Southern Trails - January hike

[gsingjane]

My college-age daughter and her two friends, all of whom have some backpacking experience but none of whom are seasoned winter/extreme conditions campers, are exploring the possibility of driving south from New England to take a 4-5 night backpacking trip in a south-eastern location. Can the folks on here recommend some trails they might want to consider? I don't want to put them at elevation when the temps are likely to go below zero, but it also doesn't have to be 75* and sunny the whole time.

Thanks so much for any help you can give this clueless Yankee!

Jane

[Studlintsean]

Send them down to SNP. It's not very high elevation, should have winter conditions in January, and the safety of having an option to bail if needed isn't a bad idea.

[gsingjane]

Do you know if they would need a permit to hike there in the winter?

[Studlintsean]

No permit needed. They have self registers at the entrances which are free and used for safety purposes. Skyline drive does close occasionally due to bad weather so that would be something to
check in on as time gets closer. If that is the case a loop starting outside the park would be a good
choice. There are many but starting at Old Rag or the Buck Hollow Trail would be options at the North end. If the weather is too bad they could pick an area north or south of the park.

[Alligator]

Another option if Skyline Drive closes is to use endpoints outside the park. I can't recall the section at the moment but my buddy and I did one of the three sections of the park that way when Skyline Drive was closed.

[Dogwood]

SNP is a good rec especially IF fairer weather is in the forecast.

COULD do a variety easy paddle/camp/hike too in a bit warmer southeast location such as Columbia SC. Weather is generally about 5*-6* warmer in Columbia compared to SNP. http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/col...monyr=1/1/2015 Snow in any lasting or significant amounts will be an extreme rarity. ie; even in winter the weather is often favorable enough for being on the river, although if multi day rain is in the forecast I don't think they'd enjoy sitting in a canoe all day paddling in the rain. Having a back up plan is always good in case the weather gets wet from above. It's a good size college town w/ the typical college scene hang outs eateries, cafes, bars, etc. in a rather safe atmosphere for a few northern college age young women.

Congaree River - There's much to explore along the Congaree River. Starting near Columbia, SC the Congree Blue River Trail, a 50 mile National paddling Trail, offers paddlers an urban adventure with opportunities to learn about the area's history. Continuing downstream, paddlers enter the Coastal Plain known for its countless sandbars, high bluffs, and extensive floodplains. The highlight of the trail is the section along Congaree National Park, a protected wilderness that’s home to the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest in the U.S. Paddlers and hikers can enjoy a 20-mile network of hiking trails within the park as well as camping, bird watching, and nature study. For more information, go to http://congareeriverbluetrail.blogspot.com.

They can rent canoes from outfitters in Columbia rather inexpensively, http://www.adventurecarolina.com/rentals.html , http://www.riverrunner.us/index.asp?page=41 safely leave their car at the outfitter, have the outfitter shuttle them w/the rented canoe(s) upstream to various put in pts designing the length of the paddle to suit their fancy on Class 1 and 2 water(easy/easier paddling, I'd rec putting in at Rt 601), camp along the river(some cool camping spots also on high island sand bars), dock/put in at Congaree NP doing a 20+ mile two day hiking loop in the NP over some water on raised boardwalk possibly camping in the NP(some huge old growth cypress trees), paddle the rest of the way into Columbia, have the outfitter pick them up, grab the car, and off they head to a restaurant/bar and take to the road. Lots of interest and logistics aren't overwhelming particularly considering the variety of activities they could enjoy. It's not an epic budget blowing trip either. Call the NP beforhand to check on current conditions and for further recommendations.

http://www.nps.gov/cong/index.htm

www.nps.gov/cong/index.htm

http://www.adventurecarolina.com/trips.html

[Dogwood]

A decent add on if heading to SNP is allotting for a side trip to Luray or Shenandoah Caverns.

http://luraycaverns.com/
http://www.shenandoahcaverns.com/v.php?pg=17

[Damn Yankee]

If they do hike the park, they could park at Rockfish Gap and do an out and back on the AT in which they would also have the option of shelter use. I don't live to far from there and could also shuttle them out and they could walk back to their car. PM me if you would like to set something up

[FatMan]

The Foothills Trail in South Carolina would be a great choice.

[The Cleaner]

FWIW temps rarely go above the mid 50s at the higher elevations in the southern Appalachian mtns. Heck 75* is rare even in the summer months at the higher peaks. Mt. LeConte has only reached 80* I think twice in the last 20 years. Most hikers who say "It had to be 80* on that last uphill section" either don't have a thermometer or have one exposed to sunlight. Last January I was hiking up steep section after a 20* night and was working up a good sweat, I thought it was getting warmer. A check of my thermometer showed 32*. Also it's usually windy most of the time due to constantly changing weather systems. Last October on 10-27 it was 68* and sunny and a few days later it snowed 22" in the Smokies.....

[Coffee]

The north district of SNP might be a good choice. Starting from Thornton Gap, it is only a couple of miles to the Pass Mountain hut which could be a first night destination. Proceeding north, Skyline drive is crossed a few times and you pass Elkwallow wayside which is closed in winter. Gravel Springs hut could be a second night destination. Then take the AT north to Compton gap and leave the AT to take the Dickey Ridge trail down to Front Royal passing the visitor's center which I believe is open on weekends. There are a number of bailout points on this hike assuming skyline drive is open, which isn't always a good assumption in winter. I've always enjoyed the AT on this section and it is lower elevation than the central district. Still, SNP can be quite cold in the winter months and I usually only go for day hikes, but then I'm not that into winter backpacking due to the shorter days, frigid temperatures and long, long, long nights in camp.

[Lyle]

Not trying to discourage, but just a bit of caution here. Cannot absolutely depend on good conditions.

One of the worst blizzards I've ever hiked in was in SNP in November. Started at Bear Fence Mountain, hiked out at the north end of the park several days later. Weather started fine, hiking shirtless. Got word at Elkwallow that a storm was moving in, so hiked on to Gravel Springs Hut. Was still nice on arrival, still warm enough to wash my hair comfortably. Set up the tent inside the shelter. In the evening rain started, then sleet. Soon tree limbs were crashing down around us due to the ice coating. Over night it changed to heavy snow. By morning had two feet on the ground. Tried to hike out, but the tree branches were hanging so low that, combined with the snow on the ground, the trail tunnel was only about 3 feet high, unable to stand upright. We moved to the Skyline Drive (which was closed tight with 12 and 15 foot drifts). Hiked that to Tom Floyd Wayside, spent a VERY cold night there with the tent set up inside the shelter. Next morning the sun was out and the woods were a crystal fantasy land - absolutely the most beautiful hike I've ever had in the east. Perfect timing to meet up with my friend who picked us up on the highway just north of Tom Floyd Wayside.

Not trying to discourage, as this was VERY unusual, but just to make everyone aware that intense, unusual storms can and do happen. Always be ready to sit out a storm if necessary, especially in winter.

[Dogwood]

What I was getting at is what Lyle pointed out. SNP at Great Meadows in Jan roughly ranges in temps between 20*(-7 C) and about 40*+(4 C). It's easy to say that's fine when you're sitting inside in front of a keyboard and all in your party have some backpacking experience but it's another thing when you're outside in those temps over 4-5 days, perhaps, throwing in some moisture(rain/sleet/snow), with none in the group with winter hiking/camping experience. They should prepare knowing ahead of time what's a likely weather range wise, especially variable SNP winter weather. Different areas of the park experience slightly different weather. SNP, largely shuts many facilities down too in Jan which can be viewed as a positive but also a negative. They are going to not have the availabilty of services and assistance they would at other times of the yr.

[gsingjane]

Thank you so very much for your incredibly helpful input everyone! I so appreciate the time that "y'all" took to give me such helpful feedback! I am going to send this thread link to my daughter and I know she will get a huge amount of information and inspiration from it.

Happy New Year too!

Jane

[Ox97GaMe]

Getting the thread back on track to your initial question. There are several trails in the southeast that could be options for hiking 4-5 days. these are not in any particular order.

a) Foothills Trail, SC
b) Mountains to Sea Trail, NC (in the Peidmont area)
c) Sheltowee Trace, KY
d) Cumberland Trail, TN
e) Pinhoti Trail, AL
f) Benton MacKaye Trail, GA
g) lower elevations of Smoky Mountains National Park, TN/NC (permits required)

All of these would have relatively moderate temperatures in Jan/Feb.

[gollwoods]

foothills trail is pretty remote and could be a difficult shuttle. the smokies suck in winter every other day it rains so there is hardly any dry trails most of the trails are horse paths espcially smokemont and lakeshore areas. all the popular spots are too high to try until april. anyway

[gsingjane]

Believe it or not, after all that, they decided to go and base camp and hike in the U.S. Virgin Islands! (I guess they were more worried about the weather than I thought they'd be.) I don't know how that decision was arrived at but if anyone is interested in the details of they accomplished it (when they do...), I will be happy to share them!

Jane

[gsingjane]

Just as a quick follow-up to this post, in case anyone IS ever interested in camping on St. John's - well it was kind of a mixed bag. (Hate to say that, with our current CT temp of 4*, but it was!). Obviously the scenery was beautiful and the hiking was incredible. St. John's really is a tropical paradise. The things they should have prepared for and didn't were - it rains every blessed day. Your stuff will get damp and stay that way. Sand fleas were a factor. There really isn't any place to buy camping stove fuel and what most people do is bring electric appliances like rice cookers and plug them in at the camp lodge. You can build a campfire at the primitive sites but with the constant rain that is a problem. Finally, at least when they were there, there was an awful lot of loud partying that went on all night long, and the camp authorities pretty much ignored it.

Maybe next time she will follow the excellent suggestions from the folks on WB instead!

Jane