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^{Wolf Creek Mtn}

Difficulty Rating - Easy/Moderate/Severe

Moderate.  5 miles of switchbacks up the mountain.  Also 5 miles of switchbacks down the mountain.  But it's Forest roads and fairly gentle slopes.  

Directions to start

From Knoxville, TN
Take I-40 to exit 432 (?) the Left Hand Newport exit.
This merges onto Hwy 25/Hwy 70.  
Watch mileage markers.  At apx mile 20, Wolf Creek Rd. is marked on the RIGHT.
Go RIGHT on Wolf Creek Rd.  
Take a RIGHT at Wolf Creek Church - Road is muddy and potholed.
At the Split/Bar -- park and unload.
Right goes down to the creek
Left goes up the mountain

Route: 
10 miles - Graveled/Dirt & switchbacks up the mountain for 4.75 miles.  Last .25 miles is downhill to a dead end.  We are guessing that there is a 1000+ feet of elevation change, bottom to top.

START
From the split at Wolf Creek, go UP the mountain through/under the bar. (We could not drive so we could not map out mile markers.)
MILE 1-4.75
Go up hill through Rhododendron forests along creek side, then hardwoods and conifer forests.
MILE 4.75
Go DOWN hill.
MILE 5
Dead end circle. Lunch Break.
MILE 6-10
Reverse Route.

Trip Report:
SACHS: This was a great trip.  But steep.  The dogs started at a run (blast off) and settled into an easy walk to climb the whole way up.  It's not unrelenting.  Hills, then slightly flat, then switchbacks around outcroppings and along the sides of the mountain.  The views are unrivaled.  There was snow on the road on the north slopes.  The valley's drop away steeply.  The roads were in great shape as this is a National Forest.  My 3 Malamutes and 3 Siberians pulled the cart, gear and me at a steady walk -- and finally learned how to pull.  Took us 2 hours to get in, and 45 minutes to come back.  They ran 3 miles back without stopping and Tami and I took turns riding the brake and not running up on the dogs. Lane took his Malamute Ootik and the sacco cart.  Shawna took two Siberians and her scooter.  Even with Tami walking the entire way, she was only 5 minutes behind the teams to the turn-around.  sleddog@gte.net