Piney Creek changes from forest road to tram road to game trail

Piney Creek is a primitive 53-mile trail system, not one loop with one route type. A ride can move from a Forest Service road to an old tram road, a pipeline right-of-way, a game trail, a highway edge, or a path cleared through the Pineywoods.

Five colored trail systems weave around private inholdings. Much of the mileage lies on national forest land, but parts cross private property and public road rights-of-way. Triangular colored markers, signed road crossings, and trailhead parking help hold the pieces together.

The two horse camps do not offer the same basics. White Rock Horse Camp has a vault toilet but no potable water. The 566 Piney Creek Horse Camp has both a vault toilet and drinking water. White Rock is reached from Crockett by SH 7 and Forest Service Road 514; the 566 camp opens another side of the network.

Some Piney Creek routes flood in wet weather, while others avoid the bottomlands. A campsite may be open while some trail miles remain impassable. Choose the colored system before choosing a camp; the water, road approach, and low-ground exposure change with the route. That patchwork is Piney Creek's character: a 53-mile ride assembled from forest roads, old tram grades, game trails, and paths through the pines.