- Location
- Duck River
This posting is intended to provide helpful information for anyone new to the SEC, or for anyone who has just not managed to attend the annual Cherokee Crawl in Harlan, KY, but is planning to attend in 2026 or beyond. As a long-time 
member but a first timer at the 2025 Crawl, these are things I would have liked to have known beforehand. This posting is not intended in any measure as a complaint, and I hope that nobody takes it that way. As I stated at the outset, I am just trying to impart information that newbies may find helpful. I am posting this now, just after to 2025 Crawl while these thoughts are fresh in my mind.
Event Dates
The organizers announce two dates for the event; a Friday and a Saturday. The only organized part of the event is the Saturday evening dinner and raffle. Lots of people arrive and wheel earlier in the week.
Runs
There are no organized trail runs. If you are accustomed to the way some other chapter does its events, you might expect there will be a designated time and place to meet up before the runs, with an introduction of trail leaders and driver briefings and such. That’s not the way it works at the Crawl. Participants organize their own runs with their own group. So if you show up not knowing who you will be wheeling with, you may be scrambling to find a group. They’re all nice folks, but if you are not already connected, you are well advised to reach out to someone in advance and make plans on when and where to meet. My advice is to post up on the board or send a PM to someone in advance and wrangle an invite.
Location
The Crawl takes place at the Black Mountain Off-road Adventure Area. There are two entrances. If you search for the Black Mountain Off-road Adventure area on Google Maps, you will be directed to the Evarts Trailhead, because, I assume, that’s where the Black Mountain business office is located. DON’T GO THERE! That is the wrong entrance. I don’t know if other GPS apps would also direct you to the Evarts Trailhead, but whatever you use for directions, if your app directs you to Evarts, don’t follow those directions.
The other entrance is the Putney Trailhead, which is accessed by driving through the Harlan County Campground and Cabins on Highway 119. There is a satellite office for the Black Mountain Off-road Adventure Area at the entrance to the campground where you can buy a trail pass. The Putney Trailhead is closer to Harlan, and the Campground is also where most people stay and where the Saturday dinner is held. And if you are meeting a group, that is where they’ll be meeting. Search for the Harlan County Campground on Google Maps and it will take you to the right place.
Trail Passes
Trail passes are good either for a month or a year. There are no single day passes. Since you will have to pay for a one-month pass at a minimum, you may want to take advantage of if and plan extra days of wheeling. The cost for a one-month pass as of June 2025 is $40.
Parking for the Dinner and Raffle
No pass is required to enter the campground and there is ample parking. I mention this only because it is not that way everywhere, as any member of the SoCal Chapter can attest.
member but a first timer at the 2025 Crawl, these are things I would have liked to have known beforehand. This posting is not intended in any measure as a complaint, and I hope that nobody takes it that way. As I stated at the outset, I am just trying to impart information that newbies may find helpful. I am posting this now, just after to 2025 Crawl while these thoughts are fresh in my mind.Event Dates
The organizers announce two dates for the event; a Friday and a Saturday. The only organized part of the event is the Saturday evening dinner and raffle. Lots of people arrive and wheel earlier in the week.
Runs
There are no organized trail runs. If you are accustomed to the way some other chapter does its events, you might expect there will be a designated time and place to meet up before the runs, with an introduction of trail leaders and driver briefings and such. That’s not the way it works at the Crawl. Participants organize their own runs with their own group. So if you show up not knowing who you will be wheeling with, you may be scrambling to find a group. They’re all nice folks, but if you are not already connected, you are well advised to reach out to someone in advance and make plans on when and where to meet. My advice is to post up on the board or send a PM to someone in advance and wrangle an invite.
Location
The Crawl takes place at the Black Mountain Off-road Adventure Area. There are two entrances. If you search for the Black Mountain Off-road Adventure area on Google Maps, you will be directed to the Evarts Trailhead, because, I assume, that’s where the Black Mountain business office is located. DON’T GO THERE! That is the wrong entrance. I don’t know if other GPS apps would also direct you to the Evarts Trailhead, but whatever you use for directions, if your app directs you to Evarts, don’t follow those directions.
The other entrance is the Putney Trailhead, which is accessed by driving through the Harlan County Campground and Cabins on Highway 119. There is a satellite office for the Black Mountain Off-road Adventure Area at the entrance to the campground where you can buy a trail pass. The Putney Trailhead is closer to Harlan, and the Campground is also where most people stay and where the Saturday dinner is held. And if you are meeting a group, that is where they’ll be meeting. Search for the Harlan County Campground on Google Maps and it will take you to the right place.
Trail Passes
Trail passes are good either for a month or a year. There are no single day passes. Since you will have to pay for a one-month pass at a minimum, you may want to take advantage of if and plan extra days of wheeling. The cost for a one-month pass as of June 2025 is $40.
Parking for the Dinner and Raffle
No pass is required to enter the campground and there is ample parking. I mention this only because it is not that way everywhere, as any member of the SoCal Chapter can attest.
