September 15, 2026
Willis Knob Horse Trail - Chattooga River Section
We had a "could be worse" humid day for this hike, with cloudy skies and temperatures in the lower 70s. The trail was quite wet from overnight rains, and because it is heavily used by horses, we had to navigate many muddy spots and slippery inclines throughout the trek. While we only saw a few wildflowers along the way, we really enjoyed the peekaboo views of the Chattooga River across two different sections, and Toby even found a fun little "waterfall" to splash in on our return path. This might not have been the best trail we have ever hiked, but our group made the most of the day by doing a good deed with carrying out two full shopping bags of trash and aluminum cans. Overall, this is an easy to moderately difficult hike that would be much more enjoyable during drier trail conditions or perhaps in the winter when the fallen leaves would open up much better views of the Chattooga River.
Today's Hikers (L-R): Renée Corbett, Edwin Pruitt, Lynn Hotle, Jack Wintle, Allyson Aldrich, Jim Driggers, Beth McDonald, Matt Henderson & Toby, Jenny Bell, Mike Bell & Sue Vaughn. ... more
The route
7.0 mi · 643 ft climbing · 4h 24m out, 3h 52m walking · 1.8 mph moving
Elevation
Hover over the profile to see the elevation and steepness. Your position will be shown on the map.
- Steepness
- Gentle under 5%
- Moderate 5–10%
- Steep 10–15%
- Very steep over 15%
25 photos are shown on the map where they were taken — click one to see it full size.
Photos (25)
There aren't many views like this on this hike. Today's Hikers (L-R): Renée, Edwin, Lynn, Jack, Allyson, Jim, Beth, Matt & Toby, Jenny, Mike & Sue. Turn here and follow Willis Knob Road to the trailhead. At the trailhead and heading out. The trail conditions varied greatly throughout the hike. Our first sight of the Chattooga River is barely seen through those trees. Not a lot of wildflowers today, but this White wood aster (L) and Downy lobelia (R) were some of the few we did see. A series of views of the Chattooga around this bend in the river. Photo by Sue Vaughn. Beth spotted this Hearts-a-burstin' along the trail. Could this be a Grass-leaved Golden Aster? Renée is demonstrating how not to slip and fall. Hey, there are some rapids along this section of the Chattooga River. Perhaps this is Smooth Chanterelles fungus, Craterellus odoratus? We're looking for the actual "Big Island" at this point in the hike, but are not sure with the dense vegetative growth along the river. We've reached our break location and Toby has gone, "hunting" again in the Chattooga. One more of the few views of the Chattooga River. So let's take that break. Sue Vaughn spots a couple of European Hornet ganging up on another hornet. On our way back we are met by riders of two horses and one mule. . . . too bad I didn't get a better photo when we stopped to talk to them. Photo by Sue Vaughn. Headed back. Toby discovers this very small waterfall on our way back and decided to cool off a bit. Surprisingly not many blow-downs on this hike, but this one was easy for most, not me, to duck under. What is this question of the day? Pale Indian Plantain. Not one, but two "what is it" questions today. Mountain sweetpepperbush Thanks to our hikers, especially Renée and Jim, for picking up and carrying out the numerous beer cans left by some thoughtless riders.