O&W Rails to Trails 15k and 5k

Registration will be $30 for the 5k and $40 for the 15k. Please register by September 25, 2021 to guarantee receiving an event shirt.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Cumberland Plateau facility is headquartered in Oneida, TN. Our club is located just a few miles from the beautiful Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, a 125,000-acre national park that is the crown jewel of the Cumberland Plateau.

The O&W Rails to Trails race features a 15k and 5k both starting on October 16th at 9:00 am at the Big South Fork Airpark Stables and ending back at the stables. Please arrive 1 hour before race time. Both races will take runners through some of the most beautiful terrain the Big South Fork NRRA has to offer — through the deep gorge that is often referred to as the Little Grand Canyon of the East, along roaring mountain streams and along old railroad grades from the days when coal and timber were king in our area over 100 years ago.

The 15k will feature the O&W Bridge. This historic steel whipple bridge spans the river from which the park draws its name. Once a railroad bridge, the Oneida & Western, once linked Oneida and Jamestown. The railroad was constructed between 1914 and 1920 as a way for coal and timber companies to reach the expansive reserves of natural resources in what is now the Big South Fork NRRA. For decades, steam locomotives traveled the O&W, hauling passengers and supplies into the gorge area, and hauling coal and timber out. Eventually, mining and logging operations ceased, and the railroad was abandoned. The rail bed was transformed into a road for passenger vehicles.

Today, The O&W Bridge is used by horseback riders to access trails from the Cumberland Valley Trailhead, among other points. Hikers use the bridge as part of the John Muir Trail and the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail, which span the Big South Fork NRRA from north to south. The bridge area is also a popular terminus for whitewater paddlers who begin their kayak and raft trips from the river confluence on John Long Road or from Burnt Mill Bridge further upstream. Motorists use the bridge to access popular fishing areas and swimming holes on the west side of the BSF River and along North White Oak Creek.

DIRECTIONS TO THE BGC

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Cumberland Plateau's facility is located on U.S. Hwy. 27 (Alberta Street) in south Oneida.

From I-75 south (Knoxville): Take Exit 141 (Oneida/Huntsville) at Caryville. Turn left onto S.R. 63 for approximately 20.1 miles to its intersection with U.S. Hwy. 27 at Huntsville, Tenn. Turn right onto U.S. Hwy. 27 for approximately 5.3 miles. The Boys & Girls Club is located on the left.

From I-75 north (Lexington/Cincinnati): Take I-75 Exit 141 (Oneida/Huntsville) at Caryville. Turn right onto S.R. 63 for approximately 20.1 miles to its intersection with U.S. Hwy. 27 at Huntsville, Tenn. Turn right onto U.S. Hwy. 27 for approximately 5.3 miles. The Boys & Gilrs Club is located on the left.

From I-40 (Nashville/Cookeville): Take Exit 317 (Crossville). Turn left onto U.S. Hwy. 127 for approximately 29.3 miles to its intersection with S.R. 296. Turn right onto S.R. 296 for approximately 3.0 miles to the 4-way stop in Allardt, Tenn. Stay straight on S.R. 52 for approximately 18.9 miles to its intersection with U.S. Hwy. 27 at Robbins, Tenn. Turn left onto U.S. Hwy. 27 for approximately 13.2 miles. The Boys & Girls Club is located on the left.

From U.S. Hwy. 27 (Chattanooga): Take I-24 Exit 180A. Turn north onto U.S. Hwy. 27 for approximately 130 miles. The Boys & Girls Club is located on the left.

Directions to the Big South Fork Aipark Stables

From the Boys & Girls Club turn left on to Verdun Rd. Continue approximately 0.9 miles and turn left on to O&W Rd. Continue approximately 4.3 miles to the BSF Aipark Stables on the left.