Historical details in this section are drawn directly from the Wikipedia entry for Lost Cove, North Carolina. For the complete historical account, please visit the page HERE.  Some info is also borrowed from the beautifully written page on the site Atlas Obscura, which can be found HERE.

All photography (aside form maps) shown below is my own: Zach Tynes

Lost Cove: The Town That Refused to Be Found

Tucked deep in the Appalachian mountains lies a fascinating old ghost town known as Lost Cove.  Its remains sit near the Tennessee-North Carolina border, in the Pisgah National Forest.

And when I say “tucked away”...  I mean it!

Lost Cove is hidden in a narrow valley surrounded by steep ridgelines, completely swallowed by the Appalachian mountains. Today, there are only two ways to reach it.  From the Erwin, TN side, you follow the inactive railroad tracks for miles along the Nolichucky River before hiking roughly five steep miles up the mountain.  Or from the NC side, hiking through mountain trails for hours, which can be very overgrown in parts and easy to lose your way.  Also.. bears.

If you take a look at the map, you’ll see why the town earned its name. It’s hidden deep in the mountains, almost protected.  Or… forgotten.

Built on Timber… and Moonshine  

Of course, Lost Cove wasn't always a ghost town.

During prohibition, the mountainous, hidden location began to be occupied because it was the perfect spot for moonshiners to partake in their activities of making and transporting shine.  

You can almost picture lantern light flickering through the twilight-lit trees, the smell of mash drifting through the cool mountain air.

As the Atlas Obscura Entry on Lost Cove notes; “When one (moonshiner) was brought to jail on accusations of illegal brewing, the judge dismissed the case as outside of his jurisdiction. This ruling encouraged more moonshiners to pursue their tawdry activities in this gorge.”  

Because the town was on the border and so isolated, the judges couldn’t decide whose jurisdiction it was. It became the perfect place to carry on without worrying about the law.

Some families would make shine for their own personal use, some Moonshiners would do their business up in the mountains, selling and trading shine in nearby towns, or to railroad men while they made their way through the area.

So began the making of trails and small structures, needed for shelter as they brewed and simply hung out in the mountains. As the settlement grew, the lumber industry in the region began to boom. A logging company carved its way along the Nolichucky river with their railroad. The same one you can walk along today, pictured below. 

One of the most beautiful railroad tracks I've ever seen in person. 

Shortly after the railroad, in 1912, a wagon trail was carved through the dense forest, up the mountain, to the location of the town. This provided people with their means to spend their days producing lumber from the great trees of the Poplar Gorge forest and haul it down by wagon to the trains, which carried them off. As all communities were built, slowly but surely, the settlement began to take shape.

My good friend Jordan, standing in front of the Lost Cove School House

A school was built (pictured above).  People lived their lives, and raised families up in the peaceful mountains. They farmed many vegetables for food. The self-sufficient townsfolk would make their way to the tracks and hitch a train ride into town for supplies.

Aside from the cold winters, and occasional run-in with the law due to illegal shine activity, it was quite a simple and peaceful way of living. The town at its height had a population of around 100 people. From the Wikipedia entry; “at its height, Lost Cove had about 100 residents, 13 to 15 houses, two sawmills, a cemetery, and a Free Will Baptist church called the Tipton Chapel that was also used as a schoolhouse.”

Unfortunately, when the coal industry began to become the way of the future, and the logging industry died down, the people of Lost Cove were forced to leave their mountainous homes in search for a more suitable community and work. And with that, the town slowly emptied.

The last family left the town in 1957. They left behind many structures. Those that still stand today include the schoolhouse, a couple small homes, a large chimney, one car, a small graveyard with the oldest graves being over 100 years old. (Some graves pictured below)

My Lost Cove Story

I'd like to dedicate this story to my late friend Nick Key. Pictured several times below, Nick always knew how to keep the adventure going. He was the life of every party, and quite the adventurous soul. May he rest in peace knowing we all keep him close to our hearts and compasses through every adventure in life.

The hike to Lost Cove is an unforgettable experience.

It’s a hidden gem near the Appalachian Trail where my friends and I have shared misty morning hikes, camped under the trees and stars, and found a kind of peace that only the mountains can give you.

That sense of discovery, resilience, and connection to nature is what inspired the name Lost Cove Leather.

We would leave early in the morning with all the snacks, provisions, and hiking gear we could possibly need for the long trek ahead.

The hike begins with miles of walking along the beautiful Nolichucky River, following the once-active railroad tracks that cut through the gorge. With the sun shining, the steady roar of the river to your left, and the sounds of the forest to your right, it’s an incredible way to start the journey.

Top: My good friend Matt probably saying “wassuuuupp” while standing near the Nolichucky.

Bottom: Two of my good friends, Nick and Creighton, posing along the tracks.

Left to right: Jordan, Creighton, Matt and myself

Left to right: Jordan, Creighton and Nick

After miles along the railroad, you turn onto a trail that begins its steep ascent up the mountain.

Goodbye modern world. Into the woods we go.

I decided to pack an air mattress, so I was always in the back. Jordan, being the great friend he is, stayed back with me.

And when I say steep... boy do I mean steep.

It climbs for miles. Taking short but much needed breaks along the way, we continued up the mountainside for hours.  Like every good hike, we thought we lost the trail a few times, only to be confident we were right back on it shortly after.

We've encountered rattlesnakes more than once, one of which gave us a serious scare.  But aside from snakes, there's plenty of friendly creatures as well.

As you get closer to the settlement, the elevation levels out and something shifts. You begin to sense the history of the people who lived there over a century ago.

There’s a calmness to the area, but also a strange feeling that it’s still “occupied.”

You feel welcome to explore… but also aware that this land was once someone’s home. It demands respect.

The trail leading up to Lost Cove

The first thing you see coming up from the Erwin, TN side is what appears to be a weathered 1930s-era pickup truck, resting quietly in the trees. It appears to be riddled with bullet holes.

As you make your way further into the settlement, you pass the graveyard.

Then there are the remains of many structures, including the school, which sadly has been covered in graffiti from other hikers who have made the same trek.

But standing before structures this old is something hard to describe.

To think that families once lived in these woods, so far from the nearest towns, completely content.

The longer you spend time in the Appalachian forest - surrounded by the swaying trees, the sounds of insects humming, wind moving through the leaves, and the laughter of your friends - the easier it becomes to imagine leaving the modern world behind to live like the people of Lost Cove did so many years ago.

We set up our tents for the night, share some TN whiskey, good food, tell stories, and enjoy the fire

To live slower.

To live simpler.

To live intentionally.

This is exactly what inspired the name for Lost Cove Leather. I wanted to invoke that deeply human feeling of a simpler time.

Back then, things were made once, made well, and made to last a lifetime. Made with respect for nature, with the animals the materials come from, in mind.

Made with intention.

Made by hand.

- Zach Tynes, owner of Lost Cove Leather