A grassy bald one day, the Nolichucky Gorge the next
Erwin, Tennessee, is a classic Appalachian Trail town, and in early September 2023 we spent two days on the AT on either side of it.
🥾 Day one: Indian Grave Gap to Beauty Spot
We started at Indian Grave Gap on the Tennessee and North Carolina line, where the trail sign gives the elevation as 3,360 feet and Beauty Spot as 2.3 miles north. The trail climbs through rhododendron to Beauty Spot, one of the grassy balds the Forest Service manages in the Bald Mountains. The top is open meadow with views over the ridges in every direction.
🥾 Day two: above the Nolichucky River
The next morning we parked at Chestoa Recreation Area on the Nolichucky River and took the AT up out of the gorge. The climb is steady and shaded, and then the trees open up at a rocky overlook straight down on the river bending through the mountains.
Back at the bottom we walked out over the river for one more look at the Nolichucky.
🥾 Trail facts
- Beauty Spot: 2.3 miles from Indian Grave Gap on the AT (trail sign); Indian Grave Gap is on TN 395 / NC 197
- Nolichucky River: the AT climbs out of the gorge toward Curley Maple Gap Shelter, about 4 miles from the river
- Chestoa Recreation Area: day use, no fee, sunrise to sundown; a rafting take-out for the Nolichucky Gorge
- After Hurricane Helene: the storm washed away the AT bridge over the Nolichucky (the Chestoa Bridge) in fall 2024. As of November 2025 hikers use a 3.6-mile road-walk detour, and construction on a new bridge was expected to begin in 2026.
- Managed by: USDA Forest Service, Cherokee National Forest, with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Trail facts checked October 2026. Sources: USFS: Chestoa Recreation Area, ATC: Nolichucky River detour, TEHCC: Nolichucky River to Indian Grave Gap. Trails and roads change, so check with the managing agency before you go.
