Clingmans Dome Info

[Angle]

Can someone familiar with the trail along Clingmans Dome Road tell me how far to the AT from Road Prong Trail parking and from mm 203.1 Fork Mountain Trail. Staying at Tricorner Knob shelter and trying to keep the first day mileage under 20 miles. Thanks, Iceman

[Greenlight]

You know that's the toughest part of the southern part of the AT, right? Are you in condition? If not, don't expect to do any more than 8 to 10 miles per day. I don't know you...just sayin'. Talk to the folks at "A Walk in the Woods" shuttle service. (865) 436-8283 They're awesome, reasonably priced, and will pick you up at your vehicle and shuttle you to your start point so you can hike back to your vehicle, or they'll just pick you up at your exit point and shuttle you back to your vehicle. I'd have been lost without them when my son and I section hiked GSMNP last month.

[HooKooDooKu]

There's no "Fork Mountain" trail in GSMNP. I can only assume you mean "Fork Ridge" trail (like Road Prong... it too has a trail head along Clingman's Dome Road).

Fork Ridge to Road Prong is 2.4 miles.
Road Prong to New Found Gap is 1.7 miles.
New Found Gap to Ice Water Springs Shelter is 3.0 miles.
New Found Gap to Pecks Corner Shelter is 10.8 miles.
New Found Gap to Tricorner Knob Shelter is 15.6 miles.

Once you make the 1,000' climb from New Found Gap Road toward Icewater Spring Shelter, the elevation profile doesn't look bad. But I hiked from New Found Gap to Pecks last summer when I thought I was in decent shape. But for some reason, the trail between Charlie's Bunion and Pecks seems to take an awful long time with at least 1,500' in accumulated elevation gain.
Pecks to Tricorner isn't any better with at least 1,000' in accumulated elevation gain.

So Road Prong to Tricorner likely has more than a 3,500' accumulated elevation gain over 18 miles.
(That looks to be about on par with trying to go from Fontana to Spence)

[Greenlight]

Hoo: That's what I'm talkin' bout. My son and I went SOBO from Newfound Gap, and just from there to Clingman's Dome had us both whistling and not from the lips...from the lungs. The trail there is well maintained, but slopes use erosion control measures. Imagine trail sections with 40 degree or greater elevation that curve off into the distance and it looks like a summit. False summit! Ha ha ah...it goes on like that for three miles. I'm actually a stronger hiker than my 27 year old son at this point (he'll outstrip me soon) and when we got to a spot where the trail leveled out, I'd act all melodramatic, throw my arms out to the side with my hiking poles dangling, and yell, "Watch this, I'm gonna enjoy the s*%t out of this 25 foot flat section!"

There's no "Fork Mountain" trail in GSMNP. I can only assume you mean "Fork Ridge" trail (like Road Prong... it too has a trail head along Clingman's Dome Road).

Fork Ridge to Road Prong is 2.4 miles.
Road Prong to New Found Gap is 1.7 miles.
New Found Gap to Ice Water Springs Shelter is 3.0 miles.
New Found Gap to Pecks Corner Shelter is 10.8 miles.
New Found Gap to Tricorner Knob Shelter is 15.6 miles.

Once you make the 1,000' climb from New Found Gap Road toward Icewater Spring Shelter, the elevation profile doesn't look bad. But I hiked from New Found Gap to Pecks last summer when I thought I was in decent shape. But for some reason, the trail between Charlie's Bunion and Pecks seems to take an awful long time with at least 1,500' in accumulated elevation gain.
Pecks to Tricorner isn't any better with at least 1,000' in accumulated elevation gain.

So Road Prong to Tricorner likely has more than a 3,500' accumulated elevation gain over 18 miles.
(That looks to be about on par with trying to go from Fontana to Spence)

[Angle]

Thanks for the information. AWOL called it Fork Mountain, but Fork Ridge is correct. I will plan on starting North from the Road Prong trailhead. Hoo would you know how far the AT is from the parking area? I have all the maps for the AT, but can't find that one. Iceman

[TNhiker]

are you asking how far the AT is from the parking lot along the road at road prong trailhead?


it is like ten feet.......

the trail passes about ten feet from the parking lot.........

[TNhiker]

you can see the trail sign if sitting in a car at the parking lot.........

[HooKooDooKu]

are you asking how far the AT is from the parking lot along the road at road prong trailhead?
it is like ten feet.......

Close... using the TNLandforms.us GPS data and Google Earth, I measure the distance to be 20'4".

[TNhiker]

Close... using the TNLandforms.us GPS data and Google Earth, I measure the distance to be 20'4".

Two responses----that what I said "like"......"like" is the +/- in a numerical question........

or----
ten feet---ten left feet and ten right feet and you'll be on trail.....

[TNhiker]

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/webkit-f...19d6d/imagepng

[TNhiker]

(Sorry bout that link----was trying to post a picture using my phone and didn't work)


soooooo........I went to the Google earth phone app and went to street view and bizarrely enough it shows a lucite of the parking lot, with some snow, a tow truck and two ranger vehicles.....

[HooKooDooKu]

I went to the Google earth phone app and went to street view and bizarrely enough it shows a lucite of the parking lot, with some snow, a tow truck and two ranger vehicles.

In street view, if you look back towards New Found Gap Road, you will see the reason for the tow truck... just past the entrance to the pull-off, on the opposite side of the road, a gray passenger car has slid off the road.