Beautiful and remote, Fires Creek offers excellent trout fishing, picnicking, hiking, horseback riding, and is a mecca for backpacking and those who like primitive camping. There is a 25 mile Rim Trail in the Fires Creek Back Country, which is typically a hiking/backpacking trail, however some sections are open to horses. The trail offers breathtaking vistas as it crosses several high elevation balds. It is marked with blue blazes and has several access roads and short separate paths branching off the main trail. Enjoy meandering paths through fields and slopes of rhododendron and spring flowers, such as trillium, lady slipper and Solomon’s seal. Wildlife is abundant, with grouse, warblers, deer, bear, Russian boar and hawks roaming the area.
At the beginning of your Fires Creek journey, the Fires Creek Picnic Area offers 10 tables and a restroom. From there, a number of short and long hiking trails originate; from the .3 mile Cover Loop Trail, with an easy access paved travel-way for the handicapped, to The Big Stamp Trail – a 5.4 mile hiking experience.
Primitive camping is plentiful along the Forest Service Road with several sites on the creek or nestled in the woods. Off-road vehicle use is prohibited, and camping is not allowed in the marked wildlife openings. There are two designated campgrounds in the area, Bristol Horse Campground with 7 sites, a vault toilet and accommodates horse campers. Huskins Branch Hunt Camp offers primitive camping.
Fires Creek Wildlife Management Area – Clay County’s most breathtaking outdoor mountain experience!
For more information & maps, contact:
Tusquittee Ranger District
123 Woodland Drive
Murphy, NC 28906
828.837.5152
