These Upper Tellico ORV Area trail descriptions are our opinions, drawn from many years of trail riding on these very trails. Tellico trails are tough! Stock vehicles should avoid them! These descriptions assume moderately dry conditions. Rain or wet conditions put many of these trails into the impossible category. Please stay off the trails during and after rain because you're causing too much erosion that floods into the Tellico river. Suspended sedimentation is measured and analyzed and high numbers of silt in the river are used to argue for closing the area.
General rules of behavior on these trails:
Trail 1 - not really a trail, but a gravel road that serves as the entrance from Murphy to the ORV area. Trail 1 goes all the way from Murphy, NC over the mountains to Tennessee (where the paved river road leads to Tellico Plains). This gravel road requires a high-clearance vehicle (2WD is ok), but no trailers or long or low vehicles due to very sharp switchbacks. Traffic is 2-way, but the road frequently is only one lane wide. Keep your speed low to avoid sliding off the trail and down the mountain (several people have lost their lives in just this way).
Trail 2 - there's a "lower" (or "bottom") part and an "upper" part to trail 2. The bottom of 2 is extremely hard. Huge tires and dual lockers are recommended. There's a nice rock garden near the beginning that gives you a warm-up for the final stretch near the end of "bottom of 2". Winches are a must. The upper part of 2 is also hard, but not nearly as hard as the lower. The lower and upper are connected by a gravel road that also gives an easy 10 minute exit to the paved river road in Tennessee. After you break axles and driveshafts on lower 2, you can use the gravel road to get out early. You always ride #2 going up, first through the bottom and then through the upper part. Starts on trail 1 near the NC/TN state line and comes back out on trail 1 far toward Murphy. No other trails connect to this trail.
Trail 3 - a long and mostly boring trail that provides an exit after climbing trail 11 or trail 12. Goes through dense woods. Most everyone goes down this trail and there's no real reason to go up it. Not hard. Trail 3 starts off trail 4 and eventually shrinks down to an ATV-only trail.
Trail 4 - a long winding trail with one end off trail 1 well toward the Murphy side and the other end near the inner end of trail 6. One of the less difficult trails, but not recommended for stock vehicles. Trails 3 and 5 end into it. Trail 11 starts on it.
Trail 5 - a short trail starting on trail 1 and ending into trail 4. It's frequently used as a "quick" exit off trail 4 (and trails 11 / 12 / 3). Not hard in either direction. This trail used to be very hard going in (uphill) and fairly tricky coming out, but it was recently smoothed and covered in large gravel to keep down the silt run-off into the adjacent river.
Trail 6 - a fairly easy trail that starts at the TN/NC state line and leads deep into the ORV area to give access to trails 4 and 7 (and indirectly to several other trails). 6 is one of the few trails that has gotten easier over the years. May be passable by high-clearance stock vehicles with an experienced driver. This trail is frequently traversed in both directions.
Trail 7 - a short trail over Peckerwood Creek; also known as the "Peckerwood Connector", because it connects trail 6 to trail 8. Contains a short but extremely steep and difficult hill climb that usually has to be winched due to the danger of rolling over backwards. This trail becames a sled ride when wet. Anyone attempting to go down this trail will have to be winched down from above to prevent an end-over-end roll. Don't go down this trail.
Trail 8 - a very long loop trail in the back of the ORV area. Moderately difficult and scenic, with several campsites in the woods. Starts and ends on trail 4 within a few hundred feet of itself. Can be ridden both directions, but counter-clockwise is a bit more challenging.
Trail 9 - a short steep trail that shortcuts the long loop of trail 8. Extremely tough. Tall tires, dual lockers, and winch required. This trail contains the obstacles known as "hard rock" and "slick rock" and has the highest rollover occurance of any trail. The "rock garden" leads up to these two obstacles. You cannot "crawl" on these rocks. They offer very little traction. Do not go down this trail.
Trail 10 - a motorcycle and ATV trail only! No 4WD vehicles allowed.
Trail 11 - refered to as "helicopter pad," which is really just a flat mountain top near the top of the trail and, yes, it's really used as a helicopter landing pad in times of fire or medical emergency. The last climb up to helicopter pad is a sure-fire way to get body damage (or a roll over) if you don't make it on the first try. And you can't make it on the first try. You could, however, take the bypass. Earlier in the trail is an obstacle known as "guard rail," because there really is (or was until recently) a guard rail at a very steep rock climb (aka the wall). The guard rail was supposed to keep your Jeep from falling down the mountain when you slid back down the wall. Apparently the guard rail saved one too many vehicles, because it's been pushed down. There is no bypass at guard rail. Needless to say, you do not go down this way. Once you're at the top (helicopter pad), you still have to go down the back side of trail 11, which can be a lot of "fun", too. It's steep with rocks up to your door (or window if your vehicle isn't very tall). The back side eventually leads into trail 3, past the start of trail 12, and on to trail 4. This is an all-day trip.
Trail 12 - also known as "School Bus" hill due to the legendary existence of an old school bus that was used as a hunt camp. This trail is extremely steep and very slick when wet. It's gotten a little bit easier over the years, but it varies and continues to be one of the most difficult trails. Some rocks, but more slick dirt. A couple of spots strongly recommend winches. Going up only is recommended, though some people go down (with danger of nose diving). Starts off trail 3 and ends on trail 11 just after the helicopter pad..
What's the hardest trail at Tellico? It varies with the conditions of the trails, the weather, and your vehicle setup. Trails "bottom of 2", 9 and 11 probably alternate in positions 1, 2, and 3. Trail 12 gets a close 4th. Trail 7 is probably 5th (only because you can quickly winch up the one tough spot).
The Upper Tellico ORV Area is located in the Tusquitee District of the Nantahala National Forest. It is in North Carolina, near Murphy, NC and Tellico Plains, TN.
There are a total of about 39 miles of trails. The clubs and members of the Southern 4WD Association maintain these trails. Please take care of them as we spend thousands of hours each year on trail maintenance. Thanks.