Jakes Creek TrailModerate

Jakes Creek Trail in its entirety is a 3.7 mile long hike from the parking lot. To reach the actual hiking trail you must first walk on an old gravel road through some of the Elkmont Ghost Town remains. Many tall stone chimneys line this 0.4 mile trek to the 3.3 mile long trail.

Looking at the park's trail map, you'll see Jakes Creek Trail labelled as 2.9 miles. The portion before the intersection with Meigs Mountain trail is 0.8 of a mile and is not labelled as such on the map. The sign closer to Elkmont reads that Jakes Gap (the end of this trail) is 3.7 miles away. Though generally rated as moderate, the trail has a persistently steep incline and gets much more difficult closer to the intersection with Miry Ridge and Panther Creek Trails.

At the end of the trail is the Blanket Mountain Manway. To reach Blanket Mountain you must follow this path off-trail; do so at your own risk! On Blanket Mountain you'll find the remains of an old ranger cabin and a fire tower.

On this trail you'll find Campsite #27, multiple waterfalls, and the Avent Cabin, down a nearby unmarked trail. The Avent Cabin was built in 1845 by Humphrey Ownby and was sold to Frank Avent in 1918. Like many of the other old Elkmont buildings, it was purchased by the national park in 1932 and the Avent family retained their lease until 1992.

Jakes Creek Trail leads into the intersection of Panther Creek and Miry Ridge Trail at Jakes Gap. You can go either way down one of these trails to create a long loop hike circling through Lynn Camp Prong Trail.