COLUMN: Take the steeper trail

This story is featured in the June 17, 2026 edition of Healthy Living. Visit our Special Sections page to read the whole magazine. This region is blessed with some great places to hike. It is common to hear praise for the trails in the Cherokee National Forest and Great Smoky Mountains. But there are some complaints about a trail being too hilly or steep. Unless you are a card-carrying Floridian, you shouldn't complain about a trail in East Tennessee being too hilly. One of the things that doctors want to see in an exercise program is an increase in heart rate during a workout. You can certainly increase your heart rate on the Tweetsie Trail by sprinting — but you don't see a lot of people doing that, except around the track and cross-country teams at Elizabethton High School. No, even in our exercising mode, we tend to take it easy. That is why we shouldn't complain about hilly and steep trails. It forces us to work harder and get that heart rate up. Just like increasing the slope on a treadmill. A hiker traverses the steep landscape of Buffalo Mountain Park in Johnson City. Trails in the park range from 400 to 1,300 feet of elevation gain. CONTRIBUTED/CITY OF JOHNSON CITY Hilly trails also make it more interesting. Instead of just plodding along on a flat trail with no challenge, we can think about that big hill just ahead and ponder whether we can make it all the way to the top without taking a breather. The visual payoff from a steep trail is another reason to get on them. The Tweetsie Trail has some nice scenery along the way, but when you head from Johnson City to Elizabethton on the trail, the ending is on Hatcher Lane, without much to impress you except the Elizabethton Electric Department's work trucks. Compare that to a hike on the Buffalo Mountain trails. You climb to the top and you will be treated to a great view of all of Johnson City below you, or some big cell towers at another peak. All pretty worth a trip up the mountain to enjoy those views. So, quit complaining about the steepness and enjoy the trip to the top. Your heart will thank you.