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 Tellico ATV and Dirt Bike Trails

RECREATIONAL GROUPS DECRY TELLICO CLOSURE

October 15, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Greg Mumm, BlueRibbon Coalition
              208-244-2112
              Jay Bird, Southern Four Wheel Drive Association
              757-546-7969

Conservation groups dedicated to active and sustainable management of the Upper Tellico OHV Area expressed deep disappointment with the U.S. Forest Service decision to permanently close the Tellico trails.  The decision, which follows an earlier "temporary" closure, was announced in documents published by the USFS yesterday morning.

Gary Parsons, President of the Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, reacted by saying, "The Forest Service is simply wrong in this decision.  This public agency has ignored an independent study by Caliber Engineering and the recommendations of its own Trails Unlimited Team, which demonstrated effective management is attainable and offered specific suggestions to achieve that goal."

The agency announcement by Forest Supervisor Marisue Hilliard again parroted the water quality issues long favored by preservationist special interests as the excuse for closure.  Jay Bird, Chairman of the Rescue Tellico Committee, noted, "The Tellico River is in excellent shape and complies with all legal requirements.  Only through blatant modification of proper methodology, such as measuring turbidity levels during peak runoff, can the Forest Service claim there is legal basis to take any action, let alone closure."

"Sadly, we are not surprised.  It now appears the Forest Service knew it would close the Area years ago, and undertook the intervening 'public process' to justify a decision already made," said Greg Mumm, Executive Director of the BlueRibbon Coalition. "We are sorely disappointed that the Forest Service has determined it cannot effectively manage the Upper Tellico OHV Area that users have supported with millions of dollars in fees and thousands of hours of volunteer labor.  With our recreational partners, we will evaluate all options that may change that determination."

This area has 12 fun and challenging trails. Since we got rained out we were only able to ride three and went over 30 miles.

This area is only about 2 to 3 hours from Atlanta and is a lot better than any other riding areas near Atlanta. This is as close to Rocky Mountain riding I have seen in the East.  Most of the trails at Tellico should be considered difficult.

The old man shows us young guys how to get up one the tougher sections of trail two. Notice the depth of the trail in the picture, it is very deep, steep and rocky though it is hard to tell in the photo.

This creek crossing is on trail 5 and is a good place to camp. Be aware that the rocks can get slippery we it starts to rain.  I would consider Tellico to be the most scenic trail systems east of the Rockies.  Camping is allowed along the trail and there are several great spots along the many creeks and rivers.  There are also several camping areas along the road that goes to Tellico Plains.

This area is very popular with 4x4 users. Due to the rain I was only able to get a glance at a very rocky trail but it seemed to be the place to be if you drive a 4x4.

This area was very busy on the day we were there. We saw motorcycles, ATVs, Jeeps, and this thing.

Click this link to see the Tellico Trail Map

Directions: From Atlanta take I-575 north and it will turn into Hwy 5 follow to North Carolina and follow the signs to Murphy. Take the Business loop into downtown and take a left onto Tennessee St. This will turn into Joe Brown Rd. Continue to the blinking light and take a right onto Hanging Dog Rd. Stay on this all the way to Davis Creek Rd. Take a right on Davis Creek Rd. This road will turn into gravel and eventually turn into Trail 1. After it turns into gravel, it is about 3 miles to the staging area/trailhead

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