Note: If you’re getting this page after clicking the link to “Tellico Trail Guide” on JeepsOnly, it’s because that web page is not working at this time.
The Upper Tellico OHV area outside Murphy, NC is one of the most famous trail systems in the US. It’s been called the “Moab of the east” for it’s variety or scenic and hardcore rockcrawling trails. Located on the Tennessee, North Carolina border, its location just south of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park gives some indication to the splendor of the scenery on the trails. Tellico, as most people call it, is managed by the US Forest Service and is open 365 days a year. Access to the park is only $5 or $10 per vehicle per day, depending on the time of year. Camping is available.
I Love Jeeps had a great trail guide for Tellico that has recently gone missing. Apparently the page didn’t survive a website redesign. This is too bad, as there aren’t many Tellico area guides available. This is one of the first links we added back in 2000 and thousands of users have clicked it over the years. While there is no official Tellico website, Tellico4×4 provides an alternative to the missing “Tellico Trail Guide” link:
Tellico4×4.com - an un-affiliated online store with a few pages dedicated to the OHV area.
For more information, try a Tennessee or North Carolina Jeep Club such as the Tennessee Virtual Jeep Club.
- Link type: trail guide
- Link: Ilovejeeps Tellico Trail Guide (archived - not working)
Back in May I learned about a brand new offroad park opening in South Carolina called Gulches ORV Park. This is great news for Jeep enthusiasts on the east coast, since 4×4 trails are few and far between compared to out west. So I called park owner Skip and asked for some more details and this is what he told me:
Across the US Jeep enthusiasts are losing access to public trails every month. While some new OHV parks are opening, many charge $40 or more per day and sometimes PER PERSON. That’s why it’s refreshing to see a new OHV park open that’s FREE, large enough to accomodate many Jeeps (over 200 miles of marked trails) with terrain diverse enough to satisfy stock Jeeps and hardcore rockcrawlers alike. But to me, the more amazing part of this OHV park is the fact that it’s operated by a local government. No need to put a tinfoil hat on, the government in this case is the county of Harlan Kentucky and the reason they’ve created the Black Mountain Recreation Park is to stimulate the economy of this mining area. What a fantastic idea! They’ve taken a mining area and converted into a tourist attraction, one that guarantees business for the gas stations, convenience stores, garages, hotels and restaurants in town. More business means more jobs, which is good for the economy and the people of this county and Kentucky.