Erwin, Tennessee

For the AT hiker, Erwin is a trail town. Trail towns are communities, usually very small, easily accessible to the trail. In the case of Erwin, the trail comes off of Temple Ridge down to the Nolichucky River right at the outskirts of town. Greeting the hungry hiker as he steps foot on the road is the “snickers 40¢” sign. Ah, life is good. There is also a hiker hostel here a mere 20 feet off the trail with a bed, a shower, and a small store with hiking gear and plenty of ice cold soft drinks. One can also get a ride into town.

View of Erwin from the AT on Temple Ridge

Erwin is a community of approximately 5,000 with most of the fast food chains, a couple Laundromats, a few hotels, a grocery store, a pizza parlor, and drug stores to meet the hiker’s needs. The town folks are hiker friendly and happy to do what they can to facilitate your journey. They are accustomed to the hundreds of thru-hikers who descend on their town each spring for a one night stand.

Erwin has another advantage as a trail town—the Nolichucky River. Many hikers enjoy a break from the walking and welcome a little water sport activity.

Hiker hostel where the AT crosses the road at the Nolichucky River

For the traveler, Erwin is a destination worth considering. There are numerous trails for day hiking in the Cherokee National Forest as well as along the AT. There is the rafting and canoeing on the Nolichucky. The city has a fabulous paved greenway through town for biking or walking. For stock car race fans, the Bristol Speedway is a short drive up the interstate. It is also just a short drive to Jonesborough for the Storytelling Festival each fall. In October, the mountains around Erwin are ablaze with the fall colors of a vibrant hardwood forest.

For RVers, there is not a campground in Erwin that will accommodate the big rigs. We are parked 3 miles from the Main Street exit at Woodsmoke Campground in the very small community of Unicoi.

For me, I’m here to hike up to Temple Ridge and down again, a climb of 1300’ in a mile. Some of my friends lovingly refer to this activity as “hill repeats”.