Shakedown hike in May....Smokies or Nantahala or Roan Highlands?

[Mr Mepps]

Hi,
I'm planning a 6-8 day section hike down in NC/TN in Mid-May with my daughter.
We were planning on hiking thru the smokies but I'm now reconsidering and looking for input.
I've been told that since we're not thru-hikers we will need to make reservations for shelters each night in the smokies and that we will need to sleep in a shelter and will not be allowed to sleep in our tents.
I prefer to sleep in my tent and I also don't like the thought of being pinned down to a schedule.....plus I'm a little concerned about crowds in the smokies......so we are now thinking about hiking a different section, either down in the Nantahala Nat'l forest or up in the Roan Highlands.
3 questions.
1) How strictly do they enforce the shelter sleeping requirements in the smokies?
2) If we decide to hike elsewhere, which stretch do you suggest.....Nantahala or Roan Highlands?
3) We're hoping to cover about 50-60 miles and want some good views, what section do you suggest?
Happy trails!
Mr Mepps

[TNhiker]

1) How strictly do they enforce the shelter sleeping requirements in the smokies?



very strict....

if you don't want to spend the night in a shelter---don't hike the AT in the Park....

[bobgessner57]

Hi,


2) If we decide to hike elsewhere, which stretch do you suggest.....Nantahala or Roan Highlands?
3) We're hoping to cover about 50-60 miles and want some good views, what section do you suggest?
Happy trails!
Mr Mepps

It is all good. From the Franklin area the trip from Wallace Gap or Rock Gap to Fontana would be a good one. If you decided to increase the mileage consider starting at Standing Indian Campground and taking the Kimsey Creek trail up to the AT. That way you get to see Standing Indian and Albert Mountain.

[johnnybgood]

Roan Highlands : Erwin to Elk Park ( Rt 19E )

[HooKooDooKu]

You could still do a shakedown hike in the Smokies with your tents, just simply hike trails other than the AT. With 800 miles of trails, there are lots of options, especially for a 6 to 8 day hike.

However, you would be "pinned down to a schedule", because the Smokies requires you to stay at dedicated camp locations and you have to reserve each one. On the plus side, the permit maxes out at $20 per person (for upto 7 nights... an 8th night would require a 2nd permit).

[saltysack]

Grayson highland....Roan highlands....or as previously said SI campground up to AT head north to NOC you have several great camp spots with great views....Inc
SI mtn, Albert mtn tower, Siler bald, Wayah bald tower, Wesser tower etc.....cold brew and shower at NOC...easy $65-$80 shuttle to SI campground....all great options with no permits needed


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[bigcranky]

Hiking in the Smokies is great, but the logistics are a pain. If you want to sleep in your tent and have some freedom in your schedule, section hiking the Smokies is not for you.

The ~60 mile Nantahala section between Winding Stair Gap and Fontana Dam is tough, beautiful, and free of National Park camping regulations. It's a great section, and fairly easy to set up logistically, since the end points aren't that far apart for a shuttle.

The other option is the ~65 miles southbound between the Mt Rogers Headquarters building and Damascus, VA. This is one of my favorite sections on the trail. It's again an easy shuttle. and it starts out fairly easy the first day. You get some great climbs, decent views, and then you get to the wide open balds of the High Country, where there are amazing views and wild ponies. Then you drop into a beautiful gorge (a gorgeous gorge?) and hike into one of the best small trail towns on the AT for a well-deserved night in a B&B to recover. This is a great 6 or 7 day hike in May, though note that the trail will be especially crowded the week after Trail Days in Damascus.

[Tennessee Viking]

1) How strictly do they enforce the shelter sleeping requirements in the smokies?
Very Strict. If you are not a thru-hiker or considered long distance hiker, you are required to sleep in the shelter.
2) If we decide to hike elsewhere, which stretch do you suggest.....Nantahala or Roan Highlands?
For a 6-8 day hike, you are probably looking at Erwin to Hampton or Viking Mountain to 19E.
3) We're hoping to cover about 50-60 miles and want some good views, what section do you suggest?
Exposed trail on Firescald/Rocky Fork, Big Bald, Beauty Spot, Unaka summit, Roan Balds/The Barn/The Humps.

[MuddyWaters]

Theres plenty of campsites in the smokies. If you only want 50-60 miles you cant do the whole AT anyway, so you wont be on just AT.
But you still must stick to your itinerary. If you can reach the backcountry office on the phone, you can change it on the fly.

[HooKooDooKu]

Theres plenty of campsites in the smokies. If you only want 50-60 miles you cant do the whole AT anyway, so you wont be on just AT.
???
It sounds like you are saying there are fewer than 50 miles of AT trail in GSMNP. But Fontana to Davenport is about 73 miles. What am I misunderstanding?


But you still must stick to your itinerary. If you can reach the backcountry office on the phone, you can change it on the fly.
Nice to know... but MOST areas of GSMNP do not have cell reception.

[Mr. Bumpy]

Are you set on the AT? That time of year is nice, but I tend to avoid the AT in the spring. For my liking there just too many over camped spots that are still recovering - trash, full privys, and finding poorly disposed of waste and tp is common. The Foothills trail is awesome that time of the year. If you were bound to the AT I'd suggest a Va. Highlands loop from Damascus or Bear Tree using the Iron Mountain Trail. That way you would have some solitude on the IMT and still get in a few days on the AT.

[aka.cyberman]

My vote would go to a NOBO in the Nantahala. Get a shuttle to a road (don't know the name off the top pif my head) south of Standing Indian and go north to Nantahala Outdoor Center. If you do that as a "shake down", you will have an idea of what it takes to go all the way.

[aka.cyberman]

I read it wrong ...................I thought you were doing a shake down. But still it's a great section hike too.

[Lmurf]

Forgive me, I am new to this. What is a shakedown?

[bigcranky]

Forgive me, I am new to this. What is a shakedown?

A short hike to test gear and figure out workflow on the trail.

Or, a session with an experienced hiker in which she digs through your pack and pulls out all the &^% you don't need. :)

[Lmurf]

Thank you! And while we are defining terms, what is a flip flop?

[HooKooDooKu]

Thank you! And while we are defining terms, what is a flip flop?
Rather than hiking from one end of a trail to another, you start somewhere in the middle and hike to one end, then return to the same spot in the middle and hike to the other end.
OR
Start at one end of a trail and hike to some spot in the middle, then jump to the other end of the trail and hike back to that same middle spot.

[MuddyWaters]

Nice to know... but MOST areas of GSMNP do not have cell reception.

But the ridge the AT is on does in places. With verizon.

Problem can be getting someone to answer, they arent always there. Some of the lower elevations do too.