Mapping the Sheltowee

[chuckc1971]

[I.B.Me]

All good questions Chuck. Unfortunately I do not have any of the answers

I am sugesting two or three experienced people just take off on foot and see what the conditions are like as well as where the trail leads. Officially the trail is closed so we would risk hitting a dead end and circling back to public roads and them trying to pick the trail back up at other points. It would be helpful to have a map of some sort.

Boyd-- do you have any map that has the Jenny Wiley on it?

This would only be possible in the winter time while people's woodland "crops" are not in season. I could see a summertime version of this trip getting messy in a hurry.

[I.B.Me]

You should call the USFS or cave run bike shop about pushing bikes on non-bike sections. I would say it would not be allowed but if it is then all of the trail is "open to bikes".

[jbd]

Here is something I found regardingthe Jenny Wiley trail. I'm not sure of the exact but there is an indication of a date in early 2007.

http://www.americantrails.org/resources/ManageMaintain/MaintKYJennyWiley.html

[Chilton]

There near the north term at the dry branch intersection there is a side shoot that leads to the Jenny Wiley trail that runs clear to the river. If a hiker decided to take that route they would only miss the northern most 9 miles of the ST and would be able to hike from Tennessee to Ohio in one trail. The Jenny Wiley has however been closed for a few years (4 or 5) due to property being neglected by 4 wheelers and a lack of concern for maintenance. This may offer a simple solution to extending the trail northward and would be quite a bit of work however it must be less than trying to blaze an entirely new path for a northward extension. What do you think?

[Chilton]

Apparently I got my threads mixed up... sorry if my last thread is confusing.

The Jenny Wiley connector is literally about 50 yards south of the dry branch intersection on the left side of the trail. Rick and I actually stopped and took a look at it a few weeks ago.

[jbd]

[chuckc1971]

Thanks jbd. I did used the contact info suggested on the federal site.

My original query:

"I am in the planning stages of a a bikepacking trip of the Sheltowee in 2009. I am a fairly accomplished mountain biker. What I would like to do is to connect legal (for bike) sections of Sheltowee with other trails, forest service roads, etc. There is a fairly nice topo map available on the sheltoweetrace.com website, but I can't tell from these maps which section is which. Therefore, I can't tell where I would need to route around or which road to use to connect legal sections. Specifically, I am referring to sections 12-14 and sections 31-38. Are there any maps available of these specific sections and maybe the sections before and after? Most of the links for these sections are dead or there are no links.

Lastly, on these hike only sections, would it be allowed for me to push my bike or would the bike have to be carried? I had thought of tying my bike to a pack for the non-legal sections."

The reply which I received:

" have forwarded your message to the Districts that have sections of the Sheltowee to answer your questions about where you can legally bike and options for going around the sections that are not open to Biking.

Sections 1-17 are on the Cumberland District
Sections 18-27 are on the London District
and Sections 28- end are on the Stearns District.

It would help our web manager if you could let us know which links are not working. Our website has over 900 pages.

Ann B. Braun
Program Assistant: IWEB-Infra/GIS/Info Management
Recreation, and Engineering
Daniel Boone National Forest

Phone 859.745.3159
Fax 859.744.1568"

To which I replied:

Thanks for the reply.

I am referring to the website below:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/boone/recreation/sheltowee.shtml

All the trail sections marked for the Cumberland Ranger District do not have maps linked to them. I’ve searched all over and can’t find any maps that refer to these “sections.”
The London District has complete maps and descriptions.
The links for sections of the Stearns districts are all dead.
If there are other trail maps, topos, etc. available for the Sheltowee and it’s immediate surroundings, that would be great."

The Stearn's forest ranger sent me the following:

"I would really suggest you stop at section 30. Sections 31-38 are hiking. That is a total of 33 miles. Although you could carry your bike on National Forest, part of the Sheltowee Trace (sections 32-34) goes through the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area managed by the Park Service 423-569-9778. You would have to check with them about carrying it. Although there are some sections you could ride along the roads, that is probably not the type of experience you'd want. Also many of the roads are narrow and curvy and would not be safe to ride.
***********************************
Laurie A. Smith
Supervisory Forester (ORA)
Daniel Boone National Forest
Stearns Ranger District
3320 Hwy 27 North
Whitley City, KY 42653
606-376-5323 ext. 102
606-376-3734 fax
lauriesmith@fs.fed.us"

To which I replied:

"Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, with no map available of the Sheltowee in your district, I would have no way of pre-planning my ride. I am very comfortable with riding on trails to roads including rural roads.

Thanks for the contact of the park service in Big South Fork. Fortunately for me, maps for this area are readily available."


Any help from your contact would be appreciated!

[matt.hoyes]

Hi there. I'm Matt that wrote the biowheels article about crossing the Trace on mtn. bike over New Year's 2000. I'm very interested in continuing to establish the Sheltowee Trace as a mtn. bike through trail and I'm planning a fully supported crossing over the upcoming summer solstice. The mission is to complete it faster than it's been done before - 4 days is what I know of as the record.

I'd like to do this to establish an official bike route around (rather than packing my bike though) any hiking only sections, although I think chuckc's through trip sounds very cool.

This solstice trip would also give those of us involved this spring to scout and work on mapping the best bike route with no poaching. Don't want to pack my bike over Natural Bridge again. See attached pic.

Glad I've found this site. The maps are sweet and you all seem to be doing a great job making this trail the national caliber trail that it should be. Can't wait to get involved.

[img][/img]

[chuckc1971]

Matt,

What you propose is essentially what I planned to do. Well, I hoped to do it in around that time period anyway.

So, I am very curious of your knowledge of the area and your plans.

If you don't mind, can you e-mail me directly @ chuckc1971 AT insightbb DOT com.

Thanks!

[Chilton]

4 days is crazy fast when I compare it to how long I typically think of making the trail in. I've read quite a bit of your article Matt, good stuff. How do you deal with the real ruff terrain link in the Red River Gorge area? Are you just good enough to be able to ride that tpye or is there much packing the bike down and up steep or tricky spots? I myself have an Iron Horse but I'd kill myself riding some of that stuff.

[chuckc1971]

RRG is very much off limits for biking. So, it's kind of a moot point.

To partially answer your question, it gets much harder to conquer sections both with carrying extra weight, as well as, when you have steep, and/or stepped, trails. Going down is not as big of a deal as going up. I've ridden down many hills that I would have trouble walking down with a heavy pack. Having multiple ascending steps in quick succession while going up is just a PITA. You have to push or carry.

[tannerbend]

I have mountain biked most of the sections of the trail that are not closed to bikes. The only section that I have not ridden is from 8 miles north of Turkey Foot to about 3 miles south of Natural Bridge State Park. The majority of the "hike and bike" sections that I encountered were in the southern sections of the trail, although there are many sections along the whole trail that would be sketchy if the bike was loaded down with heavy gear. When you look at the profile there are several 300 to 450 foot climbs and decents, and also lots of sections with rocks and roots, but most if it is definitely rideable. If you are a hard core rider it would be easy to cover the distance in 7 to 10 days.

I have ridden from the Tennessee border all the way to Cumberland Falls and from the northern border of Cumberland Falls State Park up to where the trace crosses I-75 at Livingston and on to Turkey Foot. It would be easy to ride around Cumberland Falls State Park by intersecting the Forest Service Road at Bark Camp Creek or Dog Slaughter Creek (both have great trails to ride to get you from the trace to the Forest Service Road. Dog Slaugther Creek Trail and the most southernmost section of the Trace are my favorite technical riding trails.) This road leads to the highway that passes through the park.) When I rode the Livingston area it was when it was still open to off-road vehicles and it was easy to lose the trail with all of the illegal trails, but hopefully mother nature has started the process of reclaiming the damages that were done.

The sections from Rockcastle River to S-Tree and Turkey Foot see a lot of motorcycle and 4-wheelers, so that section is mostly double track. The sections from the Cave Run Dam going south go by two busy horse camps, so the horse traffic can muck up the trail in the winter when it is wetter. North of Cave Run Lake the trail does not get as much traffic.

The only other section you would have to ride around is Natural Bridge State Park and the Red River Gorge. Just prior to entering the Natural Bridge State Park from the south you can catch an old gravel road that takes you down to the highway. You can follow the highway north and take Kentucky 11/15 to Pine Ridge and take 748 through the Gorge area down to the Red River where you can link back up with the trail. The Bluegrass cycling club uses these road for their Red River Rally, so they are definitely rideable.

I think you would be better off going "light" and carry gear on your back and bike frame rather than tow a Bob trailer behind your bike. Resist riding on the sections that are closed to bikes. I'm a firm believer in multi-use as it allows more people to enjoy a wonderful natural resouce, but backpackers and day hikers definitely need some trails that they can enjoy solice without having to worry about a cyclist flying around a corner or having to dodge "horse apples". Buy the U.S. Forest Service maps for the nothern half and southern half of the D.B. Forest. You will find these to be valuable resources as they do show all roads and potential restocking points along the route.

Happy Trail

[chuckc1971]

Tannerbend:

Thanks for the info. I will be printing that off and using it to plan my trip.

One thing that doesn't make sense to me is that you say the RRG and Natural Bridge are the only sections that do not allow mountain biking.

However, when I go to the following site, it clearly states mountain biking is now allowed in Sections 31-38 in the Stearns District.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/boone/recreation/sheltowee.shtml

Did you guys simply avoid this or is biking allowed?

[tannerbend]

I rode the southern sections about 10 years ago. At that time the section that passed through Big South Fork National Park was closed, but the other sections were open. When the trace leaves Rock Creek you climb up to a gravel road that borders BSF and the DBNF. This section follows a gravel road for several miles and was open to bikes as were the horse trails in BSF, although those were mostly old dirt roads, so the best riding in BSF was on the Tennessee side near the campground.

The sections along Rock Creek are very technical with lots of rocks and roots and combined with the scenery made a great weekend of riding and fishing. I made several camping trips to Great Meadows specifically to ride these trails and trout fish.

As you move north the trail passes back into DBNF and eventually passes through BDF as it finally meets the Big South of the Cumberland. The website you show in your last post shows the southern sections as hiking trails. I suggest calling the DBF office to see if these sections are open.
There used to be a DBF office down there at that time and the paper maps of the trails in that area they mailed to me showed most of it as being multi-use.

I would assume it is still closed where the trace passes through BDF south
of Yahoo Falls so it is best to contact the BDF office about that section.