The Coker Creek Scenic Area is a 3 mile long, 375 acre protected area in the Cherokee National Forest. The trail is well marked and in places is fairly rugged, occasionally at creek level and elsewhere climbing well above the creek to cross ridges. Our tent is barely visible in the trees on the left shore of Coker Creek, about a quarter mile above its confluence with the Hiwassee River. This was a magnificent area to camp and we had the place to ourselves, but be forewarned: Forest Service Road 22 ends here which means people can drive to this location and camp here. The photo is taken from the bridge which carries the John Muir Trail across the creek.
Coker Creek Scenic Area is famous for its series of 5 or more falls, ranging from a few feet in height to 40 feet tall, which cascade down the canyon for a quarter mile or so.
The Hiwassee River with Coker Creek entering from the left. Boulder hopping allows you to scamper to a sandy beach just below the confluence, following a steep, tricky climb down a side trail from the John Muir Trail several hundred feet above the river level. The Hiwassee gets its name from the Cherokee word "ayuwasi" which means "savanna" or "meadow at the foot of the hills." John Muir, in preparation for his walk across South America, did a 1000 mile "warmup hike" from Kentucky to Florida in 1867. His trek took him along the Hiwassee River which he called "a most impressive mountain river with its surface broken to a thousand sparkling gems, and its forest walls vinedraped and flowery as Eden."
Len on the Unicoi Mountain Trail which ascends for 4 miles on the ridge between Coker Creek and the Hiwassee River. Note the early stages of the spring greening-up high on the mountain as compared to the already lush green in the valley (from the evergreens prolific along the banks and the presence of the early-greening mountain laurels.) I heard a crashing in the underbrush far down slope, followed by a gunshot, reminding me that we were in the forest during the 5 week spring turkey hunting season. The 19 mile long John Muir Trail meets the Coker Creek and Unicoi Mountain Trails in this area, providing 3 fine trails to explore in one locale (as well as the side trail down to the river.)