Roughly 23 miles from underrated, artsy, and vibrant Johnson City, Tennessee, and 16 miles from the hiking capital of Western North Carolina hides the ruins of a 20th-century ghost town. Abandoned in the 1950s, Lost Cove was a remote community on the Tennessee-North Carolina border.
Allegedly, unionists established Lost Cove, North Carolina, during the Civil War and hoped the remote setting would keep fighting at bay. Once connected to the outside world by a nearby train, this community never had roads or electricity but did become a moonshine hub. As the world changed, the town grew increasingly cut off from resources, and people started relocating to more well-connected areas. By 1957, the village was deserted. Today, the ruins of Lost Cove poke between trees, moss, and fallen vegetation in a vast, wild forest. The land has returned to nature.
Explore the area by driving to White Oak Flats Rd and turning onto the end of Forest Service Rd 278. Park at a gated road called Bearwallow. From there, you can take Devil’s Creek Trail which will join up with Lost Cove Trail. This route travels a 2.5-mile one-way path from Flattop Mountain. The Forest Service warns that this trail is overgrown, and local weather conditions may impact trail access. Considered difficult due to steep sections and rocky terrain, this path ends up at a picturesque rail track — which is dangerous and illegal to walk on, so keep your distance.
Lost Cove is a must for outdoorsy explorers
This is a great destination for anyone who gets a kick out of the juxtaposition of nature overtaking civilization. Lost Cove was isolated even when people lived there, and no streets connect the empty town to the outside world. As a result, you may well have the forest all to yourself. Make the most of the experience by identifying wild mushrooms and flowers as you hike…