Gateway Trail

Dogs Off-leash

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Wildlife

The yellow-blazed Gateway (aka Old Farm) Trail links the Huckleberry Trail at its terminus in Heritage Park with all of the Pandapas/Poverty Creek trails in the Jefferson National Forest. Starting from the Heritage Park parking lot off Meadowbrook Drive, hike across the street and east along the northern side of the street for a hundred yards or so until the trail turns left (north) following signs to Gateway Park.

Hike through the grassy entrance and onto the signed singletrack in the forest The trail climbs steadily with some of its steepest climbing at the beginning of the forested section. In the upper half of the trail, there are three switchbacks with rock armor (imagine a cobblestone street) to reduce erosion. Some of the yellow blazes have numbers (some of which are faded) which ascend as you ascend until you reach number 32 just before the junction with the Forest Service Road along the ridge of Brush Mountain which doubles as the Horse Nettle Trail. Continue straight to stay on the Horse Nettle Trail and reach the top of the yellow-blazed Jacobs Ladder Trail another 100 yards ahead. From the top of the Gateway Trail, if you take a right onto Horse Nettle Trail you could follow that all the way to the Pandapas Upper Parking Lot or a quarter mile from the top of Gateway to the right is the top of the Snake Root Trail.

This is a shared trail with mountain bikers and horses. Keep a heads up and the earbuds out to listen for mountain bikers speeding down the hills. When encountering a horse, it is proper etiquette to step off the trail to the downhill side and stop until the horse has passed. Also, be sure to wear bright colors during hunting season (October 1 through the first week of January). And be friendly; say "hi" to other folks out enjoying the forest! And check out the Poverty Creek Trail Coalition on Facebook to see about opportunities to give back and do some trail service!