Jared BeelerExplorer

This trail is located at the Ijams Nature Center. Ijams Nature Center is only 10 minutes from downtown Knoxville and is a great place to escape city life and enjoy the outdoors. The parking lot here is quite large and in the busy season it has an overflow lot too. Ijams Nature Center has many hikes but the most popular is the River Trail which takes you along the Boardwalk. The trail starts at ...

Potter's Falls is a semi locally known area that is used for lots of different activities. To get there the roads are pretty simple and easy to follow the directions. The parking can be a bit tricky especially if its during the summer or extreme cold in the winter. There are only about 15 spots off the side of the road on gravel patches so if you drive a large truck be careful on the back end s...

You will start your hike off of the Cherohala Skyway. The trail-head is a small asphalt pull-off on the right if you are coming from Tellico Plains. From the trail-head the trail starts up and almost all of the trial is an uphill incline on the way there with about 700 feet of elevation change over 1.5 miles. The trail itself is an old 4-wheeling road so it is a bit rough but it is wide and ver...

This greeway is located in north Knoxville near the Sterchi Hills neighborhood. The greenway is 2.1 miles one way so it can make for a good run through the woods. All of the greenway is paved and most of it is under tree cover so it is shaded most of the time. This is a great trail to see birds and other wildlife on. The trail does make several road crossings so be careful and always look for c...

This campground is extremely easy to get to and is in a good location. It is located in the Dixie National Forest along Utah highway 12. The campground has a total of 9 spots most are good for small RV but nothing longer than 20ft. The campground has no electricity or water hookups but a water spigot is available. There is also a pit toilet for campground use. The campground is right in between...

This place is located right in the middle of Halls Crossroads. There are multiple access points along the Greenway. There is the Halls Community Center which is where the GPS of this adventure will lead you or there is a small parking area next to the Halls Food City. There are other entrances from neighborhoods in the area and the Halls Public Library. This is not a loop so more than likely yo...

The maynardville fire tower is one that anyone can go too since you can drive straight to the base of it. From the base however there are about 100 steep stairs to the top. On the way up you will need to be extra careful because it is very old and was never built for safety. When you get to the top there are a few good platforms to stand on. The top of the fire tower or the cab is however locke...

This Urban park is located in North Knoxville. The park is only a few minutes from downtown Knoxville. This park is small but offers a nice wilderness in the city. There is a lot of wildlife at this park. The park has many hiking/biking trails through the park. In total there is 1.5 miles of greenway through the wooded area. The trails here are all paved and can be used from dawn till dusk. The...

Tallulah River Campground is located in the Chattahoochee-Oconee national forest. It is just outside of Clayton, Georgia. The campground has about 15 spots that are big enough for a small to medium sized RV. Each camping spot also has a nice tent pad for a big tent. Most spots are also on the river making it great to fish right out the back of the campsite. Also at the campsite is small toilet ...

The drive to this waterfall can be a little muddy when there is a lot of rain and can need an AWD or 4WD in the rain. The road has some new gravel laid in parts so it could be improved in a few months. In the summer there is also a chance of seeing large dump trucks and logging trucks, but the road is always open to the public so they will let you through. From the parking lot the trail runs st...

This trail is located in Pickett State Park which is a close neighbor to Big South Fork National Recreation Area. This is one of the many trailheads that connects to the Natural Bridge loop however, this trailhead is the closest to the natural bridge. From the road it is only a few hundred feet walk to the natural bridge. The hike to the bottom of the bridge can be considered hard due to its en...

This waterfall is right off the side of the road on NC 215. NC 215 is straight off of the blue ridge parkway and is just north of Brevard. The waterfall has to main parts one that is above the road and one that is below. The part below the road is the most scenic and the easiest to walk too. The bottom of the falls has some areas that can be used for swimming and picnicking. The parking for the...

This waterfall is located just outside of Cashiers, NC. The trailhead to the waterfall is right off of the road and has a good amount of parking. The trial itself is very nice and has new steps at the beginning of the trail. The trail is very wide and is mostly flat the entire way there. Once you get to the waterfall you will see the wide soft sandy bank next to a large pool of water making it ...

This hike is a great, short hike for all ages. It shows the sandstone formation of the area very well and features a large cliff, an overhang, and a small stream at the bottom. The hike is only 0.4 of a mile total and has a small elevation change. It is probably the easiest hike in this area.  The parking for this trail is right off of the main road that runs through Pickett State Park. The par...

Natural Arch is located in the Daniel Boone National Forest near the border of Tennessee and Kentucky. Once you get inside of the park there are many picnic tables and other areas to eat and sit and paths to walk on. The main attraction of the park however is the 100 foot wide arch that spans over the trees. There are two different ways that you can view the arch one from the overlook that is a...

The trail starts the parking lot which has some nice bathrooms and a nice small picnic area that is open year round. From the trail-head you will follow the signs that will lead you a short mostly flat .7 mile hike to the first arch. Once you get to the first arch there is a small area with some rocks that make great seats to cool off in the shade and drink some water. The trail will continue a...

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO HAVE A 4WD VEHICLE OR ALL WHEEL DRIVE.  The road to the trail-head can be very dangerous at times because of mud and debris, because of this an all wheel drive at least is very useful if you only have a 2WD car or truck I suggest only going in dry conditions.  When you get to the trail-head it is about a half mile to the tower to view the elk. Due to the wild nature of the...

The gravel road heading to the trailhead is on the rougher side to take it slow. When you get to the trailhead it’s a small gravel pull off right off the road. There are no maps at the trailhead but there are only a few trails to take and they are marked with a blue marker. To get to the upper falls head down the trail until you reach a three way split. It is about .75 miles to the campsites. A...

The Panther Top fire tower is located in the Nantahala National Forest outside of Murphy, NC. To get there you get off of US 74 then turn onto panther top rd and continue till you see the signs for the tower. Once you get there the hike is about .75 there mostly up on the way to the top of the tower. The trail is an old road so it is very wide and smooth and uphill. When you get there the tower...

Your hike will start at the base of the Blue Ridge Parkway just a few miles from the start in Cherokee. The trail starts right off of the parkway in a very small easy to miss dirt road. There is a small area to park that then you start your hike up the dirt road right after the gate. The hike to the top is about a half mile. It is a small hike up is pretty steep. When you get to the top you can...

Triple falls trail otherwise known as little egypt is known for its cooling waterfalls in the summer and fall and the beautiful views from the top of the mountain year round. Getting to it is pretty easy all you have to do is follow your GPS until you see a small dirt parking lot off the side of the road be careful where you park because it can be really muddy if it has rained recently. When yo...

The trial-head for this hike had a very small parking area but there is some extra parking on down the road where you can park then walk to the start. The trail starts relatively flat with a small incline. As you go on it climbs slowly until you reach the steps that start the accent. There are about 50 steps to the top of the incline from there it is about a tenth of a mile up from there. When ...

This Dark Sky Park is a part of the Pickett State Park. It was established in 2015. It is one of the only IDA registered dark sky parks in the east. I have been all over the United States stargazing and this is still one of the best spots I have been to. The astronomy field offers a free and easily accessible place to stargaze and do astro photography. Astronomy field is right off of the road a...

The Wayah Bald Lookout Tower is located in Nantahala National Forest in one of the oldest part of the protected land. It was first built in the 1920s then it was rebuilt throughout the years until it was finally made out of stone and concrete. The current tower that stands offers great views of the surrounding mountains and a 360 degree view.  To get there you must go up a gravel road for about...