North Fork of Citico Trail
North Fork of Citico Trail is a 5.4-mile trail in Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee and North Carolina. The forest has not published allowed uses for it. It enters Citico Creek Wilderness and Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness.
Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Cherokee National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.
Map
One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.
| One end | 35.3984° N, 84.0757° W · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 35.3820° N, 84.0096° W · Directions ↗ |
The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start.
The trail
| Length | 5.4 miles |
| Type | land trail |
| Accessibility | Not evaluated |
| Trail numbers | 98 |
| Forest | Cherokee National Forest (unit 0804) |
| States | Tennessee, North Carolina |
| Detail published | centerline only |
Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.
Weather by month
Wilderness
- Citico Creek WildernessFS · about 98% of the line is insideWilderness Connect ↗
- Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock WildernessFS · the line touches the boundaryWilderness Connect ↗
Inside a designated wilderness, bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited by law regardless of the trail record, and permits or group limits may apply.
Trailheads
The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.
Trails nearby
Camping nearby
Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedRx - Buck Branch
10 mi from the trail midpoint · 652 acres
- PrescribedRx - Rymer Camp
29 mi from the trail midpoint · 381 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.
Cherokee National Forest publishes this trail as a centerline only, with no class, surface or allowed uses. What is here is the name, the length and the line. The forest office has the rest.
Checked every Sunday. Sections appear on the first run after the forest publishes more.
Explore
Historic places nearby
Guidebooks for Cherokee National Forest and Tennessee
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
- Cherokee National Forest hiking guideWilliam H. Skelton and Lamar Alexander, 2024Find at Bookshop.org
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the North Fork of Citico Trail?
The Forest Service records 5.4 miles under this name in Cherokee National Forest, the sum of 1 segment.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the North Fork of Citico Trail?
Cherokee National Forest has not published allowed uses for this trail. The forest office can say what is open.
Where does the North Fork of Citico Trail start?
The line begins at 35.3984° N, 84.0757° W and ends at 35.3820° N, 84.0096° W. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the North Fork of Citico Trail in a wilderness area?
Yes. It enters Citico Creek Wilderness and Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.
Source: Citico Creek Wilderness
Where can I camp near the North Fork of Citico Trail?
Swan Cabin Group Camp (1.5 mi), Indian Boundary (1.8 mi) and Jake Best Campground (3.8 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 3 with site counts and booking links.
Source: Campsite Atlas
Who manages the North Fork of Citico Trail?
Cherokee National Forest, Forest Service unit 0804. The trail is in Tennessee and North Carolina.
Is there a fire near the North Fork of Citico Trail?
The interagency feed shows 2 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx - Buck Branch at 10 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 1 segment named North Fork of Citico Trail in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0804. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed November 1, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.