Does anyone know where the water source is located at Payne Gap. This is in Georgia 25.5 miles from Springer. The Guide I was using says that there is water here, but I was not able to find it. Granted, I was night hiking, so maybe I just missed it, but I checked out the area pretty thoroughly. Maybe its just dry at the moment. Anyhow, there didn't seem to be any other water sources between Licklog Mountain and Garland Gap... which is about 11 miles of dryness. So definitely be aware of this if you are thinking about hiking the section.

The section beween Sled Runner Gap and Peels top was also extremely dry. There were two nasty mud puddles near Hipps gap, but thats basically the only water I saw in this section. So definitely bring lots of water here.

The section beween Sled Runner Gap and Peels top was also extremely dry. There were two nasty mud puddles near Hipps gap, but thats basically the only water I saw in this section. So definitely bring lots of water here.

This one I know about. When going south from Sled Runner and after passing over Rocky Top you'll enter a gap and if you turn right in this sunken gap you'll reach the springhead to Brookshire creek about 200 yards down. I camped at this gap once and it's a shortcut to the Brookshire trail without having to go all the way to Sled Runner and then loop around and down.

Don't recommend it though as you'll miss out on pretty Rocky Top and the nice hike into Sled Runner Gap.

My biggest problem was between Tate Gap and Rocky Top. I camped at Six Mile Gap once and could not find the water north of there that Ken Jones of BMTA told me about. It's there, he said.

I also found water at Tate Gap(the BMT gets on an old logging road and crosses a little spring - could've been dry), and I found water north of Peels Top as the trail skirts over the ridge and down into Tate Gap. I found a little seep with water there.

Water at Payne Gap. This is if my memory is working. Heading north, after the rather steep drop into Payne Gap you come to an old woods road which the trail follows, another road goes off to the right here. Go down this other road about 25 yards and it comes to a wide grassed covered dirt road. Turn right on this road and go about 100 yards. The spring is down on the left hand side where the road takes a tight left hand turn. It wasn't easy to find but it was a rather nice spring. We camped here at the gap.

Thanks hiker head,

That night when I was looking for the water I found this "spring" you have just described. However, it was so muddy, nasty and stinky that I couldn't believe that it was the water source in question. So at the time this water source was dry enough to make it practically unusable, even by digging a deeper hole... (I supppose that if you were dieing of thirst you could get water by wringing it out of a hunk of mud with a bandana... gross!). Maybe this water source is better at other times of the year. Glad I know that is the actual water source now.

Now that you mention it, I did have to go down hill just a ways. But the water was OK.