Trail Overview

Potters Ford Road winds its way through the heart of Catoosa Wildlife Management Area as a gentle gravel path perfect for a relaxed ride. This easygoing trail offers plenty to take in along the way—from towering rock walls to the free-flowing waters of the Obed River. Keep your eyes peeled for local wildlife. Black bears, whitetail deer, wild hogs, and turkeys are all known to roam these woods.

Photos of Potters Ford Road

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Difficulty

This is an easy gravel path with a few potholes and washouts, but the Forest Service maintains it well and repairs are done regularly.

History

According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Catoosa WMA's history reflects the Cumberland Plateau's shift from natural habitats to industrial exploitation and back to conservation, with its origins as ancestral hunting grounds, later becoming a center for logging and coal mining. Following devastation by a 1929 flood and subsequent economic decline, the state began acquiring the land in the 1940s to establish the area as a wildlife and state forest. Today, the asproximately 82,000-acre area is managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) to restore ecosystems like oak savannas and protect native wildlife, which is a return to its ecological roots before human intervention.

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