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Cherokee National Forest roads open today
Which of Cherokee National Forest's forest roads are open to your vehicle today, from the Forest Service's own Motor Vehicle Use Map dates.
Today in Cherokee National Forest, Tue, Oct 27
Miles of designated forest road by vehicle, across 4 ranger districts in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
| Vehicle | In season | Outside its season | Designated |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATV | 0.3 mi | 6 mi | 6 mi |
| Motorcycle (dirt bike) | 0.3 mi | 6 mi | 6 mi |
| Side-by-side over 50 in | 0.3 mi | 0 mi | 0.3 mi |
| Side-by-side 50 in or narrower | 0.3 mi | 6 mi | 6 mi |
| 4x4 / Jeep | 0.3 mi | 0 mi | 0.3 mi |
| High-clearance vehicle | 691 mi | 8 mi | 699 mi |
| Passenger car | 691 mi | 8 mi | 698 mi |
| Motorhome | 690 mi | 8 mi | 698 mi |
Forest Roads Open TodayCherokee National Forest
691 mi of Cherokee National Forest's 699 mi of roads designated for high-clearance vehicles are in season today, Oct 27.
- In season
- 691 mi
- Outside their season
- 8 mi
- Dates not published
- 0 mi
Coming up
- After Oct 31: 7 mi on 30 roads close
- After Dec 15: 77 mi on 21 roads close
- After Dec 16: 20 mi on 13 roads close
- After Dec 18: 22 mi on 14 roads close
Seasonal roads for high-clearance vehicles (137)
- Unaka Mountain (FR 230) · 10 miOpen Mar 20 to Dec 15In season · closes after Dec 15
- Rich Mountain (FR 190) · 10 miOpen Mar 20 to Dec 15In season · closes after Dec 15
- Shad Road (FR 422) · 6 mi · Unaka Ranger DistrictOpen Mar 20 to Dec 15In season · closes after Dec 15
- Bitter End-Lacy Trap (FR 293) · 6 miOpen Mar 20 to May 15 and Jul 13 to Dec 15In season · closes after Dec 15
- Big Clifty (FR 404) · 5 mi · Unaka Ranger DistrictOpen Mar 20 to Dec 15In season · closes after Dec 15
- Fed Fork (FR 96-1) · 4 mi · Unaka Ranger DistrictOpen Mar 20 to Dec 15In season · closes after Dec 15
- Falls Branch (FR 374) · 4 mi · Ocoee Ranger DistrictOpen Mar 16 to May 31 and Sep 1 to Dec 31In season · closes after Dec 31
- Robbins Hollow (FR 4052) · 4 mi · Watauga Ranger DistrictOpen Sep 19 to Dec 16In season · closes after Dec 16
- Moffit Laurel (FR 4331) · 4 miOpen Mar 15 to Jan 18In season · closes after Jan 18
- Briar Creek (FR 188) · 4 miOpen Mar 20 to Dec 16In season · closes after Dec 16
- Holston Mountain (FR 202) · 4 mi · Watauga Ranger DistrictOpen Mar 20 to Dec 15In season · closes after Dec 15
- Long Br.- Dark Hollow (FR 4365) · 4 miOpen Mar 15 to Jan 18In season · closes after Jan 18
- Little Paint Creek (FR 31B) · 4 mi · Unaka Ranger DistrictOpen Mar 20 to Dec 15In season · closes after Dec 15
- Rattlesnake (FR 3242) · 4 mi · Unaka Ranger DistrictOpen Mar 20 to Dec 15In season · closes after Dec 15
- Little Mountain (FR 359) · 3 miOpen Mar 20 to Dec 15In season · closes after Dec 15
- Tavern Branch North (FR 36-1) · 3 mi · Tellico Ranger DistrictOpen Oct 1 to Dec 18In season · closes after Dec 18
- Pine Mountain (FR 4002) · 3 mi · Watauga Ranger DistrictOpen Sep 12 to Jan 18In season · closes after Jan 18
- Laurel Mt/White Rock (FR 5314) · 3 miOpen Mar 20 to Dec 15In season · closes after Dec 15
- Little Citico (FR 2403) · 3 mi · Tellico Ranger DistrictOpen Oct 1 to Dec 18In season · closes after Dec 18
- Piney Grove Rt (FR 53351) · 3 miOpen Sep 19 to Dec 16In season · closes after Dec 16
- Mill Creek (FR 56) · 3 mi · Watauga Ranger DistrictOpen Mar 20 to Dec 16In season · closes after Dec 16
- Falls Branch (FR 374) · 3 mi · Ocoee Ranger DistrictOpen Sep 1 to Dec 31In season · closes after Dec 31
- Irishman Branch (FR 313) · 3 miOpen Mar 20 to Dec 15In season · closes after Dec 15
- Tavern Branch South (FR 36) · 3 mi · Tellico Ranger DistrictOpen Oct 1 to Dec 18In season · closes after Dec 18
Source: USDA Forest Service Motor Vehicle Use Maps. Always check the official MVUM and posted signs; this map is not a legal document.
- The Forest Service's own dates
- Your vehicle, any day
- What opens and closes next
Dates from the USDA Forest Service Motor Vehicle Use Map data. Get the official map from the Forest Service. Rules: 36 CFR 212.51, 261.13.
Hunting in North Carolina
Outfitters, guides and lodges near Cherokee National Forest.
By forest
Other forests in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia
Common questions
Forest road questions
On Tue, Oct 27, 691 mi of the 699 mi of Cherokee National Forest roads designated for high-clearance vehicles are in season, and 8 mi are outside their season, by the Forest Service's Motor Vehicle Use Map dates.
After Oct 31: 7 mi on 30 roads close. After Dec 15: 77 mi on 21 roads close. After Dec 16: 20 mi on 13 roads close. Pick another vehicle or date in the tool to see its own dates.
It is the Forest Service map that says which roads, trails and areas in a national forest are open to which vehicles, and when. Under 36 CFR 212.51, motor vehicle use "shall be designated by vehicle class and, if appropriate, by time of year". This tool reads those designations for the forest roads.
No. Once a forest publishes its map, 36 CFR 261.13 makes it "prohibited to possess or operate a motor vehicle on National Forest System lands" in that unit "other than in accordance with those designations". A road outside its season is closed to that vehicle until it reopens.
From the Forest Service's own Motor Vehicle Use Map data, published for 105 national forests. It is not a legal document: carry the forest's official map and obey posted signs, which can close a road early for snow, fire or damage.
Some forests are not in the Forest Service's published road data yet. A missing forest means we do not know, never that its roads are closed; get its map from the forest's own office.
Not yet. It covers designated forest roads. Off-highway vehicle trails are on the same official map, and many forests open them on different dates.
Yes. It is free and needs no account.
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