Piney Flats and Tweetsie Trail Loop, 44.3 miles, 2,040’ elevation gain
● start/end at Hunter First Baptist Church, 693 TN-91, Elizabethton, TN
https://www.strava.com/routes/3602091
http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/1287129881/
From Hunter First Baptist Church this route heads west on Stoney Creek (TN-91) and then north into Sullivan County on Bristol Highway (US-19E, busy but with wide, clean shoulders). Austin Springs is a popular east-west roadway for cyclists going to and from Johnson City. Riverview Drive is a peaceful, mostly downhill stretch that runs alongside the Watauga River for about four miles. Woodlyn Road parallels the CSX railroad tracks into Johnson City; unlovely but safe. City streets lead to the Tweetsie Trail trailhead. The Tweetsie (unpaved but hard-packed and road-bike-friendly) is the safest and smartest way to travel from JC to Elizabethton. This route takes you to the Covered Bridge, an Elizabethton landmark built in 1882. The bridge is closed to motor vehicles, but open to pedestrians and bicycles. After crossing the Doe River, the route back to Hunter passes through Lynn Valley, where cyclists will see fly fishermen, kayaks, and rafts on Carter County’s other major river, the Watauga.
Cue Sheet: Piney Flats and Tweetsie Trail Loop
Miles Action and Landmark/Road
0.0 start at Hunter First Baptist Church
0.0 left onto Dawn Drive
0.4 left onto Pierce Street
0.7 right onto Stoney Creek Hwy. (TN-91)
2.9 right onto entrance ramp for Bristol Hwy. (US-19E)
5.2 Cowgirls Cafe
11.2 right onto Bluff City Highway (TN-44)
12.3 left onto Lakeview Drive
13.1 left onto Weaver Branch Road
16.5 left onto Warren Road
16.6 at intersection take left onto Allison Road
18.0 right onto Pickens Bridge Road
19.5 left onto Blalock Road (Fleenor Rd.)
19.9 left onto Edgefield Road
21.0 short steep hill, still on Edgefield
21.2 cross Bristol Highway (US-11E)
21.5 right onto Austin Springs Road
22.9 right onto Riverview Drive
23.4 sharp right, still on Riverview Dr.
23.5 sharp left, still on Riverview Dr.
26.0 left onto Watauga Road (TN-400)
26.3 right onto Woodlyn Road
29.0 right onto Smith St.
29.3 left onto Fairview Ave.
29.5 left onto Iron Rd.
29.6 right onto E. Milliard St.
30.1 left onto No. Broadway
30.6 at major intersection, cross E. Main St., stay on N. Broadway
31.0 right onto Orleans St.
31.5 left onto Legion St.
31.6 right onto Alabama St.
31.6 enter the Tweetsie Trail and follow to Elizabethton
39.7 exit trail and take a left onto Hattie Lane
40.0 ride or walk bike through Covered Bridge
40.1 left onto So. Main Street
40.2 right onto East Elk Ave.
40.3 left onto US-19E
40.5 right onto Broad Street
40.6 right onto Circle Drive
41.0 right onto Thomas Blvd.
41.3 right onto Broad Street
43.4 Broad Street Bridge
43.4 right onto Stoney Creek Hwy. (TN-91)
43.6 Craig’s Barber Shop
43.6 left onto Pierce Street
43.8 right onto Dawn Drive
44.2 right onto South Street
44.3 end at Hunter First Baptist Church