If you’re looking for a short, easy hike in the vicinity of the Riprap trail (southern district – Shenandoah National Park), the 3.4 mile walk to Calvary Rocks and Chimney Rock is a great option. It follows the same route as the 10-mile Riprap circuit, but turns around right after two excellent viewpoints.
The view from the second viewpoint along this short, pleasant hike. Below: Adam at the trailhead; Hiking the AT; along the AT
Christine Says…
After our long hiking trip to North Caroline and Tennessee, I came home with a really sore knee. Every step I took, it felt like someone was sticking an ice pick into the soft tissue under my kneecap. Even after a week’s rest, it didn’t feel better, so I reluctantly made an appointment with an orthopedist. He couldn’t find anything obviously wrong, so he diagnosed it as a bit of IT-band syndrome, a bit of inflamed cartilage and maybe the beginnings of arthritis. I was given orders to cross-train… which is essentially code-speak for ‘do something other than hiking‘. Bah! So, I spent most of June and July in the gym, doing cardio equipment and weights. I only managed to hit the trail a few times – all short and easy hikes. This walk to Calvary Rocks and Chimney Rock was one of those hikes.
It was a beautiful, sunny, crisp day for midsummer. We set out in the morning and had the trail almost completely to ourselves. The hike started off in the same parking lot as the longer Riprap loop hike. The hike follows the Appalachian Trail uphill for almost a half mile before intersecting with the Riprap trail.
At the junction, turn left onto the Riprap trail. The first viewpoint, Calvary Rocks comes shortly after passing a small talus slope. There are two small outcroppings of rocks at this viewpoint. It’s pretty, but in my opinion, the second view from Chimney Rock is the nicer of the two.
Taking in the view. Below: Flowers blooming along the trail; A bug finds shelter; Ripening blueberries; Indian pipes.
The second view comes several tenths of a mile past Calvary Rocks. The view is great and this outcropping is a bit more expansive. There are lots of places to scramble around. There were also a ton of blueberries growing around Chimney Rock. Most of them weren’t ripe, but I found a few that were dark purplish-blue and sweet-tart!
We lingered on the rocks for a while before heading back the way we came. It was great to be out on the trail after so many days of doing indoor workouts, and (thankfully) my knee held up pretty well!
Adam Says…
This truly hasn’t been a typical summer in Virginia. I remember brutal, hot, muggy summers in which we never could feel we could escape the heat. Luckily, this summer has been much cooler. The bugs have also not been as bad this year, which has made hiking much more pleasant.
This was a test for Christine’s knee to see if she could take another hike after just a little rest. The amount of hiking we did in the Smokies demanded for some time off, but I was glad her knee was cooperative on this hike.
Calvary Rocks are geologically different looking than most of Shenandoah’s rocks. Below: Views!
We started from the parking lot and began our hike uphill on the white-blazed Appalachian Trail. In about .4 miles, you reach the junction with the Riprap Trail. Take a left here and the trail goes down steeply before ascending. Around 1.2 miles, you will reach your first viewpoint of Calvary Rocks. There are some very nice views here, but not a lot of room to spread out if there are others on the trail. Continue from here along the trail and around 1.7 miles, you will reach Chimney Rock. Chimney Rock has great views and a little more room to enjoy the views with others or stop to eat a snack.
Along the trail, Christine was complimenting me on my ability to be able to find indian pipes. She is definitely the wildflower expert between the two of us, but for some reason I tend to spot indian pipes before she does. We found a few nice specimens along the trail.
Handsome buck near the trailhead.
We lingered for a short while to enjoy the views on such a nice summer day. We made our way back the same way on the return trip. If you would like some nice views with little effort, this is hike in the south district of Shenandoah National Park that shouldn’t be missed.
This wonderful little network of trails gives you the opportunity to view Linville Falls from every angle! You can choose short/easy routes or longer/harder routes depending what you’re in the mood to do. When all was said and done, we hiked a little over 3.5 miles and enjoyed several views of the falls.
Adam enjoys a bird’s eye view of Linville Falls. Below: The forest service information station; the trail network offers many options; beautiful blooming rhododendron.
Adam Says…
To finish our trip to North Carolina, we had to visit Linville Falls along the Blue Ridge Parkway. While overcast days are better days for photographing waterfalls, we had to take what we were given. The sun was high in the sky and it was quite hot on the hike, but we knew this wasn’t going to be too long of a hike.
We drove up the gravel Wiseman’s View Road and went first to the USFS Visitor’s Center. Two women were inside and gave us some information on how to tackle the falls. We were looking for a place to eat lunch before the hike and they recommended Famous Louise’s Rock House, especially for their pies. We took their advice and refueled for the hike. We ventured back up Wiseman’s View Road and parked in the large gravel lot at the to the left of the road. The trail starts from the eastern side of the lot and begins with a steep descent.
At about .2 miles of a descent, we reached a junction. We took a right here to make our way to the series of overlooks of the falls. In a short distance, we reached another smaller junction with the trail to the Upper Falls, but we decided to approach that on the way back. Since there are so many choices to make about the order in which you take in the views, I will not list all the distances; but you can tell from the downloaded map the distances to each. We opted first to take a left for the trail to Chimney View, which provided a viewpoint to see the upper and lower falls. From this point, we backtracked to the main trail and took a left. Shortly, we came on to the side trail on the right for the Gorge View. The views from here showed the canyon of the gorge but the views didn’t allow you to see the bottom of the canyon. Next was the end of the main trail, which ended at Erwins View. This view gave you the furthest view away from the falls, but it was still spectacular. We backtracked and made our way back to the Upper Falls viewpoint. From here, you could see the water plunge down the falls from a closer distance.
The upper falls view. Below: A view into the gorge; Adam hikes along.
From seeing people on the opposite side of the water and very close to the falls, we decided to take the trail down to the Linville Falls Visitor Center. The trail was wide, road-like and going slightly downhill. We eventually came to a bridge over the Linville River and the Visitor Center was on the opposite side. We grabbed a few cold waters from the center and talked to the rangers about the trails on the other side. We were fairly tired by this point, since we had done so much hiking during the week, but the temptation of the falls kept us pressing forward. From the front of the Visitor Center, the trail headed into the woods on the eastern side of the building. In a few feet, the trail branched and we took a right to head to the next overlook. This trail branched off after about .3 miles. We took a right at the junction, descending to reach the Plunge Basin overlook at .5 miles. This point gave you a vantage point to see the water shoot through the gorge and down below. We watched one man standing on the cliffside below, fishing from a precarious position. We then made our way back to our car by returning to the Visitor Center, back across the bridge, and taking a right to the trail junction that led us back to our vehicle.
We had a great time visiting Linville Falls and this is definitely a hike that most people could do with their families. A return trip in the peak of fall color with an overcast sky is something we will try to do. While many waterfalls allow you to get very close to them, the trails here mostly keep you at a distance. However, the view of the gorge with the waterfalls is breathtaking.
Christine Says…
Linville Falls was a perfect hike to end our trip through Tennessee and North Carolina – short and very easy! Ten hikes packed into eight days was pretty rigorous and I had the sore knees, bruises and sunburned arms to show for it! Truth be told, I was secretly pleased that the ninth day of our voyage was stormy and rainy, because it meant we’d go home a day early instead of biking the 33+ miles of the Virginia Creeper. Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE biking the Creeper, but I was exhausted from our whirlwind trip. Maybe we ought to relax more on vacations – like normal people! Nah…. probably not. 🙂
Linville Falls were a gift to the National Park Service from John D. Rockefeller. So many of our favorite parks would not have existed without his generosity. Acadia, Shenandoah, Yosemite, the Grand Tetons, and the Smokies were all established, in part, due to his financial support.
The plunge view of the falls. Below: The Linville River; Beautiful desserts from Storie Street Grille.
Adam did a thorough job describing all the different paths we took, so I don’t have a lot of details to add about the terrain. The only thing I would say is that you can walk to the bottom of the falls. It’s about about .8 miles of hiking (some steep). We opted to skip the view from the bottom on this trip, mainly because we were tired and could tell that the base of the falls was extremely crowded.
I enjoyed stopping in the visitors center and talking to the park ranger. He was a pretty serious hiker and we enjoyed trading trail tips. He suggested Crabtree Falls, NC for a future hike. I was also fascinated by the cross section of an enormous tree hanging in the center. It fell when the Linville Gorge flooded in September of 2004. The hurricane-related flooding was so severe, that it washed away half of the visitor’s center and left many gigantic, toppled trees in its wake. Water is such a powerful force!
Linville Falls has one of the highest water volumes of any waterfall in the Blue Ridge, so it’s not surprising that it floods so easily. The high volume of water also makes the gorge perilous for people. Swimming is not allowed in the river near the falls, but numerous fatalities have still occurred in the area.
After finishing our hiking for the day, we retreated back to our cabin at the Pineola so we could get showered and dressed for dinner. We decided to go fancy for our last evening in the area, and enjoyed a fabulous dinner at the Storie Street Grille in Blowing Rock, NC. In addition to lovely outdoor patio seating, hey had a great wine line, beautifully prepared entrees, and amazing desserts. Even though I’d already had pie a la mode earlier in the day, I could not pass up their dark chocolate – coconut bread pudding. Adam’s banana creme brulee was equally delicious. It was a fitting end to a fabulous trip!
Our next post will actually be a Virginia hike – shocking! But then we’ll be going back to some more out-of-state posts. We’re headed for the White Mountains of New Hampshire in a couple weeks, and are hoping to bring back at least a couple posts from that area. Stay tuned!
Difficulty – 1. The trail does have a little climbing up and down on the trail, but most people should be able to do it without too much trouble. We saw people of all ages and all levels of fitness on the trail, so it should be doable by anyone willing. The options for different viewpoints allow for people to choose what they can handle and decide when to stop.
Trail Conditions – 4.5. Most of the trail is either gravel or dirt and is well-worn.
Views – 4. Great views of the gorge and waterfalls.
Streams/Waterfalls – 5. There are many viewpoints to see the waterfalls. The only challenge will be to enjoy it with few others around.
Wildlife – 1. You may see squirrels and some birds flying around, but it would be unlikely to see much else.
Ease to Navigate – 4. There is a large branching of side trails here, but using the map should guide you along.
Solitude – 0. With such a close proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway along with the ease of difficulty, this hike is crowded.
Directions to trailhead: From US 221, turn on to NC 183. In .7 miles, turn right on to Wisemans View Road at the large curve. The parking lot is a short distance on the left and the trail starts from the eastern side of the parking lot.
* MapMyHike is not necessarily accurate, as the GPS signal fades in and out – but it still provides some fun and interesting information.
The beautiful, myrtle-crowned summit of Hawksbill. The distinctly shaped mountains on the left side of the gorge are Table Rock and Short Off. Below: Trailhead sign; Adam climbs through thick laurels and rhododendrons; Blooming Catawba rhododendron.
Christine Says…
Shenandoah National Park has a Hawksbill Mountain. It’s a nice hike and has lovely views, but Hawksbill Mountain in North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest is even more impressive! With a dramatic skyline of mountains with interesting profiles and a plunging view into Linville Gorge, this short hike offers scenery unparalleled by our Virginia Hawksbill. (sorry… I have to be honest!)
Adam and I woke up early on our last morning at the Pineola Inn. After a grueling day on Grandfather Mountain, we were in search of low-key hiking. My knee was hurting; every step I took on even the slightest downhill elicited stabbing pain under my kneecap. I thought to myself, ‘if only we could find a hike without much elevation change, I can gut this out!’ I referred to our hiking guide for the Blue Ridge Parkway and found a few short, easy hikes in the Linville Gorge area. The first was Hawksbill. The description was pretty vague, but it sounded easy and short – good enough to fit the bill for the day.
We had breakfast and made our way to the trailhead. The drive down Table Rock Road was dusty, bumpy and pitted with axle-rattling potholes. Fortunately, we were on the road only a short while. We parked near the trailhead and started up the Hawksbill Trail.
The views only get better from here! You have to scramble over boulders and through brush before the views really open up. Below: The steeper, rockier part of the trail; Blooming mountain laurel; The rocks at the summit had a wavy pattern in some places.
There’s really not a lot you can say about a .9 mile trail that pretty goes straight up a mountainside. There weren’t many noteworthy features on the route. It started off gentle, but became increasingly steep and rocky as we approached the summit. We saw mountain laurel and Catawba rhododendron blooming along the way. After a short while of walking, the trail leveled out on a rocky summit. At first, we didn’t see any views. But then we followed a series of worn footpaths through the brush and over boulders. On the other side, we found magnificent views that far exceeded any expectations we had for the hike. Linville Gorge is a precipitous plunge from the summit of Hawksbill. If you look deep into the canyon, you can see the river trailing through the forest. All the mountains around the gorge have unusual shapes. Instead of gentle rounded domes like most mountains, they have cliffs and plunges and missing chunks.
There were tons of places to sit and enjoy the views in every direction. When we visited, morning clouds were still swirling around the summits – making the vista even more dramatic. We saw a large group of cedar waxwings cross the summit, pausing to eat berries from the trees. Much of the summit was crowned with sand myrtle. And best of all, we had the entire place to ourselves! We stayed up there for about 45 minutes before climbing back down.
On the descent my knee nagged at me, but I still wanted to get one more little hike done after Hawksbill! Because, what would a visit to the Linville Gorge area be without a visit to the famous Linville Falls? We opted to stop for lunch at Famous Louise’s Rock House before visiting the falls. The restaurant sits simultaneously in three different counties (Burke, McDowell, and Avery), and is very well known for its pies. I enjoyed a slice of their five fruit pie with ice cream, then it was on to our final hike of the trip!
You can see the river making its way through the gorge. Below: A cedar waxwing; Another view of Table Rock and Short Off; The pattern in the rocks was beautiful!
Adam Says…
When we started off our hike from the parking lot up Hawksbill Mountain, there were lots of cars at the trailhead. After seeing some of the people preparing for the walk, we noticed they were bringing a supply of ropes and carabiners for rock climbing. As it turns out, Hawksbill is more popular for rock-climbing than hiking, featuring several moderate and difficult routes. We jumped on to the trail not knowing how many people we would see, but as it turns out we were the only ones hiking the trail on this gorgeous day.
We thought this rock formation looked like a diving board over the gorge. You can’t tell from the photo, but the drop beneath was pretty scary! Below: Pie!
The trail started off very gradual, which felt fine to our sore joints from hiking up Grandfather Mountain the previous day. At .6 miles, the trail took a sharp left up the mountain. I’m not sure, but this may be the point that the rock climbers veer off the main trail since we saw a faint trail leading out from this point. The trail then becomes more steep and there are some very large steps to take in places up rocks to keep climbing up the trail. At .8 miles, we reached the height of the trail. We headed to the left and within a short distance, we could see the views open up. We walked on a faint trail at the top until we reached a nice rock outcropping to take in the views of the gorge. Across from this viewpoint was Table Rock and Short Off. We talked about how we would like to come down here again and hike those two. As we were taking in the views, we saw several cedar waxwings chasing each other in the air.
We initially thought this viewpoint was what we came to see, but I wondered where the rock climbers were. So, while Christine took some more photos, I decided to scout back to the top of the trail we traveled and headed the opposite direction. I could tell this opened up to even grander views, so I backtracked and brought Christine back. We walked about .1 mile to this other viewpoint which had a large rocky cliff-face to take in the view. We climbed around on the rocks for a while taking in the views of the gorge and mountains. One rock that I stood on pictured above wobbled a bit when I stood on it, so be very careful on the edges!
We made our way back to the trail, again not encountering any other people. We were so glad that we had found this gem of a hike. This is another one of those hikes that has outstanding views with not a lot of effort. I would recommend it to anyone visiting the Linville Gorge area.
Difficulty – 2. A little bit of the hike is steep and rocky, but it’s so short that most people should be able to tackle the route with ease.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail is in nice condition.
Views – 5. Beautiful views of the gorge, Table Rock Mountain and Short Off Mountain
Streams/Waterfalls – 0. None.
Wildlife – 2. We saw a flock of cedar waxwings and a lizard.
Ease to Navigate – 4. The trail is a straight shot up the mountainside. There are a variety of footpaths around the summit, and lots of places to take in the view.
Solitude – 4. Oddly, we did not see a single other person after we left the parking lot. We had the summit all to ourselves for a full 45 minutes.
Directions to trailhead: From Banner Elk, NC (a good hub for this area). Follow NC 105 south for about eight miles, turn left on NC-181 S/US-221 S/Linville Falls Hwy for about three miles, turn left onto NC-181 S/Jonas Ridge Hwy for six miles, turn right onto Ginger Cake road and continue onto Table Rock Rd. The trailhead will be marked with NFS signage.
* MapMyHike is not necessarily accurate, as the GPS signal fades in and out – but it still provides some fun and interesting information.
This five-mile hike is demanding, thrilling and beautiful! It has everything from ladders and cables to amazing views of the Watauga Valley and the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you’re a fit hiker looking for something a little different – Grandfather Mountain definitely fits the bill!
Sand Myrtle crowns Attic Window Peak on Grandfather Mountain, making the view all the more lovely. You can see the ‘Sugar Cube’ sitting on the mountain top off in the distance. Below: Hiker parking on Grandfather Mountain; A view looking back on the Mile High Swinging Bridge; Native pink azaleas.
Adam Says…
We have a love-hate relationship with Grandfather Mountain. I definitely enjoy the hike more than Christine, but both times we have hiked it, things haven’t gone as great as planned. The views on Grandfather Mountain are amazing, but some of the physical and mental challenges definitely take their toll.
The last time we hiked up Grandfather Mountain, we only made it a little past Attic Window peak. Christine wasn’t feeling well that day, so we decided we make a second attempt on this trip and make it to the highest peak, Calloway Peak.
We were some of the first people on the trail that day. The lady at the entrance gate (it costs $18 per adult) gave us a parking sign to put in our car window. This is used in case someone goes missing on the mountain and they need to perform a rescue. We were told they wanted us back at our car by an hour before closing. We parked in the lower Trails Parking area and were the first car in the parking lot. We quickly set off on to the Bridge Trail, which winds through a series of switchbacks, crossing underneath the Mile High Swinging Bridge, before reaching the upper parking lot at .4 miles. We made a quick trip into the gift shop and then took a quick trip across the Mile High Swinging Bridge. The wind was quite calm this time on the trail; last time, the bridge was singing and the wind was so strong, Christine could barely walk across the parking lot. I have a big fear of heights when it comes to man-made things (roller coasters, ziplines, ladders, etc.), so the swinging bridge is always a gut-check for me. The fact that the wind was calm made it easier for me. We walked on to the rocks on the other side and enjoyed some spectacular morning views to the west.
Crossing back across the bridge, we made our way down the stairs and across the parking lot to the large wooden sign to begin our real hike on the Grandfather Trail. We climbed up a few stairs and started our hike on the blue-blazed trail. The first part of the trail isn’t too tough. You reach an open area called The Patio at .6 miles and at .7 miles you reach the junction with the Grandfather Extension Trail. Continue past this trail and at .8 miles, you will pass the scenic Grandfather Gap area. Just ahead is a junction where the Underwood Trail branches off at .9 miles. We continued on the Grandfather Trail and here is where it can be challenging. Your first introduction to the difficulty of the hike is when you come across some cables that are helpful to grab onto to help yourself climb up or down the trail. When it is wet, the rocks can be steep and slippery, so it is helpful and often necessary to grab onto these.
Adam uses cables to assist him across a steep, slick rock. Below: Adam enjoys the views; Christine hiking along the easy part of the Grandfather Trail; Climbing one of the first ladders en route to MacRae Peak.
In a short distance as you are making way toward MacRae Peak, you have to navigate a series of ladders. The first one starts off as you squeeze along a rock that will have you hunched over and you climb up a tall ladder that is at an angle along a large rock face. This climb wasn’t as scary, but it is just a taste of what is to come. If you’re feeling uncomfortable climbing this ladder, I would recommend turning around. After climbing this first ladder, you will come upon more series of ladders. Some of these go directly up the cliff side and you are looking at huge drop-offs on the side. The first time I was definitely scared going up, but I felt more comfortable on this climb. The ladders are bolted into the rock and the ladders are placed at just enough angle that I didn’t feel I was going to plummet to my death. Once you navigate up through the ladders and climb up where it begins to level off, you are rewarded with more amazing views around you. We continued further and reached the sign to MacRae Peak at 1.3 miles. The sign rests at the bottom of another ladder. Climbing up to the top of the ladder, you then need to grab a cable to help pull yourself up to the summit boulder of MacRae Peak. The 360-degree views at this point are stunning on a clear day.
We took a short break at the top and then made our way back down the ladder to continue our hike. The trail begins to climb down and at 1.4 miles, you see another junction with the Underwood Trail. Continue the Grandfather Trail downhill with some big steps and cables. The trail then begins to climb again up to the Attic Window. You navigate through an area called The Chute, which has you climbing up a short but very steep area of small boulders to make your way to the top. As you crest the top at 1.6 miles, you can wind around to a rock outcropping known as Attic Window Peak, which serves as a great viewpoint. We had spotted someone sitting at the top of Attic Window Peak from MacRae peak. He was still there when we arrived and I noticed he was taking in the views while reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. He was asking if any of the other views were worth the trip, since he came up via the Profile Trail. He was interested in seeing the Mile High Swinging Bridge, but when we saw him later on the trail, we learned that he decided to just go back the way he came.
Christine climbs the rocks. Below: Adam on a set of multiple ladders, Coming off the top of the ladder onto exposed cliffside; A well-earned view!
From Attic Window Peak, the trail goes downhill again, but then passes through a level area as you walk along a ridgeline with some great northwestern views (and a view of the steep Profile Trail). At 1.9 miles, you reach another overnight camping area known as Alpine Meadow. The trail descends again down another gap, before making the way up to Calloway Peak. At this point, the clouds were rolling in and sticking to the mountain, so our visibility was going away fast. We climbed up the Calloway Gap area and reached the junction with the Profile Trail at 2.3 miles. We pressed on, passing by the Cliffside Campsite at 2.4 miles. The trail continued to climb up some switchbacks. A sign came up at 2.7 miles which pointed the way to the Watauga View. Knowing there wasn’t much a view as we hiked in the fog, we made our way to the Calloway Peak. The trail at this point climbed up a couple of more technical ladders. We reached a rock that was the Calloway Peak at 2.8 miles. There was no sign designating this as the peak, but from ground markings, we could tell this is where the white-blazed trail of the Daniel Boone Scout Trail met the blue-blazed Grandfather Trail. I’m sure there is a view from the rocks here, but we could barely see 10 feet in front of our face. Disappointed, we made our way back down the ladders and took the side trail to the Watauga View. The view was barely there, but we stayed long enough to eat our packed lunch before making our way back. The views on the way back were getting swallowed by the clouds settling on the mountain, so we lost a lot of the views on the way back.
At 3.7 miles, we reached the junction with the yellow-blazed Underwood Trail. We decided to take that trail back to avoid some of the ladders. This trail is incredibly rocky and my knees were in so much pain after a short distance on this trail. I think if we do this trail again, I would rather take the ladders than this hellish, downhill knee-destroyer. Every step, I felt shooting pain in one of my knees and I wondered if I would need to be rescued (at least there was a sign in our car). We navigated down one large ladder and finally reached the junction with the Grandfather Trail again at 4.2 miles. I turned around to flip the bird to the trail for my personal enjoyment and reached the Grandfather Extension Trail junction at 4.4 miles. We took this red-blazed trail, which goes gradually downhill through a series of switchbacks until we reached the parking lot for our car at 5.0 miles. It was a tiring day, but if you are up for an adventurous hike, this is one you should definitely try.
Christine Says…
Oh… Grandfather Mountain – what can I say about this place.
On one hand, it’s a beautiful, rugged and exciting place to hike. On the other hand, things always seem to go wrong when I hike there – I’m sick, my technology fails, I injure myself. Maybe this mountain is trying to tell me something?
Adam enjoys the view from MacRae Peak. Below; Christine on MacRae Peak; Climbing the rocky trail.
The first time we hiked Grandfather, I developed a 101 degree fever, and ended up having to turn around near Attic Window Peak (the original goal had been to make it to Calloway Peak). I was just too dizzy and fatigued to hike anymore.
I was really excited to revisit the mountain and finish the hike we tried to do last fall. The morning started off with a great breakfast at the River Dog Café. We paid our entry fee to the park and headed up the mountain. The hiker parking lot was completely empty, skies were sunny and the wind was fairly gentle. It was pretty much the opposite of our last trip up the mountain.
We hiked up to the Mile-High Swinging Bridge. This time, we took the time to climb around the rocky outcropping on the far side of the bridge. Back in the fall, the wind had been so strong that we didn’t dare go out on the rocks!
We started up the Grandfather Trail, which departs from the upper parking area. We had the trail mostly to ourselves this time. We really didn’t see anyone else at all until the latter part of the hike. I enjoyed seeing the wild pink azaleas in bloom. Grandfather Gap was especially colorful with blossoms.
We negotiated the cables and ladders before coming to MacRae Peak. We scaled the ladder to the top and enjoyed the view from the big rock. One side of the mountain was clear, but the other was covered with low clouds and fog. The breeze pushed the clouds against the side of the mountain. They would hang along the ridge for a few minutes and then roll over and dissipate on the clearer side of the mountain. It was fun to watch the low clouds moving so quickly.
Adam crawls through the Subway. Below: Climbing up the Chute; Beautiful sand myrtle; Painted trillium along the trail.
From MacRae, we descended steeply through a slick and rocky gap. The descent was short and ended at an immense rock jumble called ‘The Subway’. Ladders and blazes lead you through openings between giant boulders. On the other side, you soon face ‘The Chute’. The chute is a narrow, steep rock scramble that you must negotiate to reach Attic Window Peak.
From Attic Window Peak, the hike offers some more moderate ridge walking with spectacular views all along the way. The rocky spine was covered with blooming sand myrtle, so it was especially pretty on this visit. In fact, when famed naturalist John Muir visited this mountain, he described this ridge as “the face of all Heaven come to earth.” Luckily, John Muir got to visit this area before some idiot approved the Sugar Mountain construction project. I swear, ‘The Sugar Cube‘ (the main building’s nickname) has to be one of the worst eyesores in Appalachian nature. I guess its construction did inspire a change in legislation, so mistakes like that are less likely to happen again.
From the crest of the mountain, the trail descends again before beginning the final ascent toward Calloway Peak. The uphill hike passes through rich, mossy evergreen forest. On the way to Calloway, don’t miss taking a few minutes to walk out to the Watauga View. It’s a lovely rocky outcropping that looks into the Watuaga Valley. It was also the last place we had a view on our hike! On the way to Calloway, a massive cloud bank moved in and parked atop the mountain. It was like it was stuck and couldn’t quite make it over the peak. Watauga View was also the place I noticed that my smart phone had crashed at some point and wouldn’t restart (sorry – no MapMyHike stats). Normally, this would be a small annoyance, but just the night before my MacBook Pro self-destructed. Such technology angst!
The Watauga View was partially obscured by clouds. Below: Hiking toward Calloway Peak; Foggy Calloway Peak
We finished the climb to Calloway (which required a couple more ladders), spotted the elevation benchmark and wondered what the view would have been like on a clear day. Had we continued hiking, we would have continued on the Daniel Boone Trail and soon reached the Hi-Balsam backcountry shelter. But the peak was our turnaround point.
We made our way back along the ridge before eventually reaching the junction of the Underwood Trail. I remembered the Underwood Trail as very rocky and difficult. And it certainly was! I think at this point of the hike, the exhaustion of six straight days of hiking kind of kicked in. We really struggled, physically and mentally, with the tough terrain on this stretch of the hike. I guess I was fatigued and not being careful, because my foot slipped and I felt a twinge in my knee. I shook it off and kept going, but after that I felt a nagging, sharp pain under my knee cap. It came and went, so I did my best to ignore it. (I continued to ignore it on our last two hikes of the trip the next day, and ended up at the orthopedist and off the trail for a month after our trip.)
When the Underwood Trail ended near Grandfather Gap, I was thrilled to be back on easier footing. The rest of the hike went by quickly and easily. After we got back to our car, we spent some time walking around the Nature Center. We saw bears, eagles and mountain lions and enjoyed eating giant cookies and icy soda.
Like I said at the beginning, I both love and hate this trail. It offers so much in terms of scenery and physical challenge, but it’s a tough hike and I always seem to pay some kind of price for hiking there. Maybe I’ll hike it again someday… maybe.
The Dreaded Underwood Trail. Below: Grandfather Gap; Almost back to the hiker parking area.
Trail Notes
Distance – 5.0 miles.
Elevation Change – 2084 ft
Difficulty – 5. Having to use cables and climb ladders should tell you something. While this route was only five miles, you will go very slowly during most of the hike due to the steepness of the terrain.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail is well-maintained, but that doesn’t make it easy. There are lots of rocky parts to navigate, especially on The Chute up Attic Window and the footing on the Underwood Trail is grueling.
Views – 5. The best views are from the Mile High Swinging Bridge, MacRae Peak, and Attic Window Peak. The clouds were covering the area at Calloway Peak for us, but I could tell the views from the Watauga View would have been spectacular also.
Streams/Waterfalls – 0. None.
Wildlife – 1. We didn’t really see anything beyond birds.
Ease to Navigate – 4. All junctions are labeled and the trail is fairly easy to follow. We have seen people get turned around at certain points (including us previously).
Solitude – 1.5. I would expect to see people along the trail and lingering especially at the viewpoints. Starting out early in the day should help with the solitude.
Directions to trailhead: The entrance to Grandfather Mountain is located on US 221, two miles north of Linville, North Carolina, and one mile south of the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 305. Signs for the entrance are well-marked and an entrance station is right off the road with large gates. Travel up the road by car until you reach the parking lot designated for hiking trails. The trailhead for the Bridge Trail is on the left side of the parking lot as you are driving up. Coordinates for the hiker parking area are 36.096145, -81.831802.
This might be one of the most beautiful view hikes we’ve done in the Appalachians! The moderate 5.1-mile climb along a smooth, easy trail takes you over three lofty balds that will make you feel on top of the world!
The views on the Roan Mountain hike are amazing! There are open views of the mountains in every direction. Not many mountains in the area are as tall as Roan, so you’ll feel on top of the world this entire hike. If you look closely at this photo, you can see the Appalachian Trail meandering across ridgeline off in the distance. Below: Carvers Gap is on the Tennesse-North Carolina state line; Adam passes through one of the only tree-covered parts of the hike.
Christine Says…
After five exciting, action-packed days in the Smokies, it was time to move on to the third stop on our Southern Appalachians tour. We took our time leaving Gatlinburg. We bought more donuts from The Donut Friar (yay!) and did some laundry at the hotel (boo!). It’s no fun doing laundry on vacation – but five days of hiking creates quite a large heap of dirty clothes. After checking out, we meandered through Pigeon Forge. That town is loaded with crazy tourist attractions. I saw the Titanic, King Kong, an upside down building and even fed grapes and Milkbones to a trio of black bears (yes… it was safe and legal). [See a few amusing photos of Pigeon Forge] We even stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up extra memory cards for the camera. This turned out to be one of the wisest decisions on the trip – more about that later!
By 11:00 we were cruising along, headed in the direction of Roan Mountain. I’d long heard tales about the mountain’s famous balds and stellar views, and was so excited to finally have a chance to see for myself.
We finally got to Roan Mountain around 1:30 in the afternoon. Our hike started off at Carvers Gap, straddling the North Carolina/Tennessee line at 5,512 feet. Even from the parking lot, I could tell that this was going to be a special hike. First of all, we had amazing weather! Lower elevations were hot and sunny (mid-90’s back home in Virginia!), but Roan Mountain was sitting in the low 70’s with a pleasant breeze, brilliant blue skies, and puffy clouds. It was truly perfect hiking weather. Second of all, the view from Carvers Gap was lovely – hinting at the amazing vistas yet to come.
I put on a hat and lots of sunscreen, packed snacks and filled my CamelBak. As it turns out, I missed a large spot on my shoulder with the sunscreen, and ended up with an incredibly stupid-looking sunburn for the remainder of the trip.
Christine takes in spectacular mountain views. Below: A photo similar to this, but including colorful Catawba rhododendrons was recently featured in Backpacker Magazine; Funny portrayal of an AT Thru-Hiker on the sign.
The hike climbs uphill from the parking lot, following the Appalachian Trail, before quickly entering a thick stand of evergreens. This small patch of forest is one of the only spots on the hike that does not have a 360 degree panoramic view. Once you clear these trees, the remainder of the hike is a spectacular, mile-high stroll along one of the most beautiful view trails I’ve ever seen. Photos don’t come close to capturing how breathtaking views are along this stretch of trail. If I’ve ever been any place that inspired me to have a Julie Andrew’s moment (you know… the opening scenes of the Sound of Music where she’s twirling around singing ‘The Hills are Alive’) – this was the place. Of course, I didn’t actually do that, because truth be told, I don’t like musicals. But, I kind of understand the urge to burst into song when I see someplace this beautiful!
The first bald you come to is Round Bald at 5,826 feet. The views were wonderful, and I loved seeing the Appalachian Trail winding like a ribbon across the balds in the distance. From Round Bald, we descended into a small gap before climbing right back up to the summit of Jane Bald at 5,807 feet.
On Jane Bald I recognized a spot that had recently been featured in a photograph in Backpacker magazine. I took my own, less exciting version of the shot. Why less exciting, you ask? Well, in addition to being famous for balds and view, Roan Mountain is also famous for its dramatic Catawba Rhododendron bloom. The mountain is home to the world’s largest natural rhododendron garden. Roan Mountain State Park even holds a festival every June to celebrate the peak color. Many of the most memorable photos of Roan Mountain include the famous rhododendrons, including the one I had spotted in the magazine. Our hike took place a couple weeks before the bloom began, so while we missed the color, we benefited from lower traffic on the trail. I’ve heard Roan Mountain is crawling with crowds at bloom time!
After enjoying the views from Jane Bald, we descended again to a split in the trail. To the left, the Appalachian Trail continues, to the right a park trail continues to the third, and highest/largest of the three balds – Grassy Ridge Bald. There was a funny, hand-drawn illustration of a thru-hiker on the trail junction sign. I wonder if it was drawn by a thru-hiker or someone who was simply familiar with standard thru-hiker smells.
The climb to Grassy Ridge Bald (6,189 feet) is the only significant ascent on the hike. An elevation gain of about 500 feet leads you a large grassy bald dotted with rocks. Adam did some hunting for geocaches, while I found the perfect rock perch for eating cookies. I still had a pack of Oreos that had been part of my LeConte bagged lunch. They were a nice treat to enjoy in such a beautiful place!
We spent a lot of time on Grassy Ridge enjoying the views and chatting with a local teacher we met at the summit. He shared tales of running whitewater in the Smokies and hiking Half Dome in Yosemite. He also told us a bit about how the balds are maintained. Apparently, Roan Mountain uses a combination of mower and goat grazing to keep the balds cleared. I was hoping we’d spot the goats, but we never did.
As late afternoon approached, we slowly made our way back down the trail. The light was so beautiful on the mountains! I still can’t believe how many ridges and layers of mountains we could see from the trail. We recognized Mt. Mitchell by its height and Grandfather Mountain by its shape.
The walk back to the car went by way too fast for my liking! As soon as we were back I told Adam, ‘I want to hike it again!’ And, I’m certain we will – Roan Mountain was far too perfect to visit just once.
Grassy ridge offered plenty of rocks to sit on while enjoying the views. Below: Adam checks out the Peake Memorial; Walking along wide, open trail!
After leaving Roan Mountain, we had a fairly short drive to our lodgings in Pineola, NC. We decided to stay in the same log cabin at the Pineola Inn that we rented when we visited the Linville area last fall. It’s such a nice, cozy place to stay in that area.
We grabbed some dinner at Nick’s in Banner Elk and then settled in for the evening. Right after I downloaded my photos from the day, the screen of my laptop went black. As it turned out, the hard drive on my MacBook Pro chose the middle of vacation to call it quits. Thank goodness I had picked up that extra memory card before starting the Roan Mountain hike! If I hadn’t, I would have erased memory cards from earlier hikes and ended up losing files for good. I am so glad that didn’t happen!
Adam Says…
This has been one of my favorite hikes of recent memory. And that is saying a lot just coming from the Smokies. As I was waiting for Christine to get started, I was looking up the hillside and knew we were in for an amazing trip.
We crossed the road and went through the fence opening to start our hike. The hike climbs along the Appalachian Trail through an open area and then ducks quickly into a small grove of woods. Once you emerge out of the dense trees, the hiking is on open ground. It was just a few minutes along this trail that I proclaimed to Christine that this may be the best views I’ve ever had on a hike. It took her a little longer to admit the same thing, but soon she agreed. The views were all around us and in every direction you could see miles of layered mountain ridges. Since this hike straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, I could see both states wanting to claim this hike for their own. About .5 miles along the hike, you arrive at the summit of the first bald, Round Bald. The views were great from here, but we knew we were just getting started.
The hike back was so pretty… nothing like late afternoon light on mountains! Below: Taking in some final views; Dense rhododendron.
We continued along the trail, which descended through a clear path and ascended again when we reached Jane Bald at 1.3 miles. The views continued to be amazing from near the summit of Jane Bald. The trail then continues to climb as you are making your way to Grassy Ridge. At 1.9 miles, you reach a junction – the left continues the Appalachian Trail, but take the right branch to reach the summit of the Grassy Ridge Bald. The trail cuts through a thick area of rhododendron before emerging to the larger bald area at 2.5 miles. At the summit of this bald, you’ll see a large rock that has a bronze plaque dedicated to Cornelius Rex Peake, who was a high-country farmer of this area. What a nice tribute at such a scenic spot.
This is a place that you will want to spend some time. The breathtaking views are in every direction and you will want to explore around the balds to take in views from a slightly different angle. Christine’s dad likes to sit and take in views for longer than we do. We know we would literally need to drag him away from here if he visited or he would stay up here for days. Head back the way that you came to reach your car in 5.1 miles.
If you enjoy geocaching, there are two that you can find on the trail – Zelda’s Double Blaze Treasure and Roan’s Revenge. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to claim either one after hunting a while, but hopefully they are being maintained.
We headed back down because of the time of day and wanted to make it to check into the Pineola Inn. If you have a chance to visit this area, this is a great place to stay. I know we are already getting excited about the next time we will come back here. This is a place that you’ll want to visit more than once.
Difficulty – 2. The climbing on this hike was relatively gradual and gentle.
Trail Conditions – 4. Very nice – well traveled and smooth.
Views – 5+. Maybe the best views Virginia Trail Guide has ever seen
Streams/Waterfalls – 0. None.
Wildlife – 1. We didn’t really see anything beyond birds.
Ease to Navigate – 4. Good signage at the one trail junction. Each bald is marked.
Solitude – 2. We saw a fair number of people, but I gather this was a lighter than usual crowd for Roan Mountain.
Directions to trailhead: From Roan Mountain, TN (located on US-19E), head south on TN-143. Go for 12.6 miles until you reach the top of the mountain and the parking lot for Carver’s Gap. You should see a “Welcome to North Carolina” sign nearby. Park in the lot on the right side of the road. Cross the road and go through the fence opening to start your hike heading north on the Appalachian Trail.
* MapMyHike is not necessarily accurate, as the GPS signal fades in and out – but it still provides some fun and interesting information.
A peek inside one of the dilapidated Elkmont cabins. Below: Adam walks the Little River Trail; the Spence Cabin; We saw lots of big snails on the trail.
Adam Says…
For our last day of hiking in the Smokies, we opted for something easy compared to our previous two days, which had us hiking over difficult terrain for 10+ miles each day. We decided a hike along a pretty stream with a taste of history would be a nice choice.
The hike started on the Little River Trail. We crossed the gate that led to the gravel road. Almost immediately to the left, you come across some of the Elkmont cabins. There are signs posted asking that you not enter the houses. These do look dangerous, with caved-in roofs and rotting wood, so don’t risk it. The Little River Logging Company established this small town in 1908 to serve as a central location for its logging efforts. In 1910, they started selling parcels of land to interested outdoorsmen, who established the Appalachian Club. In 1912, the Wonderland Park Hotel was built and in 1919 a group of businessmen bought the hotel and established the Wonderland Club. As the wealthy began traveling to this area, the Appalachian Club and Wonderland Club served as social outlets for the elite. Most of these houses are in complete ruin, as the park has taken over the property after not renewing the leases of those previous owners. There is a plan to maintain and renovate 19 of these houses (mostly in the “Daisy Town” area).
We continued along the trail that is flanked by the Little River to the left. There are many places that you can duck off the main trail and enjoy watching the flowing river. At 2.4 miles, you reach the junction with the Cucumber Gap Trail right after passing a bench. Take a right and head on the Cucumber Gap Trail, which begins an ascent. We came across a woman, who was glad to see us since she said we could “scare the bear away”. She had been walking on this trail many times and has seen bears frequently here. We were excited to possibly see a bear on the trail, but we weren’t lucky enough this time.
Adam takes in the lovely Little River. Below: Huskey Branch Falls; Tall, lush trees on the hike.
At 2.7 miles, you will rock-hop across Huskey Branch. The trail continues to ascend, but slightly more steeply until you reach the top of Cucumber Gap at mile 3.8. Off to the right, you may have an obstructed view of Burnt Mountain and the Bear Wallow Creek valley below. Near the top of the gap, you may see Fraser magnolias, often referred as “cucumber trees”, giving this trail its name. The trail descends at this point and crosses Tulip Branch at 4.4 miles. At 4.8 miles, the Cucumber Gap Trail ends and you willl take a right when you reach this junction with the Jakes Creek Trail. At 5.1 miles, the trail reaches another junction. Head right again at this fork. Soon, you will pass by more abandoned Elkmont houses until the trail opens up into the larger area of homes known as “Daisy Town”. Walking down the main street, you will reach the Appalachian Club, which has a large wooden porch and some historical signs that you can read to learn more about this area. From the club, make your way to the right and you should shortly reach your car again.
This was a nice leg-stretcher of a hike, and one that you’ll likely want to take slowly to enjoy the scenery along the way. The houses are interesting to check out and you may want to take a few minutes to enjoy the heavy-flowing Little River. If you are someone that is interested in the history of this area right before the park was established, this is a great hike to check out.
Christine Says…
After two days of long, tough hikes, we began our final day in the Smokies looking for something a little more relaxing and low-key. While enjoying amazing (honestly… this is not an overstatement) donuts from The Donut Friar, we skimmed our guidebook. In the end, we settled on the Cucumber Gap Loop. It’s known as one of the Smokies’ nicest, more moderate hikes. It boasts abundant wildflowers, beautiful river scenery and a chance to visit the historic Elkmont cottages.
The trailhead is just a short drive from Gatlinburg, near the Elkmont campground. We set off on the Little River Trail, which is really more of a wide, gravel road than a trail. Almost immediately, the Spence Cabin came into view. This historic cabin has been restored by the park service, and is available for day-use special event rental. The other cabins dotting the river alongside the Spence Cabin haven’t been so lucky. Most of them are dilapidated, sagging and fading back into the forest. ‘Keep Out’ signs are posted along the trail. Although you cannot enter (or even touch) the buildings, you can still peek through the windows and imagine what life may have been like in the area’s heyday.
Christine does some rock hopping. Below: Violets were abundant on the hike; Adam crosses Huskey Branch; Heading into ‘Daisy Town’.
After spending a little time peering into the cottages, we continued along the path. I looked for wildflowers, but we really didn’t spot much beyond bluets, wild violets, sporadic mountain laurel and a few fading trilliums. It was several weeks past peak bloom in the park’s lower elevations.
We stopped several times to enjoy and photograph the beautiful Little River. The water here tumbles over boulders and rock shelves, making many small cascades and rapids. The day was sunny and cloudless, so it was hard to take decent pictures. I did manage to find a few shady spots that were nice for photos. At one particular spot, I set up my tripod and sent Adam out to sit on a rock. He noticed a brown snake, sitting half in and half out of the water. I tried to get a photo, but as soon as I pointed my lens in his direction, the snake ducked into the water. It popped its head up one last time before diving deeper and disappearing for good. I did a little research on what kind of snake he might have been and came up with a common brown water snake.
We tried not to stop or stand still for too long, because the mosquitoes on this hike were outrageous. Even when we were moving, we were swatting. Standing still was almost unbearable. It was definitely the warmest, stillest, most humid day of our trip, so I suppose we shouldn’t have been surprised to find a riverside hike so buggy! I ended up putting a little DEET on my face. I’ve had a few mosquito bites on my eyelids that have swollen to softball size and stayed that puffy for days. It’s a very bad look for me. 🙂
We soon passed a small waterfall entering from the right side of the trail. I didn’t see it mentioned in our guidebook, but apparently it’s called Huskey Branch Falls. It’s a pretty spot!
Shortly after the waterfall, we came to the junction with the Cucumber Gap Trail. Adam mentioned meeting the woman who passed along the bear warning. What I didn’t know at the time was that the only fatal bear attack in the Smokies happened close to this spot. I have a healthy respect for bears, but I’m not frightened of encountering them on the trail. Fatal encounters are rare and tragic. In the end, all we saw were lots of big snails, squirrels, and a couple pileated woodpeckers.
The Cucumber Gap trail contains the steepest climbing of the hike. About half the elevation gain on this hike takes place over a single mile on this section of trail. There wasn’t anything remarkable or unique about this part of the hike – pretty violets, tall trees, and a couple shallow stream crossings. We also managed to pick up a bit of a breeze, which helped keep the bugs away.
We soon found ourselves at a junction with a wide gravel road, we turned right and made our way to another junction with the Jakes Creek Trail. The remainder of the Elkmont cottages sit along this section of the hike. There are cabins in just about every rustic style imaginable. Apparently, Elkmont has been a controversial issue in the Smokies for years. Some people would like to see all of the buildings torn down, so that nature can take over. Others would like to see the homes restored so that the park’s origins and history can be visited and remembered. Currently, the plan lets each side of the argument win in a way.
The Appalachian Club Porch has several nice rocking chairs. Below: Another Elkmont cottage; Historical information at the site; A bear on the drive back into town!
Many of the cottages will be demolished and removed, but those that are in better condition or are historically significant will be repaired and eventually opened to the public. The area has already been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Near the end of the hike, we reached a paved road that passes through the densest section of Elkmont cottages. This area is definitely worth a little exploration! We enjoyed sitting on the chairs on the porch of the Appalachian Clubhouse. This building, like Spence Cabin, has already been restored and is available for event rental. The front of the building has a few signs with historical information and old photos. It sounds like it was quite the place to be back in the day!
From the clubhouse, the return to our car was just a short walk along the road. While the Cucumber Gap Loop wasn’t the most thrilling hike of our trip, it was still fun and interesting.
On our way back into Gatlinburg, Adam spotted a mother bear and two tiny cubs along the road. So, even though we didn’t see bears on the hike, we didn’t leave the Smokies without a great look at wildlife. It was a fitting final experience!
Difficulty – 1.5. The trail along Little River is fairly flat. There is a little elevation on the Cucumber Gap trail, but it wasn’t too tough.
Trail Conditions – 4. The Little River Trail and Jakes Creek Trail are both gravel fire roads that are very easy to walk on. The Cucumber Gap trail was well-maintained, but somewhat overgrown in some areas.
Views – 1. You may get an obstructed view of Burnt Mountain from the top of Cucumber Gap, but not much else.
Streams/Waterfalls – 4. The Little River Trail has some of the best stream viewing you can see. There were some rapids, but no significant waterfalls.
Wildlife – 3. A great spot for birding. Deer and bear have been spotted here often.
Ease to Navigate – 3.5. There aren’t great signs around so that you know exactly how to get back to your car, but we were able to find it fairly easily (and now you should be able to as well).
Solitude – 3. We saw a few people along the trail, but this is a little quieter than a lot of the popular trails in the park. Many people on the trail may be camping nearby.
Directions to trailhead: From the edge of Gatlinburg, enter Great Smoky Mountains National Park and head south on US-441 South for 1.7 miles. Turn right on to Little River Road and go 4.9 miles. Take a left onto Elkmont Road and continue on it past the campground for a total of 2.0 miles. Park in the small parking lot and the Little River Trail is past the locked gate.
* MapMyHike is not necessarily accurate, as the GPS signal fades in and out – but it still provides some fun and interesting information.
This ten-mile hike follows the Appalachian Trail along the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Most of the hike is above a mile high, so in open spots you get some very impressive views of the Smokies. The bald itself is rather disappointing, as it’s been mostly reclaimed by the forest, but we did enjoy the vistas and visiting two Appalachian Trail shelters.
Since much of the hike is along a mile-high ridge, views can be spectacular (when you’re not in the clouds). Below: Adam climbs the foggy path to the Clingmans Dome Observation Tower, The tower looks kind of like a space ship; The Appalachian Trail in the fog.
Christine Says…
This is a hike we planned on doing on our Spring 2012 Smokies trip, but we had so much stormy weather that we didn’t want to risk a long, mostly unprotected hike along mile-high ridgeline. So, we settled for the shorter trip to Andrews Bald. In the end, it actually turned out that Andrews Bald was a larger, more scenic bald than Silers. But, we still found many reasons beyond the slightly disappointing bald to enjoy this hike.
We started pretty early on Tuesday morning, after a lavish breakfast at The Pancake Pantry (Swedish Crepes with lingonberries!!). It was sunny in Gatlinburg, but as we made the drive toward the summit of Clingmans Dome, clouds began to envelop the mountain. At the very top, we were completely socked in. We knew it would burn off over the course of the morning, so we started the climb up the paved road to the observation tower.
From there, we picked up the Appalachian Trail. We followed it, descending downhill, sometimes steeply and sometimes gently. There were some sections of descent that caused Adam and I to look at each other and say ‘This is not going to be a fun climb back up!’
Since we were completely in the fog, we had no idea what views or scenery the trail would have to offer on the return hike. It was almost like doing one hike in the morning, and a completely different hike in the afternoon. I kind of like that! Also, the fog made the woods extremely beautiful and mysterious. There’s just something about mist and evergreens!
Because of the high elevation, a lot of earlier season wildflowers were still blooming. This red trillium was especially pretty! Below: Many different kinds of moss grow abundantly in the high country here; Flowering tree; Wildflowers along the trail.
We saw lots of wildflowers, including some spectacular red trillium that Adam spotted. We listened to birds singing in the fog and watched the sky become increasingly brighter.
When we came to the first vista that wasn’t covered by fog, I got out my wide angle lens. Unfortunately, it had been sitting too close to my icy cold CamelBak water bag, so as soon as I got it out, it fogged up so badly I couldn’t take a single photo until it acclimated and dried out.
By the time we got to Double Springs Shelter, larger patches of blue were already opening in the sky. We took some time to read the shelter journal – lots of fun entries.
From Double Springs, the trail seemed to ascend and descend repeatedly. We watched the mileage on our GPS and thought that it was about time that we should be approaching the bald. Honestly, we could have passed it without notice. It wasn’t really much of a bald. It had been described in our guide as ‘a large, mostly grassy bald with a few heathers and berry bushes’. What we found was a small clearing with no grass, covered completely by tall bushes.
The forest is so beautiful, dense and ethereal.
We thought ‘This can’t possibly be it!?’ But, it was – as confirmed by GPS data and our imminent arrival at the second shelter – Silers Bald Shelter. We ate lunch at the shelter – Subway and these awesome locally-made trail bars by Granola Naturals (Toffee and Chocolate Granola Crunch Bar – YUM!) that we picked up at the NOC.
Right after lunch, we headed back the way we came. The hike back was tough, hiking ten miles after climbing LeConte the day before was probably not the best plan. But when we’re in the Smokies – we hike ‘til we drop.
Most of the way was hard, but not unbearably tough. However, the last push to Clingmans Dome was about a mile of very steep climbing. My legs were screaming and all I could think was ‘put one foot in front of the other, repeat, repeat, repeat’. The only thing that softened the pain of the climb were the spectacular views! These views made me oooh and ahhh repeatedly. Despite my exhaustion, I kept thinking ‘This is so darn gorgeous – worth every sore muscle and drop of sweat!’
There is nothing like hiking a mile-high ridge that offers views of the Smokies rolling out beneath you.
Adam checks out the shelter log at the Double Springs shelter. Below: Arriving at the shelter; It was interesting to read entries. Many thru-hikers struggled through deep snow in the Smokies.
Back at the Clingmans Dome observation tower, we were met by massive crowds. Lots of people had questions and made comments about our trekking poles. An older guy called us ‘show-offs’ – not really sure why, but it was done jokingly. Adam and I really enjoyed seeing our first clear view from the tower. The two previous visits had both been low visibility/cloudy, so this visit was a real treat!
After the hike, we headed back into town for a massive feast on Mellow Mushroom pizza followed by Kilwins Ice Cream and free samples of just about every wine, whiskey and moonshine offered in Gatlinburg. I think the town offers so many free alcohol samples to loosen tourists’ purse-strings. After 14 moonshine samples, who knows – you may just wake up owning a new airbrushed t-shirt that says ‘Sexy and I Know It’ (not that I did that).
Adam Says…
Christine and I had tried to get into good hiking shape for our trip to the Smokies. We had grand ideas of all we wanted to accomplish – Christine had picked about 120 miles of hiking trails she wanted to do. Christine did a much better job than I of getting in to shape. Accomplishing this 10 mile hike after finishing about 11.5 miles of hiking through steep terrain up Mount LeConte the previous day, took a toll on me. Since this hike is almost all downhill until you reach the bald and the shelter, I was dreading the return trip.
We enjoyed our trip last year to Andrews Bald where we were able to relax at a scenic spot from the bald area. Silers Bald is not very “bald” at all. In fact, I would say it doesn’t even show much of a receding hairline. But, there were some nice views along the trail elsewhere.
Silers Bald was less impressive than we expected. Evidently, 100 years ago, balds stretched from Clingman’s Dome all the way over to Gregory Bald (which is hiked from Cades Cove). The land was used for grazing. Since becoming a park, nature had filled most of the bald terrain back in. Below: One of our first views of the day not covered by clouds; As we approached Silers Bald, the forest changed from pines to grass and deciduous trees; Another view of Silers Bald.
As Christine mentioned, we started off the hike in the thick fog. Visibility was minimal. We were hoping that the hike would be similar to our first hike up Mount Rogers, where it felt like a different hike on the return trip. Luckily, the fog lifted to give us this same experience. It also made us feel that we were continuing to hike to get the best views; otherwise, this hike would have been more of a disappointment if we had the best views early.
We started off by hiking from the Clingman’s Dome parking lot up the steep hill for .5 miles. The walk on the paved road is short, but very steep. There is a reason there are benches on the side of the paved trail. – it can be a challenge for those out of shape. Most of the people that are visiting Clingman’s Dome will just walk up the paved trail and return without venturing further. Expect to see a ton of people on this part of the trail, but you’ll have a lot of seclusion for the rest of the trail. After you near the winding tower of Clingman’s Dome, take the trail to the left that begins your hike on the Appalachian Trail. You’ll stay on the Appalachian Trail throughout your hike. At .75 miles, the trail opens up into an area filled with views along the trail. Continue to go downhill (you’ll descend about 1100 feet over a little over the next two miles). At 2.75 miles, you’ll reach a junction with the Goshen Prong Trail. Continue to go downhill and at 3.25 miles, you’ll reach the Double Spring Gap Shelter. The trail goes up and down slightly over this next section and at 3.75 miles, you’ll reach a smaller bald area known as Jenkins Knob.
By the time we hiked back, skies had cleared and we had better views. Below: Silers Shelter – our lunch stop; The return hike had some tough climbing.
We found Jenkins Knob to be a little more impressive than Silers Bald in terms of views and openness. The trail continues to mostly go downhill until it finally bottoms out around 4.5 miles. At this point, the trail begins an uphill climb to Silers Bald. At 4.7 miles, you pass the junction with the Welch Ridge Trail. The trail becomes quite steep at this point until you reach the top of Silers Bald. We found a USGS benchmark on the ground to signify the top of Silers Bald. The trail begins to descend from the benchmark and opens up to the area that is Silers Bald. The trail goes through the small bald area and reaches the Silers Bald overnight shelter at 5.1 miles. Retrace your steps, largely uphill, to make your way back.
The views were much better from the tower on the return leg of our hike. Below: Adam at the end of the hike; Views from the observation tower.
We were dreading the climb back up, especially after hiking up Mount LeConte the day before, but we were rewarded with great views as the fog and clouds lifted. As we reached the paved trail to Clingman’s Dome, we climbed up to the top of the tower and we really felt like we earned the 360-degree views. The elevation is 6643 feet (the tower adds another 45 feet) and you can stand at the top of the tower knowing you are at the highest part of the Great Smoky Mountains. This spot is actually the third highest peak east of the Mississippi, to only be beaten by Mount Mitchell and Mount Craig. We enjoyed spotting Mount LeConte from the tower, since it is the sixth highest peak east of the Mississippi. We were ecstatic to see views from Clingman’s Dome, since the last two times we had visited we had clouds hanging on the mountain. The clouds were still taking up a lot of the skies, but it didn’t prevent us from seeing miles of mountain ranges around us.
Christine mentioned that we enjoyed going back to Gatlinburg, TN and eating some pizza and drinking some free moonshine and whiskey samples. While we didn’t feel the need to buy cheesy T-shirts, I definitely felt the need to visit the Hollywood Star Cars Museum. While Christine waited for me, I toured around quickly but the highlight for me was to sit in the Batmobile from the 1966 TV show with Adam West. I grew up watching re-runs of that show and it was my older brother’s favorite show as a child, so it was great to have something to make him jealous. You can pay a little extra on the tour to have your photo taken within some of the cars. I also got to see Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters, a DeLorean from Back to the Future, KITT from Knight Rider, and the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard. It’s a neat place to check out if you’re into Hollywood cars.
Elevation Change – About 2200 ft. – it looks like closer to 1500 ft on GPS, but with all the rolling climbs it adds up to quite a bit more!
Difficulty – 4. The climbing and descending never seem to end on this hike.
Trail Conditions – 4. This was mostly nice, well-worn Appalachian Trail walking. The climb to the observation tower in paved.
Views – 3.5. Very nice, but not quite panoramic.
Streams/Waterfalls – 0. None on the hike.
Wildlife – 2. We saw a lot of fresh bear scat on the hike, but no bears. Clearly, they frequent the area.
Ease to Navigate – 4. The trail is well-marked with white blazes and signed at each junction.
Solitude – 3. Expect thick crowds at the observation tower, thinning toward Double Spring Shelter. After Double Spring, we only saw a couple people.
Directions to trailhead: From US-441, head south a short distance from Newfound Gap. Take a right on to Clingmans Dome Road. Go 6.4 miles until you reach the large parking lot area. The paved trail up to Clingmans Dome starts at the end of the parking lot, passing a visitors center/gift shop.
* MapMyHike is not necessarily accurate, as the GPS signal fades in and out – but it still provides some fun and interesting information.
This eleven mile hike of Mount LeConte is beautiful and lots of fun! The scenery is diverse – streams, views, towering bluffs, an arched rock that you get to climb through, and a visit to the famous LeConte Lodge.
LeConte provides great vistas from the Cliff Tops viewpoint, located about .2 miles above the lodge. Below: The Walker Camp Prong at the very beginning of the hike; A lot of the hike had views; The famous LeConte llamas.
Adam Says…
When we were planning our trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the hike that we were most excited to do was the hike up Mount LeConte. We hiked this trail last year by taking the Trillium Gap Trail, so it was time to try an alternate route. Last time we had talked to several people that had taken the Alum Cave trail, so we thought it may be a good option.
The weather was gorgeous this day, but we knew we had a chance for thunderstorms in the afternoon, so we decided to get as early of a start as we could. When we had hiked up via the Trillium Gap Trail, we didn’t run into a lot of hikers; however, it was evident early on this route was going to be a different story. While Christine was taking advantage of the facilities near the trailhead, I was getting nervous as I saw large groups of people starting the trail. We’re fairly fast hikers and I was worried we were going to get stuck in a jam behind families with small kids that would slow us down. Christine arrived and we got on our way.
We both jumped into the hiking and started hiking at a frenetic pace. We wanted to get in a spot that was far enough ahead of others where we could stop periodically and snap some photos. It took us a while to get separated from the larger groups, so we didn’t take as much time to enjoy the scenery in the first mile. We convinced ourselves that we could have more time to amble along on the return trip.
Adam waits his turn to pass through Arch Rock. Below: Early parts of the hike have gentle elevation gain and lots of roots; Christine crosses a foot bridge; The trail was extremely crowded.
The trailhead starts from the Alum Cave Bluff parking lot on US-441. At the trailhead, there is a larger map and some trail information guides you can purchase for $ .50. You will immediately cross a bridge over the Walker Camp Prong stream. The trail starts off very flat, but you know you’ll have lots of climbing to do later on in the hike. The first mile of the hike goes along the Alum Cave Creek. There are several options to jump slightly off the main trail to take in the scenes of the cascading creek. At 1.4 miles, you will reach a footbridge to cross Styx Branch before you reach the interesting geological feature known as Arch Rock. Arch Rock is basically a hollowed-out rock tunnel. You will climb up some steep stairs with a guideline as you go through to the top. Once you emerge out of the top, you go a little further and then reach another footbridge to cross Styx Branch one more time.
The trail begins to climb more steeply at this point as you make your way to Alum Cave Bluffs. At 2.4 miles, you start to come across a larger rock outcropping. As the trail starts to climb around this, you behold the enormous Alum Cave Bluffs. With the word “cave” being in the title, your initial expectations would be a large cave would be here. However, the cave bluffs are basically a humongous rock overhang. It is still jaw-dropping impressive and unlike anything I’ve seen. The ground underneath is dry and dusty. We saw a few drops of moisture come over the edge, but the overhang reaches out about 60 feet. Standing at one end of the outcrop looking at people at the other end, gives you a perspective of how large of an area this is.
The Bluffs are impressive! Below: The beautiful, rugged terrain of the Smokies.
From the Alum Cave Bluffs, you will see a sign that shows the direction to continue up Mount LeConte. The trail climbs steeply for the next .4 miles, passing some views of Little Duck Hawk Ridge. The trail reaches a peak and then descends into a saddle for another .4 miles. The trail begins to climb again rather steeply for a good portion of the remainder of the hike as you make your way up the mountain. Along the way, you will pass by a rock slide, which opens up to some gorgeous views with nothing but layers of mountain ridges to see. At 3.8 miles, you reach a set of stairs on a switchback to continue your climb. The trail eventually comes into a steep, rocky climb with cables put in to use as handrails (since this trail gets very icy with little sun in the winter).
The trail finally starts to level off at mile 4.75 as you enter into a tunnel of fraser fir trees. Continue on a short distance and then you’ll reach a junction with the Rainbow Falls Trail. Continue a few hundred feet and you’ll reach the LeConte lodge.
Getting a spot at the LeConte Lodge is competitive and highly coveted by Smokies visitors. Reservations are made by lottery and typically start booking in early October for the following year, so it takes some planning and a little luck to be able to stay in one of these spots on top of the mountain. We were lucky enough to get a spot here last year and we hope that we’ll do it again in the future.
The Alum Cave Bluffs trail had lots of nice views along the way. Below: Some slick, rocky areas along the trail had cables to provide assistance with staying upright; Parts of the trail were quite narrow; The last stretch toward the lodge is flat and passes through evergreens.
From the cabin area, we wanted to get some nice views and headed up the main path until we reached a junction. Hang to the right to go to the Cliff Top trail. This trail is rocky and quite steep. The sign says that it is .2 miles to the top, but it feels longer than that. However, when you get to the Cliff Top area, you will have great views for miles on a clear day. After taking in the views, we grabbed a sack lunch from the dining room to refuel for our trip back down. We talked with some fellow hikers at the top and relaxed for a while. After staying up there a previous year, it was hard to motivate ourselves to head back down.
On our way back down, the trip went by fairly quickly since everything was downhill. It’s always interesting when you see people hiking uphill that look like they are in complete misery. We spotted one woman, who was staring daggers at her husband (who I’m guessing convinced her to go hiking). Her daughter was hanging back with her and said, “I love you, mom”. The mother’s response was, “That’s nice”. She was definitely not having a good time hiking. We imagined how the father was going to get an earful for the rest of day.
If you are interested in geocaching, there are not a lot that are available in Great Smoky Mountains National Park since the national park prevents physical caches from being placed. However, there is a virtual cache on the trail to find – Alum Cave Bluff.
Christine Says…
Monday morning dawned in spectacular fashion. It was cool, sunny and crystal clear. Even the typical haze that makes the Smokies seem smoky was absent. That was such a treat, because clear air really lets you appreciate the magnificent, green, lushness of the mountains in this area.
We kicked off our morning with breakfast at Mountain Perks – a little café and espresso bar across from the train depot in Bryson City. The owners, Jeff and Pam Pulley are so friendly and are ready to serve local tips alongside their tasty breakfast and even better coffee. I left there with a pound of their ‘Black Widow’ roast coffee to enjoy at home after the trip.
Fully fed and caffeinated, we made our way into the park. On the way to the Alum Cave Bluff trailhead, we spotted a couple elk grazing in a pasture just north of the Occonaluftee visitor center. What a treat!
We were happily surprised to find the llamas still at camp! Below: Adam arrives at LeConte lodge; The obligatory pose with the elevation sign; We purchased bag lunches from the lodge for $10.00. Lunch came with bottomless lemonade -of which we took full advantage.
We got to the Alum Cave Bluff parking area around 9:30, and found that it was already 100% full. We had to park a ways up the road on a pullout. We geared up, and hit the trail – along with dozens and dozens and dozens of other people. I’ve rarely hiked with so many people on the trail at the same time – even on Old Rag. I’ll admit, it made me a little stressed. As you might have guessed, I stop frequently to take photos along the way. Also, Adam and I are relatively fast hikers. So, when I stop to take photos, we end up leap-frogging the same people over and over again. That’s not a problem when there are only a few groups on a trail, but coming up on the heels of large multi-generational families time after time makes me feel bad. It’s easy to pass a couple, it’s more disruptive to squeeze past ten people, six of them kids under the age of ten. I probably didn’t take as many photos early in the hike as usual so that I could avoid being disruptive.
The first couple miles of the hike were relatively easy, following a stream and climbing very gently through the moss covered forest. The terrain changed when we reached Arch Rock. After crossing a log footbridge, stone steps led uphill steeply through an arch of stone. Very cool!
After the arch, the trail began to climb more steeply. In several places, wire was affixed to the rocky side of the trail to help you keep your footing over narrow, slick areas. We climbed uphill for about .7 of a mile before reaching the famous Alum Cave Bluff. Along the way, the trail alternated between rocky and forested. There was even one nice view on a rocky, sand myrtle-covered turn in the trail.
WOW! I had seen photos of the Bluffs, but they were even more impressive in person. The rock wall soared and arched overhead, forming an immense overhang. The terrain beneath the arch was dry and silty. It was tough to walk on and I imagine this area is tough to traverse when it’s wet and rainy.
The nice view from Cliff Tops. Below: Time to leave the lodge; Adam walks along the trunk of a fallen giant; The steep and rocky descent.
I think a good number of people stop at the Bluff and then return to the parking area, so the trail traffic was much lighter after passing that area. We pressed on toward the summit of LeConte.
After the Bluff, the climbing is serious and steady. There are also a number of great views along the way. The Smokies really take my breath away. I kept thinking about how lucky and blessed I am to visit such places and have the physical capability to enjoy the tough climbs.
Eventually the trail turned a corner and leveled out and passed arrow-straight through an evergreen forest. The trail bed looked almost like cobblestones – white, round, smooth rocks. From that point, we had an easy .75 mile walk until we arrived at LeConte lodge.
At LeConte, we did all the obligatory things – took our photo in front of the dining hall with the elevation marker/date, said hello to the llamas, visited the office to get our exclusive summit-shop-only 2013 shirts, sat on rocking chairs, drank copious amounts of LeConte lemonade with our bagged lunches and made the .2 mile climb to enjoy the view from Cliff Tops.
Being at the top on a nice day was such a different experience than our 2012 visit in the rain! However, as the afternoon wore on, we noticed that some darker clouds were starting to build in the sky. We headed back down after about an hour at the summit.
The hike down went very quickly – all downhill! It’s amazing how much faster you can descend 2700 feet than you can climb it! We saw several cute red squirrels that took the time to chatter loudly at us. We scared a grouse from it’s resting spot – and the grouse scared us equally back! They really explode out of the brush when they startle!
Adam rests at Alum Cave Bluffs. Below: Climbing back down through Arch Rock. Notice the tiny people waiting at the bottom; Painted trillium; This pretty stream follows the beginning and end of the hike.
We enjoyed passing back under Arch Rock and taking some time to enjoy the beautiful stream beside the trail. We were back at the car before 3:00, tired but really happy with our day.
That evening for dinner, we rewarded ourselves with a feast at the Smoky Mountain Brewery. I got the Brewery Ale Steak, which might be one of the tastiest steaks I’ve ever eaten. I also really liked their Tuckaleechee Porter.
Trail Notes
Distance –11 miles + a little extra for walking around the lodge grounds and up to the Cliff Tops Viewpoint
(Check out the stats from MapMyHike)*
Elevation Change – About 2650 ft.
Difficulty – 4. The hike up Mount LeConte is a steady uphill.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail is well-used and maintained, so we didn’t find much difficulty. During heavy times of rain or ice, parts of the rocky areas could be incredibly slick.
Views – 4. The best views are along the hike up to Mount LeConte and at the Cliff Top overlook.
Streams/Waterfalls – 3. Early in the hike, you do get some nice views of Alum Cave Creek and Styx Branch.
Wildlife – 2. We did see some cute red squirrels, but last year people had seen a bear. There were some nice spots for birdwatching though.
Ease to Navigate – 4. There are not many places to get steered wrong based on signage and the trail was always clear.
Solitude – 0. On a nice day, expect heavy crowds on the way up to Alum Cave Bluffs. After that point, there should be fewer people on the way up Mount LeConte; however, this is definitely the most popular way up Mount LeConte.
Directions to trailhead: From Gatlinburg, TN take US 441-S into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Go 11 miles. Parking is available in a large lot on the left or alongside the road. The trailhead starts near an opening on the southern side of the parking lot.
* MapMyHike is not necessarily accurate, as the GPS signal fades in and out – but it still provides some fun and interesting information.
The 4-mile Kephart Prong hike ascends gently along a beautiful stream and end at the backcountry campsite – Kephart Shelter. This hike offers lovely cascades, wildflowers and history.
Adam crosses one of several log bridges over Kephart Prong. Below: The trailhead is located on the side of Rt.441. The first bridge takes you across the Oconaluftee River; The Oconaluftee is beautiful and cascading; So much of the Smokies seems to be wet, green and covered with moss.
Christine Says…
Our second day in the Smokies was earmarked for a hike to the summit of Mount LeConte, but we woke to gloomy weather. We decided that we didn’t want to hike ten tough miles and not even get payoffs in terms of views, so we devised a new plan! After redoing our Deep Creek Waterfall Loop Hike to get better photos, we were still ready for more hiking.
I perused our hiking guide and found a trail called Kephart Prong. It sounded interesting – remnants of an old railroad and a CCC camp, a backcountry camping shelter and the trail followed a (possibly pretty) stream. After redoing the earlier hike, the 4-mile length of the Kephart Prong was appealing, too – short and sweet! Also, it had the benefit of being closer to the Bryson City side of the park where we were staying for the early part of our trip.
It was still morning, so we grabbed a snack and made our way to the trail. What we found exceeded my expectations. The stream was incredibly beautiful – rapids and small waterfalls tumbling over mossy rocks and fallen hemlocks. In at least four places, rough, hewn log bridges traversed the stream. The sounds of running water carried through the entire hike. We saw lots of wildflowers – pink lady slippers, wild geranium, ragwort and many others I couldn’t name.
There were many kinds of wildflowers along the trail. This might be a wild geranium? Below: Adam explores the ruins of the old CCC camp in the area. This chimney was supposedly located in the barracks; There was once a railroad and a trout hatchery in this part of the Smokies, so look for abandoned rails, train parts and pipes from the hatchery. The item below appears to be an old pipe joint possibly; Another beautiful, mossy, log bridge over the stream.
The hike climbed gently the entire two miles until eventually arriving at the Kephart shelter – a sturdy stone and timber hut intended for backcountry camping. We chatted with other dayhikers using the hut for a lunch stop and one man who was there for an overnight stay.
Signs near the shelter showed that the Kephart Trail connects to the Sweat Heifer and Appalachian Trails. If we had continued to climb past the shelter, we would have arrived at Charlie’s Bunion in several miles.
Despite the draw of the Bunion, lunch was a higher calling, so we made our way back down the trail. It’s amazing how much faster the climb down always goes! We got back to the car around 1:00 and were back in Cherokee by 1:30. We couldn’t find anything that sounded good and was actually open on Sunday, so we pressed on back to Bryson City and ended up at a place we found on Yelp – The Bar-B-Que Wagon. They served great, traditional Carolina style pit barbecue with all the expected sides. We sat at a picnic table by the river and enjoyed an enormous, late lunch.
After lunch, we thought about going back to the hotel to shower, but instead we pushed on to visit the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center). The complex has a fantastic outdoor outfitter and a super cool riverside patio bar (Big Wesser BBQ + Brew). We got a few drinks and watched rafters and kayakers working the rapids. So relaxing! What a great day!
Adam Says…
The Kephart Prong Trail is one of the most definitive picturesque, riverside trails you’ll find. The lush forests surround you in a sea of green in every direction you turn.
The trail starts off by crossing a large bridge, giving you great views of the Oconaluftee River. Once you cross the bridge, the trail starts off as wide and gravel-covered. At .2 miles, you will come across the remnants of the Civilian Conservation Corps camp that was here from 1933-1942. You’ll see signs of a stone plaque and a tall chimney, among other partial walls.
At the .5 mile mark, you’ll reach your first footbridge over the stream. As you continue further, the trail continues a slow, gradual ascent to the end. You’ll cross three other footbridges, but these consist of narrow, split logs with wood handrails. The last of these was the only one I was a little concerned with crossing, since the handrail required you to stoop to be able to touch it and the log bounced some in the middle. The trail leads to the Kephart shelter, which was well-constructed. From the shelter, you can proceed on the Sweet Heifer Creek Trail which joins the Appalachian Trail in 3.7 miles or take the Grassy Branch Trail to the Sluice Gap Trail for a total of 3.8 miles to reach Charlies Bunion. Since this is a nice junction for an overnight trip, expect other people staying at the shelter in the nice summer-fall weekends. Backcountry reservations for overnight campers is $4/night and is required to be made in advance. See here for further regulations regarding backpacking permits.
Kephart Shelter sits under the shady evergreens. You must have a permit to stay the night in this shelter. The stream runs behind/left of the shelter. There used to be a logging camp where the shelter now stands. Below: Most of the trail follows the stream closely; Adam makes his way across the bridge; A trail sign near the shelter shows the directions to other trails higher up the mountain.
The Kephart Prong is named after Horace Kephart, who was instrumental in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He was an extremely intelligent man, enrolling in graduate school at Cornell University at the age of 17. He became the head of the St. Louis Mercantile Libray, but he lost his job. He had turned to drinking and his wife and family left him for New York. He decided he wanted to re-establish himself in the wilderness of western North Carolina and Tennessee. There he wrote the book Camping and Wildlife, which was considered the “bible” of camping. When he became concerned that the Smoky Mountains were going to be heavily logged, he started writing letters to advocate for the establishment of this area as a national park. He soon became friends with a photographer, George Masa and together they started photographing and mapping this area. It was the partnering of Kephart’s words with Masa’s pictures that caught John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s attention, who donated $5 million to help purchase the lands to help secure the area to become a park. Kephart died in a car crash before the park was to be established, but Mount Collins was renamed Mount Kephart in his honor.
Big Wesser BBQ + Brew at the Nantahala Outdoor Center is a great place to enjoy drinks after a day on the trails. You can see the canoe/kayak course gates in the river. It’s fun to watch people coming down the rapids. Below: Carolina-style BBQ in Bryson City.
Another interesting spot almost immediately on the trail are the remnants of the site of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp 411 here. You can see the large chimney and camp signboard on the side of the trail. This group of nearly 200 built rock walls, roads, trails, and footbridges that are still in use today. There is an interesting history of this from one of the leaders, James William Biggs.
We enjoyed this beautiful trail and I can see incorporating this trail as part of a backpacking trip in the future.
Difficulty – 1.5. The ascent on this hike is very gradual and easy.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail is well-graded and in great condition.
Views – 0. No scenic views.
Streams/Waterfalls – 5. Very beautiful!
Wildlife – 2. We didn’t see anything other than chipmunks and squirrels.
Ease to Navigate – 4. The trail is very easy to follow to the shelter. Once you reach the Kephart Shelter, you may decide to continue on.
Solitude – 2. Because of the relatively short length and easiness of this hike, you will probably see a fair number of people.
Directions to trailhead: Head north on US-441 N from Cherokee, NC. Head 4 miles north of the Smokemont Campground. Parking is available on the shoulder of the road and the trail starts after crossing the bridge over the Oconaluftee River.
* MapMyHike is not necessarily accurate, as the GPS signal fades in and out – but it still provides some fun and interesting information.
Deep Creek is an area of the Smokies popular with tubers, bikers, horseback riders and hikers. This (roughly) 5.4 mile hiking route provides spectacular views of three waterfalls and the beautiful streams that feed them. We ended up hiking this trail twice on our trip – the second time was mostly to get better photos. 🙂
Toms Branch Falls is the first waterfall you’ll come to on the loop. It’s only about a quarter mile from the parking area. Below: Another angle of Toms Branch Falls; Horseback riders love the Deep Creek area; Tubers on Deep Creek; Christine enjoys stream scenery.
Adam Says…
We rolled into Bryson City, NC around 2:15 and almost immediately headed out for a hike. We were tired but our hotel wouldn’t let us check in even 45 minutes early. Evidently, the Microtel in Bryson City is very strict with their policies! We decided to do something close by, so we headed to Deep Creek campground for this hike with three waterfalls.
We knew we were getting close to the campground when we saw tons of “TUBES” signs. People were waving as we drove by, hoping that we would stop and rent tubes from them for floating down the river.
We arrived and got changed in the parking lot and made our way to the trailhead. The parking lot was crowded, mainly for tubing people. We followed the masses heading out carrying their inner tubes to their drop-in spots.
We started on the Deep Creek trail and soon passed the junction with the Juney Whank trail on the left. In just about .25 miles, we came across the first waterfall on the right, Toms Branch falls. This is a gorgeous waterfall that drops about 60 feet over several different rock shelves before plummeting into Deep Creek. We saw several people floating down the creek as we stopped for some photographs.
Adam enjoys beautiful Indian Creek Falls. Below: We spotted pink lady’s slippers along the trail. They were a little tattered at the end of their blooming season; Adam climbs the trail.
At .75 miles, we reached the junction with the Indian Creek Trail. This is actually the last spot where people can drop their tubes into the creek, but we continued on the Deep Creek trail. At 1.75 miles, this trail intersects with the Loop Trail. We took a right on to the Loop Trail which starts a steep ascent. At 2.4 miles, the trail reaches its peak and intersects with the Sunkota Ridge Trail. Continue on the Loop Trail which now descends at about the same rate as it ascended. At 3.0 miles, you reach the junction with the Indian Creek Trail. Take a right here.
At 3.8 miles, you’ll see a side trail that descends to Indian Creek Falls. Indian Creek Falls is a wide waterfall that has a gradual, sliding cascade into the water. After taking in the sight, head back to the trail and continue to the right. Shortly after passing the waterfall, you will reach the junction again with the Deep Creek Trail. Take a left here to retrace your steps. You could make this a shorter trip by initially taking a right at the junction, but we enjoyed putting a little extra effort to earn all three waterfalls.
Right before you reach the parking lot, you’ll see the junction trail again with the Juney Whank trail at 4.5 miles. Take the steep trail to the right up for .3 miles. Once you reach the top, you’ll see Asian which points you to the next waterfall. Descend down a short path and you’ll reach a footbridge and the waterfall. Juney Whank Falls is another great waterfall that plunges down after about a 80 foot cascade.
Continue to the other side of the footbridge and continue on the trail, heading left at the first junction. The trail descends rather steeply. You’ll see signs that lead you to the parking lot and back to your car.
The streams in the Smokies are so beautiful! Below: Since the trail is popular with horseback riders, there is a lot of manure along the way. Butterflies apparently love manure!; Beautiful Deep Creek; Adam on the loop portion of the trail.
We had a great time on this trail that maximizes your waterfall experience. The Deep Creek Trail and Indian Creek Trail both gave you great creek views almost the entire walk and it was fun to watch everyone float by us. I can see why this is such a popular place to hike and tube for families. We saw one person with a foot cast and met one woman with a pacemaker along the way, so most people should be able to handle this. If you want to see some great Smokies waterfalls, this is a hike for you!
Christine Says…
We wanted to do this hike last year when we visited Bryson City, but with so much to do in the Smokies, we just ran out of time. This year, we knew the lay of the land a bit better, and we ready to hit the ground running (or hiking, so to speak!)
We arrived to the area mid-afternoon on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. We tried to get into our hotel one before official check-in, but the desk clerk turned us away. We decided to drive over to the Deep Creek Campground, and check out an easy loop hike that took us by a couple waterfalls – Toms Branch Falls and Indian Creek Falls.
I changed clothes in the crowded parking lot. Let me tell you… switching from jeans and a shirt into shorts, wicking shirt and sports bra without flashing anyone is quite a feat!
We started off along a wide, road-like trail that followed parallel to Indian Creek. It was packed with people out enjoying the warm, sunny weather. Apparently, the Smokies have had an exceedingly cold and wet spring, so the bright, 80-degree Memorial Day weekend was a great chance for everyone in eastern Tennessee to go outside. Deep Creek is very popular with tubers. All up and down the road leading to the campground, various vendors have set up shop renting tubes for roughly $5 a day. Once you have a tube, you walk about a mile up the trail, and then bob and bump along the shallow, but rapid-y river. It looks like a lot of fun! As hikers, we were in the definite minority.
Juney Whank may be the prettiest waterfall on the loop. Below: Adam enjoys the falls from the bridge; Juney Whank is beautiful from every angle; Below the falls.
Walking along the Deep Creek Trail for about .25 miles, we came to the lovely Toms Branch Falls. It’s a tall waterfall that enters Deep Creek from the bank opposite the trail. Very impressive!
We walked along the creek until reaching a junction that makes a lollipop loop on the route. We decided to follow the longer arm of the loop so that we could visit Indian Creek Falls closer to the end of our hike. The trail mostly followed the stream before turning and climbing steadily uphill for about half a mile. At the highest point, the trail met the Sunkota Ridge Trail, which leads to higher elevations and a larger trail system. We remained on the loop and descended another half mile to meet another trail junction.
At this junction, we met a group of horseback riders. One rider was really struggling with her mule. She had dismounted because he had become so skittish. When we passed, he was bellowing and dancing around. She eventually got him under control and was able to ride on. He looked like quite a handful though!
In a few more tenths of a mile, we came upon Indian Creek Falls. These falls are not as steep, and are made up of a couple of small ‘shelf-drops’ before falling into one larger fall. Very beautiful!
About a tenth of a mile past the falls, you join back up with the beginning of the lollipop loop. From there, just follow the trail and the tubers back to the parking area.
The Nantahala Brewing Company – a good post-hike stop in Bryson City.
To be honest, I was really unhappy with my photos from this hike. Waterfalls, sunny conditions and photography simply don’t go together. So, I left this hike feeling a little disappointed with the photos I had to share. That regret quickly faded after a few beers at the Nantahala Brewing Company. What an awesome place! If you like craft beer, don’t miss a visit. After beers, we went for pizza at Anthony’s. It hit the spot and we loved our outdoor table facing the train depot.
I thought our experience with the waterfall hike was over, but the next morning we woke to gloomy, drizzly weather. Since it was such an easy hike, we went back and did it again so I could get better photos. And the second time, we added the .6 mile loop to visit Juney Whank Falls to the trip. These falls required a short, but steep climb, but may have been the prettiest of the three! And the better photos gained from a second trip around made this hike twice as nice!
Trail Notes
Distance –5.4 miles
(Check out the stats from MapMyHike)* These stats are from the first time we hiked the loop, so Juney Whank Falls are not included in the MapMyHike mileage or elevation.
Elevation Change – About 630 ft.
Difficulty – 2. The only tough parts of this hike are the steep trail on the Loop Trail and the side trail to the Juney Whank falls
Trail Conditions – 4. Most of the trail is gravel except for the Loop Trail. This is a multi-use trail and you will see hikers, bikers, and horses on this trail. The trails were in great shape with no blowdowns or rough footing.
Views – 0. No scenic views from the trail, but this is more for the waterfalls.
Streams/Waterfalls – 5. You’ll have the best stream views along Deep Creek and three gorgeous waterfalls.
Wildlife – 2. Don’t expect larger wildlife due to the crowds of people on this trail. We did hear lots of pretty warblers in the tree.
Ease to Navigate – 4. Good signage at the trail junctions for the most part except for coming off the Juney Whank falls trail.
Solitude – 1. Expect to see lots of people for most of the trail. A lot of people choose not to do the Loop Trail.
Directions to trailhead: Take exit 67 off of NC-74 towards Veterans Blvd. Go .6 miles and take a right on Main Street/NC-19. Take the second left on to Everett Street. You’ll see signs directing you to Deep Creek Campground. Go .3 miles and take a right on Depot Street. This road makes a quick left on Collins Street and then a quick right to continue on to Depot Street. This becomes Deep Creek Road. Go .3 miles and take a left on to West Deep Creek Road. Continue 2.4 miles until you enter the Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Deep Creek campground. A parking lot is on the left. The trailhead starts near the drop-off roundabout next to this parking lot.
* MapMyHike is not necessarily accurate, as the GPS signal fades in and out – but it still provides some fun and interesting information.
Virginia Trail Guide 
