Off the Beaten Path: Tessentee Bottomland Preserve

Written By: Deena Bouknight | Issue: March-2022

It might not seem very original, but my favorite poem is Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.” My focus in life is the poet’s last line: “I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” I’m an outdoorsy girl, and I can walk round and round a park if that is the only option. But what thrills my adventurous sensibilities is to look for a “less traveled” path and just see where it leads. 

Tessentee Bottomland Preserve is just such an option. Located in Macon County, about 16 miles from Highlands Outpost, is one of Mainspring Conservation Trust historic properties. The organization has several, but this one offers much. Turn right on Tessentee Road, directly across from the Otto Post Office on Hwy. 441 between Clayton, Georgia, and Franklin, and then turn left onto Hickory Knoll Road (2249). About a mile on the left is a sign for the Preserve and ample gravel parking. 

Mainspring acquired 70 acres in 1999 in order to preserve the historic crossroads along the Tessentee River – which joins the Little Tennessee River. Cherokee lived, fought British, and traded with settlers in the area. Plus, one of the oldest strands of river cane, an indigenous bamboo, is still harvested by basket makers of Cherokee’s Qualla Boundary. 

Trails are narrow through a woodsy area that dips down to the left past the informational sign. The hike is moderate and two newer bridges cross a trickling waterway. The woodsy trail links up with wider paths that take modern explorers all along the Tessentee River, with a view of cows grazing peacefully in a field on the other side, to eventually end up at a preserved settler home with stone outbuildings and abandoned 18th century farm equipment. Mainspring hopes to one day establish a museum on the site.

All in all, the well-maintained trails, which are wide enough to enjoy chatting with friends or allowing trained dogs to run off-leash, meander in a few different directions through various habitats well marked with signage. A walker/hiker could realistically wrack up 2-3 miles of a peaceful, contemplative jaunt while considering what life must have been like for the Natives and settlers who lived on the land.

After exploring Tessentee Bottomland Preserve, energetic hikers can drive another mile down Hickory Knoll Road and stop at a section of the Bartram Trail. In the spring of 1775, famed naturalist William Bartram spent the night in a trader’s hut in the area; he describes his experience in his first-person Bartram’s Travels. The parking area is across the road from the trailhead. To a spot called the “Pinnacle” and back to the parking lot is a little over 4 miles of moderate hiking. 

Take Highlands Road back up to the Plateau, or backtrack to Dillard Road and pass Scaly Mountain to return to the Highlands area.