N37 14.314 W82 27.593 <--- Parking lot coordinates
The fire tower has been torn down and a road now leads to the cliff 200ft below Birch Knob. The only access to the fire tower was through a narrow crack in the rock. A rope used to hang there for folks to scramble up through the crack to access the top of the knob.
A 200ft steel stairway has been completed after 4 years of construction. Sure makes accessing the top of Birch Knob alot easier, but it still is a 200ft climb up! Be prepared and take EVERYthing with you you may need, returning to the parking lot is a one-way trip!
Birch Knob is located about 7.4 mi SW of Elkhorn City, KY, 6.2 mi N of Clintwood, VA in the Jefferson National Forest on the border between Kentucky and Virginia. The newly constructed steel stairway with handrail and observation deck sits on a rock outcrop at the highest summit of Pine Mountain known as Birch Knob. Elevation is 3150ft
To reach this site, from State Rte 83 and 631, Brush Creek Rd, at the W edge of Clintwood go North on Rte 631 FOR 4.7 2.9 mi to a fork just past the bridge over the Pound River. Take a right at the fork going N and up hill on Rt 611 2.5 to a T intersection then left .2 mi to a fork then right and up hill on a gravel forest service road .6 mi to fork then Right 4.3 mi to end of road.
Parking with restroom and start of trail at N37 14.323 W82 27.589 elev 2980. At base of cliff stairway built over crevice in rock. Elev at top of stairway is 3160.
USE CAUTION WHILE SEEKING THIS CACHE!!!
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LOCATE THE CACHE IN ICEY OR RAINY CONDITIONS!
The container is a magnet key holder. The view is really why I placed the cache.