Hike the Minister Creek Trail

The trailhead is located next to the Minister Creek Campground, which is 14.7 miles southwest from the town of Sheffield, via state route 666. If coming from the west on highway 62, the trailhead is located 20 miles from West Hickory along state route 666. There is a parking lot across the road from the campground, but the trailhead is on the same side of the road as the campground, less than a hundred feet to the west.

The trailhead is clearly marked with a hiker sign and begins uphill along an old forest road. Throughout the entire 6.5 mile loop there are grey diamond markers posted on the trees to lead the way. There are actually three loops within the Minister Creek Trail system, the south loop, the middle loop, and the north loop. The south loop is the shortest and breaks off to the left of the main trail about a quarter mile from the trailhead. The middle loop break off to the left about 0.6 miles from the trailhead. Both the south and middle loop make there way to the Minister Valley scenic overlook, so if you're trying to do a short hike with nice views then these would be good options. For those looking to do the full 6.5 mile hike, stay right on the main Minister Creek trail AKA the north loop.

After the middle loop fork, the trail will go downhill and meet up with Minister Creek. There are two old wooden bridges within a quarter mile of each other once you've reached the creek. After the second bridge, the trail will head uphill once again but on the opposite side hill from the one you just came down from. Once near the ridgetop, there are some neat looking cliffs with a lot of moss covering, some up to 100 feet tall. There are some slot canyons within them that are definitely worth exploring. From here, you will cross two streams over the next 1.5 miles before the Minister Creek Trail merges with the North County National Scenic Trail. Stay to the left and head west on the combined trail. The North County National Scenic Trail will break off to the right in just under a mile after its merge. Stay to the left and the Minister Creek Trail will begin heading south. Keep following the well marked grey diamonds on the trees and the trail will take you to the Minister Valley scenic overlook on top of the ridge about 2 miles from the North County National Scenic Trail intersection. There are more slot canyons to play around in once you're at this section. From here, there are three options to get back to the trailhead, the middle loop, the south loop, and a shortcut to the south loop. All three are marked at the top with signs, and again you will be able to follow grey diamond markers along either trail you choose. To complete the full Minister Creek Trail, take the south loop back to the trailhead.