and Twin Arches in northern Tennessee.  The northern part of the forest features Grays Arch and Sky Bridge in the Red River Gorge area.  The famous Natural Bridge of Kentucky is part of the same area, but it lies outside of the national forest.

            The national forest contains over 100 smaller arches, and this hike takes you to two of them.  Yahoo Arch is somewhat well-known because it lies less than 1 mile from similarly named Yahoo Falls, the highest waterfall in Kentucky.  The name of both the falls and the arch is probably a corruption of the Muscogee/Creek Indian word yahola for speaker/orator.  While you can reach Yahoo Arch by hiking up from Yahoo Falls, this hike gets to Yahoo Arch by coming down from SR 700.  By taking this approach, you can double your arch count for the day with minimal additional effort by also visiting Markers Arch, which lies close to the SR 700 trailhead.

Trailhead at SR 700

            From the roadside parking area, the Yahoo Arch Trail (Daniel Boone National Forest trail #602) immediately enters the woods at a carsonite post and trail mileage sign.  After only a couple hundred feet, the trail forks.  The Yahoo Arch Trail continues forward to its arch, while the Markers Arch Trail exits right toward its arch, so you have to decide which arch you wish to visit first.  I chose to continue straight and visit Yahoo Arch first.

            For the next 0.5 miles the Yahoo Arch Trail follows an old logging road as it heads out a narrow finger ridge.  The trail is marked with large plastic white diamonds, but the path is wide and easy to follow.  During the leafless months some partially obstructed views open up in either direction.  On my mid-May hike, large clusters of mountain laurel were in full bloom.

Hiking the ridgetop trail

            At 0.5 miles, the trail descends steeply but only for a short time as you roll off the end of the finger ridge.  The ridgetop terrain you have traversed thus far does not seem the least bit like arch country, but at 0.8 miles you descend some rock steps cut from a sandstone cliff.  You can look up and down this cliff for your destination, but your search will end arch-less.

            After descending a switchback, you arrive at the top of Yahoo Arch, although it is hard to see the arch from this angle.  Descending one more switchback brings you to the north base of Yahoo Arch.  At 17 feet high and 70 feet wide, Yahoo Arch is smaller than the most famous arches in this area but larger than many others.  The arch probably formed when the rear of a rock shelter collapsed, thus leaving only the rock shelter’s front.  The arch’s smoothly curved lintel gives it a graceful appearance, and the surrounding cliffline creates a moist, rocky environment.  If you sit on one of the rocks at Yahoo Arch’s north base and sing your favorite song facing the other base, you will discover that the arch has some nice acoustic properties as well.

Yahoo Arch, viewed from the north

Yahoo Arch viewed from the south

            The Yahoo Arch Trail continues another 0.9 miles to Yahoo Falls, but there are easier ways to see Yahoo Falls than to hike there from here.  Thus, this trail description turns around at Yahoo Arch and retraces its steps to the Markers Arch Trail.  Coming from this direction, you need to turn left to begin the Markers Arch Trail.

            The Markers Arch Trail (Daniel Boone National Forest trail #603) is almost a mini version of the Yahoo Arch Trail.  For its first 0.3 miles the trail follows an old logging road along the ridgetop, then it descends steeply off the end of the ridge.  In another 0.1 miles you reach Markers Arch.  This arch is about half the size of Yahoo Arch, but the angle at the end of the trail gives a perfect view down through the arch.  Markers Arch is set in a grove of hemlock trees, creating a shady and serene setting.

Markers Arch

            The Markers Arch Trail ends at its namesake landform, so the only option is to retrace your steps back to the Yahoo Arch Trail.  A left turn and short walk will return you to SR 700 and complete the hike.

Big South Fork NRRA: Angel Falls Rapid Trail (Blog Hike #516)

Trail: Angel Falls Rapid Trail

Hike Location: Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area

Geographic Location: west of Oneida, TN (36.47767, -84.66775)

Length: 3.7 miles

Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)

Date Hiked: May 2015

Overview: A riverside out-and-back to noisy Angel Falls Rapid.

Park Information: http://www.nps.gov/biso/index.htm

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=727809
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Oneida, take SR 297 west 11.2 to the signed Leatherwood Ford Parking Area.  Turn right to enter the parking area.  Bear left at the first intersection and park near the restrooms and information kiosk on the left.

The hike: For my general comments on the hiking options at Leatherwood Ford, see the Leatherwood Loop hike.  The Angel Falls Rapid Trail described here leads 1.8 miles one-way downstream to its namesake water feature, a powerful and dangerous rapid in the Big South Fork River.  Despite the length, the wide trail across relatively flat terrain makes this hike easier than most hikes in this area.

Big South Fork River

            While the Leatherwood Loop Trail departs from the south end of the parking area near the restroom building, the Angel Falls Rapid Trail starts at the north end of the parking area.  To get there, you could park at the north end or walk through the parking area, but a boardwalk trail along the river provides a more scenic option.  The boardwalk is called the Riverwalk, and it offers some of your best views of the river, which was wide and muddy on my mid-May visit the day after a thunderstorm.

Trailhead at north end of parking area

            However you get to the north end of the parking area, a carsonite post, a sign, and an information board identify the trailhead.  The trail is marked with green fiberglass rectangles, but you will also see some faint red arrowhead paint blazes, the park’s old method for marking hiking trails.  Some numbered posts indicate the existence of an interpretive guide, but none were available at the trailhead.

The wide gravel and dirt trail heads north with the river on your left and the gorge wall rising to your right.  The forest along the river consists of maple, beech, and tulip poplar, but there are also some large hemlock trees down here.  Rhododendron, mountain laurel, ferns, paw paw, and sassafras live in the understory.  The white flowers of the mountain laurel were in full bloom on my visit.

            700 feet from the trailhead, you pass a small cave in the hillside to the right.  Just past 0.2 miles, you cross a small unnamed stream on a nice wooden footbridge.  In the moist environment along the river, my feet stepped over numerous black and yellow flat millipedes.

Flat millipede

Bridge over Anderson Branch

            At 0.8 miles, you cross a large stream called Anderson Branch on another nice wooden footbridge.  Some car-sized boulders appear between the trail and the river, as do several attractive established campsites.  Piles of rock representing slag from old coal mines remind you of this area’s mining history.  At 1.7 miles, you pass an exposed coal seam in the cliff to your right that provides another reminder of what lies underneath this land.  If you rub the black coal with your hands, you will learn why coal has such a dirty reputation.

Coal seam in cliff

            Just past the coal seam, you reach the signed spur trail for Angel Falls.  Angle left and walk a few more feet to reach the wooden observation platform.  Angel Falls Rapid was created in 1954 by an attempt to dynamite a 6-foot river cataract in order to make the river navigable for barges.  This platform gives the side view of the dangerous rapid the ill-fated effort created.  The cliffs on the other side underlie Angel Falls Overlook, which sits over 600 feet above you and can be reached by another trail that starts at Leatherwood Ford.  A canoe portage trail leads to the north (downstream) side of the rapid.  Some rocks beg you to sit and enjoy the sound of rushing water.

Angel Falls Rapid

Cliffs overlooking Angel Falls

            The trail continues north from the rapid.  The next point of interest is the John Smith Place, which is an old homesite and mine reached after another 1.3 miles.  Next comes Station Camp Ford, an equestrian trailhead and campground that features Chimney Rocks, some unusual spire-type rock formations.  Station Camp Ford is more than 6 miles away, and no nice loops can be formed.  Thus, I chose to turn around at Angel Falls and retrace my steps to Leatherwood Ford to complete a 3.7-mile hike.