Smokies/BRP Fire Tower

“There's another fire tower I'm trying to find out if it still exists. It's the "Barnett Lookout Tower" located halfway between the BRP end at Occonoluftee and the turnoff to Heitenooga Ridge Road to the Smokies. It's only appears a few hundred feet off the parkway, and a road called Barnett Tower Rd. stille exists to where it should be. Does anyone know if this tower is still there? It's just west of Bunches Bald and very close to the Raven Fork overlook.

Anyone? lonesurveyor?”

“Don't know if this will help, but try this:
http://www.firetower.org/”

“no it's not on there. the reason im asking here is because there is zero information on the internet about it, just like the other towers i asked about. it's odd, you'd think there's info about everything on the internet. but theres not!”

“It's listed on the Blue Ridge Parkway at
Mile 462.35 of 469.1 I'll try to look for it next month.”

“yeah i saw that site too, it lists the "barnett fire tower road", which is promising. i'm going next month too after the 10th, hopefully that stretch of parkway will be open by then.”

“anyone from maggie valley?”

“i wish”

“pjbarr - I hope to arrive in Cataloochee for opening day of the Campground. Expect to be there for 1-2 weeks before moving elsewhere in the Park. Springtime, and a young man's fancy turns to GSMNP.”

“man im jealous

im only gonna be out there a week.”

“nowslimmer,

you going to knock out all the trails in that section of the park, or do any offtrail stuff?

apparently if you keep following caldwell fork past the campsite instead of turning uphill past the big poplars, there's some monster hemlocks up there. there's at least a manway that heads up that way from the campground from the last time i checked it out (november).”

“pjbarr - Interesting. Thanks, I did not know about that manway. I did hike up in the back of the campground one day, but did not see the manway. I was looking for the remains of a supper. During the night some animals had a loud, long confrontation, which I assumed to be a disagreement about how a meal was to be split. I did not find anything.

I will be walking slowly, carefully and easily to see if there is any hope for some recovery of my knees. Everything is hinged upon how well my knees perform. I need campsites 23, 31, 33, 72, 78 and one other to complete at least one overnight at each campsite and shelter in the the Park. The last three can only be reached by water. But it will require a lot of work to strengthen my leg muscles enough to accomplish it. If the pain returns to my knees, I won't make it. Right now I've improved slightly and have not used crutches for about two weeks. But, at times, it has been difficult.

My usually routine is to start slowly and easily on short, easy trails, and then work my way up. After about two months I can usually manage shelter to shelter on the AT. But this year it has to be proven that my knees will still do it.

I have enjoyed the Big Fork Ridge Trail. Within a mile of the road the leaves are about knee deep on the trail in the fall. At the campground I enjoy visiting with the host and hostess, the maintenance people and the park rangers. Also, there are many local folks that I see there every year.
last edited: 2/09/06 10:21:24 PM”

“pjbarr -- why the interest in the fire towers?”

“dunno. like nowslimmer is collecting all the Smokies campsites/shelters, i'm collecting all the NC fire towers. don't know why the interest me - the view maybe? probably that and theyre somewhat of historical structures...built in the 1930s (usually) by the CCC. plus i've inadventently turned into a obsessive list maker - have to do all the fire towers, all the 5000 footers, 6000footers, NC county high points etc.

just like nowslimmer's campsites.”

“cool. Am a reporter here. You kept asking about fire towers, so you got my curiosity up. :-)”

“There is a long story as to why I am trying to do all the sites, but I think I'll save it for the book. But it is not because it is there. And it did not become a serious objective until I became close to it.

pjbarr - I was merely trying to let you know that I've been around a while and have a lot of experience in the park.”

“Nowslimmer, I expect to see you in Townsend for dinner at least one night.

What about a trip up to CS 6?”

“Is CS#6 near your place? Otherwise I need to build up my legs for a while first. There is not much at that site except ticks and an occasional bear. I believe there is a view of a factory or a warehouse, or is that view at 4 or 7? But, after dark it is a nice location for a campfire.

CS#1 is more my speed early in the season. I've been thinking about your front porch, too.

I do want to visit the backporch, so yes, we should get together this trip.
last edited: 2/09/06 11:46:18 PM”

“nowslimmer....how the hell have you not found your way to www.griztrax.net/wildcountry

the wildcountry forum...it's a small group of people that pretty much ONLY talks about the smokies...everyone there knows a beaucoup about the smokies as well. there's a guy there doing the campsites and shelters too, and near finished...i think he may be thre or for further along than you. he's hiking all of the trails in the park too, for the second time.

thats on my list as well, the smokies 900 miles and pisgah 400. then the southeastern waterfalls.

THEN, and only then, i'll finally head out west to get addicted out there.

what dates are you going to be in the smokies, i'll be there a week, on the same side of the park, it'd be great to meet up with you and talk smokies lure.”

“There were a lot of trees downed above the Rich Mtn. Loop Trail several years ago. And 2-3 years ago there was a good fire somewhere in the area. I would like to see what the changes have been. My guess was that all that tender, downed wood burnt.”

“NS, CS 6 is about 2/3 way up Rich Mtn. Depending on the way you go up, it is either (A) a mother of a pull, or (B) less of a pull but a longer walk.

No view of any buildings from there, but it is near where the power lines used to come over into Cades Cove from Townsend before they routed them underground.

There is a cabin about 3/4 mile from CS6 (up on the ridge) that was constructed from helicopter drops of supplies. The road up from Dry Valley to that Cabin is virtually inacessible for anything other than four wheeler or mule. The old power lines run right to it.

I think CS 6 is the best campsite that doesn't have a lot of pressure. Nice flat area for 4 or 5 tents, dependable water and usually plenty of firewood.”

“pjbarr - Thanks for the URL. It worked and I bookmarked it for a future look.

I am usually too busy chasing the girls to look for old folks talking about what the Smokies used to be like. Smokygirl and the Manager of the new Dollar General Store at Cherokee are high on my list. Then there is a nice girl working at the Deep Creek Campground Office(We've exchanged several e-mails and Christmas cards this winter) and one of the female Rangers frequently up in the Ranger office up above the CG entrance. And I have my eyes on a few librarians. Once I got two different dates on the AT within about 12 hours of each other. Both dates worked out great. I'm so old I keep wondering if each fling will be my last.

Johnny Molloy, a hiking book author, said that he thought the two of us were the only ones trying to do all the sites with overnights. And he asked me to let him know when I finish. One of my daughters said, "Why bother? Write the book yourself." And then she offered to get it published.”

“Chili - Yes, I can still picture the site in my eyes. The first time I arrived there was on a 19-day loop out of Elkmont. But I did not stay overnight, but pushed on to the Rich Mountain 8-man Shelter. So 2-3 years ago I returned there for an overnight. I was hoping that you lived close behind it so that we could just cross into the Park and be there. Coming up from Cades Cove it was a good climb, but, actually, not too bad. I believe it would be a little longer from the edge of the Park off the Rich Mtn. Rd. I guess the longer, easier hike is Schoolhouse Gap Trail to Scott Mtn. Trail. Are you aware of the caves and holes near the intersection of Schoolhouse Gap and Turkeypen Ridge Trails? It's an interesting area. (NW of the intersection.)

I need some sleep.”

“you still need to come north brother, Pjbarr and check out the Whites!”

“ENS,

planning on it, roughly for the fall...

by then ill be nearing completion of the southern fivers...and I need 10 up there to complete the "eastern highest 100" and all of the fivers in the east.

would also do some state highpointing along the way”

“I'd like to join you on some of those hikes as much as my schedule permits!

Wait until you stand atop Mt. Lafayette and look south along the Franconian Ridge, absolutely gorgeous!!!!”

“when you have that completed, I bet you'll be one of the first, if not the first to have done that! That'll be awesome.”

“pjbarr - Yes, Barnett Fire Tower is still there, a Park Ranger told me. Interesting, it is in the Blue Ridge Parkway area, not in the GSMNP. Did you get to it? I could not locate it with binoculars from any of the nearby secnic road stop areas.

The Indians appear to be getting more changes. At the Black Camp Gap the main sign about the memorial monument has been removed. In it's place a large sign announces that one is leaving the Blue Ridge Parkway. On the other side it says one is leaving GSMNP.

The Reservation to close to Smokemont. They previously had to close part of a trail there because it passed through Reservation Territory. Just NE of Mile 462 on the Blue Ridge Parkway I followed a southbound road downhill for many miles and ended up at Highway 19 just east of the Cherokee Bingo Place. I, also, drove north from there for 3.5 miles before returning to the Parkway. Since I was in the Reservation, although there were no warning signs, I could have been in trouble, if any car problem had happened.

I plan to hike to the tower in the near future.
last edited: 6/03/06 9:55:58 AM”

“nowslimmer,

yes i went to the tower in april. it is off the parkway, at a gated gravel road with the road sign "barnett fire tower rd". it's a half mile hike to the top, where the tower still exists, in great condition. the stairs are metal and the views into the smokies, and of the plott balsams, is incredible. however, the tower is fenced and barbed/razor wired, and at most times, the fence is very tall. enclosed within the large fence is also a fire warden's cabin, which is still used, as is the fire tower. no one was occupying either, as it wasn't fire season.

if you go during the summer, you will likely find the fire warden in the cabin and could ask him to come inside and ascend the tower. it would be difficult to get to the door to knock on it though.

the tower and cabin are identical to the one still in use atop chambers mountain near maggie valley.”

“The Ranger, who has never been to the tower, told me it was 0.75 mile. Not important, I hiked to it today, but I did not get any views. There was a hole in the fence, but I did not enter. On my long-lost-legs it took me an hour going up and 1.5 hours coming down. I took several pictures of the tower, the house and all the antennas.”