New Found Gap Quiet Walkways

[HooKooDooKu]

The GSMNP GPS data available at TNLandForms.us includes a "quiet walkway" that starts at the back of the New Found Gap parking lot. The trail is a little more than a 1/2 mile and leads to the 1st over-look on the NC side of the park. Near the end of this trail is a nearly 2 mile long side trail that leads down hill connecting to 441 between the two hairpin turns.

I'm trying to determine if these paths are "official" Quiet Walkways that are maintained well enough that I can expect to utilize them for planning a loop hike.

Basically, what I want to do is park at New Found Gap and hike the AT towards Clingman's Dome, turn south onto Fork Ridge, travel down Deep Creek to Martins Gap and Sunkota Ridge and take Thomas Divide to 441. Then hike along 441 down hill so that I can take these two "Quiet Walkways" back to New Found Gap. That way, I only have to hike along 441 for 1.5 miles. Otherwise, it's about 3 miles along 441 back to New Found Gap.

[sliderule]

I think that walkway was the original route of the highway. I remember my first trip to Newfound Gap, up that road from Cherokee, in 1961. When we stopped at NFG, the automatic transmission had gotten so hot that the fluid boiled out and we had to have the car towed to Gatlinburg.

[TNhiker]

That's the way I see at as well---as part of the old road...

i hiked it about a decade ago---from the bottom, where there was a gate, up to the back of the parking lot at newfound....

since its the old roadbed (and I believe it had hard packed gravel), it's wider than a hiking trail.....easy to follow, and it starts paralleling the current newfound gap road as it goes up....

there were blowdowns, but nothing outrageous at that time.......my guess is at least the middle section might not get cut but not sure....

at the time i did it----I don't remember it being hard to hike so i think you could easily do it.......I did it with a daypack but shouldn't be a problem with a full pack....

[HooKooDooKu]

The park has had a lot of blow downs in recent years. If this isn't an official maintained "Quiet Walkway", I fear it could be impassible. Hopefully the fact that it is an old road bed means a better opportunity to walk around blow downs. But if it should be impassible, that would mean I would have to not only back-track the train AND the 1.5 miles along Hwy 441, I would then still have to hike the original 3 miles of 441 I was trying to avoid by taking the quiet walk way. I'd hate to turn a 9 mile hike into a 13+ mile hike.

[HooKooDooKu]

I think that walkway was the original route of the highway.

I just noticed that if you look at Google Earth in the area, you can make out where this old highway used to continue on the other side of New Found Gap Rd. It finally merges with the existing New Found Gap Rd right about where that washout occurred north of Kanati Fork Trail head.

[HooKooDooKu]

Talked to the Back-country office today. Based on their information regarding walkways along 441, this old road bed is NOT one of the officially maintained quiet walkways.

[TNhiker]

yeah.....

i was going to suggest calling the BC office and seeing what they say about it...

if your trip is not for a few weeks (as im busy), i could run down there and see how passable it it......

and yeah, coming from smokemont going up towards newfound gap----looking to the left, you can see where the old road bed was...

also, on the TN side---below chimney tops picnic area----you can see the road on the left (going down towards sugarland)...

there's a place to park and use the old road bed to hit a manway that goes up to courthouse rock and beyond.....