IMPORTANT NOTE (8 June 2021): This is NOT a park-and-grab geocache!! During the summer especially, you will be wading through substantial weeds to get to the cache, so if you're not prepared to bushwhack, you may not want to try this cache!! If you are a cacher that enjoys a good bushwhack, this one's for you!!! I have updated the difficulty from a "2" to a "3" to reflect the more overgrown nature of this cache.
When European explorers first entered southern Appalachia they found an ancient route that led from the upper Savannah River Valley over the Blue Ridge and Unaka Mountains to Tennessee country. The words Unicoi, Unicoy, and Unaka were all derived from an Indian word meaning the color white, and all spellings are considered correct. Unicoi footpaths were important to trade from the earliest times. To the southeast, trading paths connected the Unicoi with the coastal settlements now known as Charleston and Savannah. In addition to westward passage through the mountains, Unicoi trails gave the first pioneers access to the fertile upper Little Tennessee and Hiwassee River valleys which were very desirable for farming. This region also had mineral wealth in the form of gold, silver, copper and some precious stones including rubies and sapphires. Although this land belonged to the Cherokee Nation it became a target for annexation to the United States as more and more settlers cast envious eyes upon it and demanded removal of the Indians which eventually resulted in the infamous "Trail of Tears." In 1813, Unicoi Turnpike Company was chartered by a group of Indians and whites to build a wagon road through the Cherokee Nation. It took six years to complete. The route generally followed the lower portion of the old trade route. From the head of navigation on the Tugaloo River, the toll road passed through present day Toccoa, Clarkesville, Helen and Hiawassee in Georgia; Hayesville and Murphy in North Carolina; and Coker Creek, Tellico Plains and Vonore in Tennessee before terminating at the Little Tennessee River. This route took the turnpike over the mountains through two "Unicoi Gaps" - one in Georgia and one in Tennessee. Unicoi Turnpike was the first overland vehicular route to connect the Little Tennessee and Savannah rivers , and it became an important market road for farmers. Grain was grown in the high country, fed to poultry, hogs, and cattle then they were herded to southern markets via the turnpike since railroads were not yet available in these remote mountains. Wagon loads of non-perishable farm products, including grain in the form of whiskey, were also transported south along this toll road to trade or sell. The approximate center of Unicoi Turnpike was the town of Hiawassee which in 1856 became the county seat of the newly formed Towns County. This thoroughfare contributed greatly to the welfare and development of Towns County as well as all places through which it passed (The preceding description is from a good friend of mine who is a member of a local Historical Society). To the cache: Park at the Unicoi Gap AT access area on Highway 75. Find a "user created" trail (Forest Service lingo) just to the right of a slanted and faded old informational display. Follow that trail for 0.12 - 0.13 miles (it may be a bit overgrown at some times of the year). When the trail veers to the right to go up a steep incline, you will need to bushwack off the trail straight ahead and eventually downhill to the left. You may have to step over some deadfall, briars and poison plants, and you need to watch your footing near the geozone because of slippery stones & rocks. PLEASE be careful and watch where you step. Once you find the cache, try to locate one of the last remnants of the old road bed of the Unicoi Turnpike (see photo image linked below). It can be found emanating out of the north end of the Unicoi Gap parking area, following a path for two miles to the north toward the junction between Indian Grave Gap Rd. and Highway 75. The road bed can be found between the "modern" Unicoi Turnpike (Highway 75) on the left (as you are facing north) and the headwaters of the Hiwassee River on the right (see map image linked below). This very old road bed often has rocky banks on one or both sides of it. PLEASE treat this area with great respect and refrain from damaging any of the old road bed structures you encounter as you explore the area. Enjoy this important part of local history! CONGRATULATIONS to STARMAX as FTF!! This cache, in conforming to US Forest Service regulations, has the name of the cache, waypoint coordinates, geocache #, and e-mail address of the cache owner.