Cherokee National Forest: Allen Branch Pond

A beautiful day for a hike! Noelle, Parker, Sierra and I headed out not too far from home, into the Cherokee National Forest and quaint little Allen Branch Pond. We put Sierra into her backpack and hit the trail almost immediately.

Upon nearing the pond

we were treated to the sight of thousands of tadpoles swimming around in the warm shallow water at the water’s edge.

Among the tadpoles were a few salamanders swimming around looking for food.

After a few minutes looking at the aquatic fauna we started the hike around the perimeter of the small pond.

The views were gorgeous on this beautiful spring day

and there were several fishermen (and fisherwomen) taking advantage of the nice weather. The hike was not long and so after a short time we found ourselves back at the start of the hike where we rested on a bench

and enjoyed the view over the water. Allen Branch Pond is a nice short hike for families with young children. It is only about .8 miles in length, yet still interesting. After we got back into the car we decided to take a drive up and over Paint Mountain and over to Paint Rock. We drove the road along Paint Creek before heading back home.