O & W Road - Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area

In late November 2013, we went for a scenic drive on the O&W Road in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.  The Oneida and Western Railroad ran from Oneida, Tennessee to Jamestown and was completed in 1921.  The last train ran in 1954 with the right of way west from Verdun, near Oneida, deeded to Scott and Fentress Counties as a public road.  Today, the O&W Road is a paved county road from Verdun Road to the park boundary.  In the park, the road is a single lane gravel road.  From Verdun Road to the Big South Fork bridge is approximately eight miles.  The road continues beyond the bridge an additional 1 ¼ miles.  While I have hiked to the O&W Bridge along the Big South Fork from Leatherwood Ford as noted in this post, the drive was certainly an easier method of travel.  The reduced vegetation in the winter allows for a greater appreciation of the geology and geography of the Big South Fork.

Hard packed gravel road

Massive rocks are seemingly balanced on the bluff

The road follows Pine Creek down to the river

O&W Bridge over the Big South Fork

Big South Fork from under the bridge

A closeup of the rapids under the bridge

Big South Fork from the O&W Bridge

Mountain reflections

Four hundred foot high sandstone bluffs on the north side of the river

Looking downstream from the bridge

Looking upstream from the south end of the bridge

"Table Rock" in North White Oak Creek

Ice puddles along the road

Reflections in North White Oak Creek

Boulders line the creek

Missing bridge over the creek

This bridge abutment is the end of the road

Unofficial trails continue up the creek for the more adventurous

There is no entrance fee at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.
The park website is http://www.nps.gov/biso/index.htm.