steepest 1/4 miles between Springer Mtn and Damascus

[peter lechthoff]

I measured the ups of the AT Centerline on Google Earth.
Registered the elevation at every 1/8 mile and compared the elevation gain.
Here my results for the steepest quarter miles between Springer and Damascus:

Day	State	between	and	gain (in feet)	%
9	NC	Mooney Gap	Albert Mtn Firetower	394	30,0
31	TN/NC	Laurel Fork Sh	Pond Flats	338	25,8
13	NC	Sweetwater Gap	Brown Fork Gap Sh	325	24,8
32	TN/NC	Watauga Dam Rd	Vandeventer Sh	325	24,8
31	TN/NC	Laurel Fork Sh	Pond Flats	322	24,5
12	NC	Grassy Gap	Swim Bald	315	24,0
13	NC	Brown Fork Gap Sh	Brown Fork Gap	213	23,8
27	TN/NC	Nolichucky River	Curley Maple Gap Sh	308	23,5
4	GA	Tesnatee Gap	Wildcat Mtn	305	23,3
28	TN/NC	Hughes Gap	Ash Gap	305	23,3
23	TN/NC	Little Laurel Sh	Camp Creek Bald	302	23,0
16	TN/NC	Spencer Field Sh	Rocky Top	292	22,3
28	TN/NC	Cherry Gap Sh	Iron Mtn Gap	292	22,3
28	TN/NC	Hughes Gap	Ash Gap	292	22,3
22	TN/NC	Hot Springs	Lovers Leap Rock	289	22,0
25	TN/NC	Low Gap	Big Bald	282	21,5
5	GA	Unicoi Gap	Rocky Mtn	279	21,3
7	NC	Bly Gap	Sassafras Gap	279	21,3
32	TN/NC	Watauga Dam Rd	Vandeventer Sh	279	21,3
3	GA	Woody Gap	Big Cedar Mtn	276	21,0
24	TN/NC	Rector Laurel Rd	Frozen Knob	276	21,0
28	TN/NC	Ash Gap	Roan High Knob Sh	276	21,0
2	GA	Horse Gap	Sassafras Mtn	272	20,8
28	TN/NC	Ash Gap	Roan High Knob Sh	272	20,8
30	TN/NC	Mt Harbor Hostel	Buck Mtn Rd	272	20,8

[fiddlehead]

I would have guessed it to be that climb out of Stecoah gap (NOBO) as the steepest.
But then, maybe it doesn't show up on Google earth. But it's there.

[daddytwosticks]

I would have guessed it to be that climb out of Stecoah gap (NOBO) as the steepest.
But then, maybe it doesn't show up on Google earth. But it's there.

Agree. Albert Mtn. didn't seem that bad. Maybe the rocks acted as steps for me. Jacobs Ladder (Sweetwater Gap north) seemed way worse with no switchbacks and slippery beare dirt underfoot.

[rocketsocks]

Steepest 1/4 mile runs through neels gap...you see them prices?

[peter lechthoff]

hi fiddlehead, maybe it's Stecoah Gap to Brown Fork Gap Sh and not Sweetwater Gap to Brown Fork Gap Sh, as I wrote?
thanks

[Gray Blazer]

Are there two different routes between Hughes Gap And ash Gap? I notice a difference of 13 feet.

[peter lechthoff]

hi gray blazer,
Hughes Gap to Ash Gap appears twice, because there are two different very steep quarter miles during the same ascent.
The same happend with Pond Flats and Vandeventer Sh

[Gray Blazer]

Gotcha. Although I had heard horror stories about that climb, I didn't think it was that bad.

I keep exploring for steep ascents/descents in central FL. So far the biggest alt gains I have found on the roads are a coupla 130' road climbs between Brooksville and Dade City.

[Kerosene]

I was expecting a huge climb out of Stecoah Gap (NOBO), which never materialized. The steep climb is out of Sweetwater Gap perhaps a mile north.

In the end though, a steep quarter-mile isn't all that tough if the footing is good.

[sarge95]

The Hughes Gap to Ash Gap, The section at Hughes Gap is with in 550 feet of being completed and should be open in 2 weeks. When this section is opened the section will be 10% grade to just below Beartown Mtn. The last 1/4 mile (at Beartown Mtn) is prob more than the 22%. This section should be completed at 10% within 2 years. The switchbacks are in the process of being installed at 10% from Ash Gap to Cloudland and should be completed by 2014.
The switchback were installed between Wilber Dam Road and Vanderventer at 10% a few years ago.

[max patch]

I would have guessed Albert Mt so obviously the analysis done by the OP is correct.

Re Stecoah, I can't provide a reference, but I seem to recall back in the 80s the AT was relo'd which made the climb out of Stecoah much easier. But the reputation still remains - similar to the horror stories about the approach trail which continued even after relo's tamed it around the same time.

[sarge95]

Pond Mtn is expected to be completed with Hardcore in May

[fiddlehead]

I would have guessed Albert Mt so obviously the analysis done by the OP is correct.

Re Stecoah, I can't provide a reference, but I seem to recall back in the 80s the AT was relo'd which made the climb out of Stecoah much easier. But the reputation still remains - similar to the horror stories about the approach trail which continued even after relo's tamed it around the same time.

I actually remember that climb from when I first hiked in 1977!
I remember pointing the peak out to my hiking partner at the time and saying "look we climbed up that steep climb to see this" and then it descended just as steeply.
Yes, they put in some switchbacks before my next time hiking it in '89 for sure.

But, I also remember when I hiked in '95, I was with an ex Army ranger who used to study the topo maps by red flashlight at night.
And I said "Stecoah" I remember that as being a nasty climb. And he said "I don't see anything on the topo that looks bad"
The next day, I passed him in the middle of the climb and he was again looking at his topo saying: "It's not on here"

But like I said, it's there.

Haven't hiked it now since 2002 and that was SOBO so, don't know what it's like now.

I agree that Albert wasn't as bad as we all heard.
But then, many of these climbs are judged from what time of the day they are hiked.
The early morning climbs are always easier than the late day ascents.

[peter lechthoff]

The Hughes Gap to Ash Gap, The section at Hughes Gap is with in 550 feet of being completed and should be open in 2 weeks. When this section is opened the section will be 10% grade to just below Beartown Mtn. The last 1/4 mile (at Beartown Mtn) is prob more than the 22%. This section should be completed at 10% within 2 years. The switchbacks are in the process of being installed at 10% from Ash Gap to Cloudland and should be completed by 2014.
The switchback were installed between Wilber Dam Road and Vanderventer at 10% a few years ago.

hi sarge95, so from Wilbur Dam Rd to Vandeventer there were installed switchbacks, and there are being installed switchbacks between Highes Gap and Ash Gap.
The AT Centerline I use is probably quite an old one, so recent changes of the trail don't appear.

[The Cleaner]

I don't see your point.The AT is a lot of up&down in many places.The maps with elavation profiles just scare some hikers.Knowing exactly how much up or down won't make it any easier.....get offline and get some miles in....that's my 2cents worth...

[sarge95]

The section from Cherry Gap Shelter to IMG was also relocated several years ago to 10%

[nchiker]

Albert was tough for me in mist&fog no views after a hard climb bummer

[peter lechthoff]

I don't see your point.The AT is a lot of up&down in many places.The maps with elavation profiles just scare some hikers.Knowing exactly how much up or down won't make it any easier.....get offline and get some miles in....that's my 2cents worth...

hi cleaner, everyone has different opinions.
I was really scared when I read about the elevation gain on the AT (Whiteblaze Data Base: Albert Mountain ... the hardest single climb ... goes up 1000 feet in 3/10 mile ...) and saw the numbers of Map Man (Elevation Gain and Loss per Section).
Albert Mtn is more 400 ft in a 3/10 of a mile, and the numbers of Map Man are so high, because there are no flat sections and even the smaller ups are quite steep.
And as Sarge95 said, in a lot of places there were or are being installed switchbacks.
The AT from Springer to Damascus continues steep, but the steepest parts are by far not as high as I expected.
Analyzing the AT Centerline was a nice way of passing the time during the winter. I will do some hikes in Germany this year and hopefully, next spring, I'll be hiking to Damascus, so God will.

[Old Boots]

My vote is Nobo Bly Gap and Jacob's Ladder and Sobo Blood Mtn

[Cookerhiker]

Before I read the first post, I thought "Albert Mountain" - right on. For me, the most memorable steep uphill was Pond Flat NOBO on a hot day in full sun because the leaves weren't out yet.