Starr Mountain Loop

Star Mountain Loop
November 23, 2025 / Cherokee National Forest

____________________________________________________________________________________

Blog Entry:

The main reason for this hike was to shake out my new Hyperlight Southwest backpack that I just got. Wanted to get a good hike in with it loaded up to see how it did, and I will give you a rundown of it at the end of this blog post. I also chose this hike because it is an area I have not much explored except for the Gee Creek Hikes I have done. I tried Starr Mountain on the Gee Creek side, but that trail is heavily overgrown, and I could not complete it with Frank.

My Route:

- Click Here To Open AllTrails Route -	(1) #127 Hogback Spur	....................................	1.5
	(2) #126 Hogback Horse	....................................	2.9
	(3) CR 44	....................................	0.9
	(4) #120 Starr Mountain Horse	....................................	3.1
	(5) #123 Yellow Creek	....................................	1.7
	(6) #122 Burkett-Ivin	....................................	0.2
	(7) CR 44	....................................	0.2
	(8) #126 Hogback Horse	....................................	1.1
	(9) #127 Hogback Spur	....................................	1.5

 

My route started off on Forest Trail No. 127 Hogback Spur that is a nice, wide, soft trail with a definite forest feel to it and less of the temperate rain forest you get in the Smoky Mountains and other parts of Cherokee National Forest. It does have a slight uphill grade, but nothing difficult. There are several places where you can pull off to the side and get a beautiful view when the leaves are off the trees.  

- Along Hugback Spur -

At the trail junction with Hogback Horse trail, I took it to the left and as you wind around the trail, it opens at times to give an actual prairie feel with long, tall, wispy grass. Today was a bright sunny day, and without leaves on the trees it amplified the strength of sun. Hogback Horse trail ends at County Road 44 where you follow the road until you arrive at Starr Mountain Horse Trail #120.  

After a short climb you reach the ridge line of Starr Mountain. I am not sure how it is in the summer with leaves on the trees, but at the time when I was hiking it the sun did beat on me and felt intense. There are some spaces along this section of the hike that provide some good views of the surrounding area. Right before you hit the Yellow Creek trail, there is a picnic table that provides a great please fir a break and take in the view.  

- Sitting Along The Ridge of Starr Mt. -

The Yellow Creek junction will be on the right side of the trail and is easily missed, speaking from experience. This trail narrows and takes you back into the forest where you are once again surrounded by trees along with large groupings of rocks in a few different areas. I found this to be a pleasant walk and got a little reprieve from the harsh sun. The trail ends at the Buckett-Ivin Trail #122 and after just under a quarter of a mile you cross a bridge over Yellow Creek and meet up with Country Road 44.  

You are not on Country Road 44 as long this time before linking up to the northern section of Hogback Horse Trail #126 where it widens again. Like most of this loop, the walk through here is very nice and easy going. This section of the trail will transition out of forest to prairie as you hit the junction with Hogback Spur where eventually it transitions back to forest. Hogback Spur is the only section of the loop you will have to hike twice. Of course, the lighting was different my second time around that gave me a whole different effect over one of the mountain views. It lit in such a way that I almost thought I was looking at a painting and not real life.

- Evening View Along Hogback Spur -

I would say this hike was better than expected, but I am sure the sun and the clear blue sky had something to do with it. I would like to see during the summer when leaves are on the trees as I am sure it would cover up some of the fantastic view I had. I might actually take Maggie back to this area and try and do a shorter version of this one. As always my friends hike on, and stay safe out there!

Story Links:

• Cherokee National Forest 
• Hyperlight Southwest Backpack 
• AllTrails  -  Trail Recording  |  Profile
• YouTube Channel 
• Instagram Profile

Story Pictures:

Mill / Crowder Branch Overnight

AlexHauck.Com

Cherokee National Forest 

September 29-30, 2023 

This was an outstanding night of solitude out in the forest and a fun hike. Click here for my past blog where I give a description of the actual hike. The hike itself was easier as I did not have Frank to contend with on the uneven Crowder Branch Trail, but I did unlock a new hiking fear. Acorns, you hit a pile of those hidden underneath some leaves and it is like stepping on marbles. 

The campsite itself is beautiful right on the Crowder Branch Trail, complete with a mountain spring that doubles as a natural refrigerator. I was able to set up my tent in a decent spot, but I could not find anywhere that was perfectly flat. That did not matter though as it was one of the best solo overnight outdoor sleeps I have had to date.    

I did not see any wildlife other than a few birds flying overhead, but I heard a ton, more than I have ever heard on the trails. I had birds, ducks, woodpeckers, squirrels, hunting dogs, coyotes, owls, and even possible Sasquatch knocks (I will get into this a bit later). I literally just sat by the fire and listened to all the nature that was around. I usually camp out by streams or creeks, so maybe not having the sound of rushing water helped to amplify the wildlife noises.  

In the morning I got a small fire going and boiled up some coffee as usual and had a pouch of blueberry granola. Packed up and got back on the trail. Without Frank I was able to hop off trail from time to time to take in the surroundings and found a little cascade/waterfall that had a nice little pool one could get in on a hotter day. One day I might do this hike in reverse, but the only concern is the trail at times is at an angle that could be a little hard with a heavy pack on.  

Bigfoot: 

When it comes to bigfoot / sasquatch I have always been a “hopefully sceptic” I do not necessarily think they are out there, but I am open to the possibility. For me it would be cool if they were really out there.  

This all being said I have never encountered in kind of sasquatch evidence when out on my outdoor adventures, but this night sitting out by the campfire I heard some wood knocks. It was something I had never heard before in the woods. It was not a branch or a tree falling, nor did it sound like a woodpecker. It literally sounded like a person taking a bat and banging it a tree twice. I heard the first two knocks coming from the east and then a minute or so later heard a response double knock from the West.  

This could have been people out “squatchhing” but if it was not people then I cannot explain it. I will keep my eyes and ears open for more evidence while I am out. I might start a special blog section devoted to the evidence I find while out.  

Hike Pictures:

Story Links: 

• Cherokee National Forest 
• AllTrails: Hike Recording  |  Profile 
• Instagram Profile 
• YouTube: Blog Video  |  Channel 
• My Website www.AlexHauck.com 

YouTube Video:

Mill Branch / Crowder Branch Loop Hike

AlexHauck.Com

Cherokee National Forest
Saturday, February 19, 2023

This trail is a doozy. Both Mill Branch and Crowder Branch are steep trails especially after the first little bit coming off Doublecamp Road. I have hiked Mill Branch before as an out and back and knew what I was getting into with that trail, but wanted to extend it this time so I put a loop hike together consisting of the following trails and forest service road…  FS Trail #96 Mill Branch  FS Trail #99 Fodderstack  FS Trail #84 Crowder Branch  FS Road #2659 Doublecamp   AllTrails 3D Map of the route I took. - Click Here For Recording - I worked my way up Mill Branch that is a fairly well-defined trail until you get close to the end. It follows Mill Brach about to the top just before you hit the ridge and has several little waterfalls that make a pleasant walk to compensate for the work associated with the elevation. As you close in on the top, with the leaf cover on the ground and general landscape the trail becomes a little difficult to follow. The end of Mill Brach and the junction with Fodderstack, however, is not hard to find and stands out with a group of fallen trees by an aged trail marker.   Fodderstack is easy to follow and follows a ridgeline. I hiked this one in February with low foliage and plant growth along the trail so I could see this section being overgrown in late spring and summer. Along this section of Fodderstack there was one good spot to get a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains.   The trail junction with Crowder Branch is a little confusion as it spits into three different trails, but Crowder Branch picks up further down on what is listed as #139 Big Stack Gap Branch. If you turn left here, just a little further down the trail you will hit another junction for #84 Crowder Branch.   Here there are two really good places to camp. One is at the first trail junction with Big Stack where there is a flat grassy area just along the trail. The downsides to this spot are that it is right on the trail, and you do have to walk a little way to get to the water source. The second spot is just past the second trail junction with Crowder Branch just before you hit the downhill section of this hike. It too is right on the trail, but it is not particularly traveled, and it is right next to a mountain spring for easy access to water. I am planning to do an overnight stay here soon.   It is here at the second campsite that the trail gets confusing. I actually had to break out the map and compass to get my bearings and still think I missed the actual trail in several places. The area is extremely overgrown and the trail itself does not look well-traveled, so the path becomes unclear. As long as you stay close to Crowder Branch you should not get lost as the stream takes you all the way back to Doublecamp Road.   I hiked in Crowder Branch for a time until I was able to pick up the trail again. Several sections of the trail are extremely narrow with a downward angle that makes it difficult even before you add the slippery leaves to the mix. I was planning to do a video for this hike but had Frank with me and at this point really had to stop filming to concentrate on not falling or getting lost. I do plan to put a video together when I go back for my overnight.   It was this very angled section of trail I could not tell for sure if it was the actual trail, but it did look like some kind of footpath. As you get further down the trail becomes more well defined and you end up back at Doublecamp Road.  To complete the loop, you will need to take Doublecamp road back to the Mill Branch trailhead. This really is not a bad walk, just watch out for traffic as in the summer months this area becomes busy. This was a fun hike with just enough “pucker factor” to keep one on their toes. I would not recommend this one if you do not have any experience with a map and compass. I would also say that in the summer months the trail will be a bit more overgrown with vegetation and it will be more difficult to find the trail. Get outside and hike safely my friends.

Story Links:

• Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
• AllTrails Hike Recording
• Old YouTube Video hiking just Mill Branch Out and Back
• My Website - www.alexhauck.com - 

- end -