This short and easy hiking trail features creeks, waterfalls, and swimming spots while showcasing local history within the serenity of a protected forest.
The Hiwassee River area is full of outdoor recreational activities. But Gee Creek Trail is a hidden gem among these. It features a short and fairly easy hiking trail with multiple points of access to the refreshing creek. Keep reading for hiking tips, a bit of history about the Gee Creek area, and all the details you’ll need to plan your own visit.
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Gee Creek Trail
The Gee Creek Trail is an out-and-back hike just over a mile long, though most people stop around the one-mile mark at what’s commonly known as “Gee Creek Falls” or the “Twin Falls.” Beyond the falls is less traveled and more overgrown so it’s hard to say where the trail really goes past here.
Gee Creek itself runs alongside the trail and features numerous swimming holes, small waterfalls, and shallow streams. There are many spots where you can easily venture down to the water to cool off. This is a favorite of mine, especially during the hot, summer months.
Gee Creek Wilderness
One part of the trail that confused me at first was the “Gee Creek Wilderness” sign we passed about a quarter-mile into our hike. That’s because the trailhead and the first portion of the hike are within the Cherokee National Forest, while the remainder lies in the designated Gee Creek Wilderness. The wilderness area spans over 2,500 acres and was established by Congress in 1975.
You might be asking, “What’s the difference?” Well, national forests are protected but allow for camping and regulated use of natural resources by the government. They typically surround national parks as a protection barrier. For example, the Cherokee National Forest buffers the Smoky Mountain National Park.
However, there are areas of wilderness that have been set aside to be just wilderness. Wilderness areas are protected by the government from any sort of disturbance, including camping. For example, you can camp in the Cherokee National Forest, in fact you’ll see a campsite along this first section of the trail. But just ahead is Gee Creek Wilderness where camping is not permitted. The point of the wilderness is to enjoy it as it is and keep it as untouched as possible.
History of Gee Creek
Gee Creek is located near the Copper Basin, where copper was discovered and mined starting in the 1850s. This led to the construction of the “Old Copper Road” which is now part of modern-day U.S. Route 64. When copper ore is mined it has to be smelted. And in order to operate the smelters they needed to utilize all the surrounding forests for lumber. Gee Creek was one of the forest areas that fell victim to the heavy lumber use.
During the smelting process silica is often used to bind with the impurities and extract them, leaving the copper behind. Silica is found in nature in the form of quartz. This is where Gee Creek comes in. The remaining concrete in the wilderness area is what’s left of the quartz mining flume (see photos below). This flume tunneled the water downstream and was used to mine minerals.
How Nature is Affected by the Mining
In the early 1900s, the Tennessee Copper Company came on scene and purchased almost all of the current mining companies in the Copper Basin. With this they built a smelter in Copperhill, TN, which unfortunately caused devastation to its surroundings. The smelting process created an exhaust in the form of sulfur dioxide, which turned into acid rain and killed what nature was left in the area.
Due to this damage, lawsuits forced the company to find other alternatives. They quickly decided to use the exhaust and turn it into sulfuric acid to sell instead. It was a win-win for everyone, although at this point, so much damage had already been done. Over 32,000 acres had been affected by the copper mining, and it showed in erosion and lack of plants and wildlife, on both land and in the water.
Following the spiked demand for copper from World War II, came the massive decline in the 1950s. Mines were closed one by one with the final mine closing in 1987. Despite the ruin that was caused in the Copper Basin, the Tennessee Copper Company worked with TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) in the 1930s to begin planting new trees and treating the earth with lime to absorb the remaining acid. By the turn of the century most of the area had returned as well as possible to its pre-mining state. Cherokee National Forest and the surrounding wooded areas are what we enjoy today thanks to this restoration effort.
Tips for Hiking Gee Creek Trail
First of all, this trail is extremely easy for the first three-quarters of a mile. It’s part of the old logging and mining road, so the trail is wide and mostly flat with the only steep elevation appearing in the form of rocks or tree roots that take you up about four feet at most. There’s only one creek crossing in this beginning section and it has a bridge.
You can easily hike this trail without getting wet, but I would suggest making the most of it and planning to at least wade in the water some. You can even walk through the creek by the bridge (which is how we crossed on our hike back).
How to be Safe When You Hike
Now for the bad news. Around the three-quarter mile is where things get a little dicey. This is where you’ll see the remains of the quartz flume. With Gee Creek to your immediate left and a sheer rock face to your right, the trail forces you to carefully navigate broken boulder cliffs between the two. My friend did not feel comfortable attempting this so we decided to turn around here to enjoy a spot in the creek further downstream.
I cannot stress this enough. Don’t do something you’re not comfortable with. I would have loved to go past this point to see the main attraction, but safety was an issue. If you FEEL unsafe at some point while hiking, then you ARE unsafe. Just because others can get past an obstacle doesn’t mean you can too. In fact, many people choose this spot to turn around, we weren’t the only ones. This is crucial to understand because hiking can be dangerous and you need to be confident in your skills. If you cannot confidently cross a point and there’s potential for injury, DON’T DO IT. That’s how people get seriously injured or even killed.
Now that I’ve scared you, let me reiterate that this spot is not impassible. In fact, I would have done it, but I didn’t feel safe going ahead by myself so I chose not to. Trust your own judgement when it comes to hiking so that you stay safe. And remember there’s no shame in staying alive and unhurt!
Where is Gee Creek?
Gee Creek is a little off the beaten path so be sure to follow your GPS. Also note that the last mile of road is rough asphalt and eventually gravel. If it’s rained recently there may even be big mud puddles to navigate as well. I had no issues getting to the trailhead in my vehicle. There’s plenty of parking at the end of the road, which is where the trailhead begins. Note there’s another trailhead here as well that takes you up Starr Mountain. We’ll have to save that hike for another time though.
When to go to Gee Creek
We visited Gee Creek on a Sunday afternoon in June, and although there were other people there I would not say it was busy. That being said, I believe this trail is more off the beaten path so you can really visit at any time.
I also suggest visiting in the warmer months so you can take advantage of the easy creek access. If you make it up to the Gee Creek Falls there’s a deep enough hole to swim in. I believe some of the smaller holes downstream are deep enough too, though. Of course, you can visit any time of the year if you want.
Make sure the trail is open before you go. You can learn more about this on the Cherokee National Forest website.
In Closing
I would like to go back and make it just a quarter of a mile further upstream to see Gee Creek Falls. One day I will, hopefully. But even if not, it’s still worth the trip to enjoy a day by the creek. So even if you don’t go farther than we did, know that it’s still well worth it for an easy hike to enjoy nature and Gee Creek.
Be sure to watch the YouTube video of our Gee Creek adventure.
Let me know when you visit Gee Creek. I’d love to know what you think. Until then, enjoy exploring Chatt!
More Summer Hikes to Pair with Gee Creek:
- Benton Falls: A Different Hike to the Falls
- Scenic Falls: An Ocoee River Hidden Gem
- John Muir Trail: Hike Along the Hiwassee River
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