Little Brier Gap Trail

The trailhead is at the Little Greenbrier School (point A).  There is a cemetery at the school, and the topographic map lists the cemetery rather than the school.

There are two ways to access the trailhead.  You can enter the park at the Townsend Y, turn left on Little River Road, drive to Metcalf Bottoms (point B), and drive to the trailhead (point A). Or you can enter the park from Wear's Valley at Wear's Cove Gap (point E) and drive to the trailhead (point A).

These directions include driving to the Little Greenbrier School (point A).  Many trail guides suggest instead parking at Metcalf Bottoms (point B) and hiking the Metcalf Bottoms trail to the Little Greenbrier School (point A).  The Metcalf Bottoms Trail is only 0.6 miles long.  The Metcalf Bottoms Trail and the Little Brier Gap Trail really seem like a single trail that is 2.0 miles long.  But the name of the trail changes at the school.

The trail passes the Walker sisters cabin (point C).  The Walker sisters continued to live in their cabin for many years after the park was created, and the cabin was still occupied until 1964.  Shortly after passing the Walker sisters cabin, the trail terminates at its intersection with the Little Greenbrier Trail (point D).

Little Brier Gap trailhead.  The trail is an old road that can still be driven, but the gate is kept closed most of the time.  The parking lot at the schoolhouse is down and to the right.

Close up of the trailhead sign.  The sign doesn't really describe the trail as the Little Brier Gap Trail, even though that is what it is.

Intersection at the driveway to the Walker sisters cabin.  The cabin is to the right, and the trail to Little Brier Gap continues straight ahead.  The road to the cabin makes a very sharp turn to the right, almost a U-turn.

Close up of the sign for the Walkers sisters cabin.  The sign says 0.1 mile from the main trail to the cabin, but it's really more like 0.25 mile.

Wide view of the Walker sisters cabin and the surrounding property.  The springhouse is in the left foreground.  The springhouse sits on a small stream that runs left to right in this picture.  The corn crib is 30 or 40 feet behind the springhouse, and is difficult to see in this particular view.  These two buildings plus the cabin itself are the only remaining structures on the property.  At its heyday, the property had 15 or 20 buildings.

Springhouse at the Walker sisters cabin.  The spring itself is about 15 or 20 feet behind the springhouse, and can be identified by the rock wall that was built to protect the spring.  Similarly, the springhouse was built slightly downstream from the spring itself so the springhouse wouldn't muddy the water from the spring.

Corn crib at the Walker sisters cabin.

A closer view of the Walker sisters cabin.

End of the Little Brier Gap Trail at Little Brier Gap.  The end of the trail intersects with the Little Greenbrier Trail.  To the left, the Little Greenbrier Trail goes 1.9 to its trailhead at Wears Cove Gap.  To the right, the Little Greenbrier Trail goes 2.4 miles to its intersection with the Laurel Falls Trail.  The little trail behind and to the left of the sign is an unnamed trail that immediately leaves the park and goes down into Wears Valley.

Looking back whence I came.  The trail up and to the right is the Little Greenbrier Trail, and goes 1.9 miles back to its trailhead at Wears Cove Gap.  The trail down and to the left is the way I came today, going 1.5 miles back to the Little Greenbrier School.

Looking to the right along the Little Greenbrier Trail, 2.4 miles up to the intersection with the Laurel Falls Trail.

The rest of the trailmarker sign, pointing back whence I came.  It is 1.5 miles back down to the Little Greenbrier School, but it is only 0.6 miles further to Metcalf Bottoms.  So the signage to Metcalf Bottoms should say 2.1 miles rather than 2.5 miles.