View Full Version : Fontana Village resupply...
leaving shortly to hike the BMT nobo. Fontana looks like a good resupply point but I recall from my AT hike several years ago it was one of the more limited resupply places on the entire AT. Any updates? Or would it be best to mail drop my stuff ?( a practice I generally avoid). TIA for any responses.
It's a little campground type store. You can if you ain't too picky get a useable re supply out of it. It's not a grocery
soumodeler
05-24-2016, 16:16
They actually had a very large selection of hiker foods when I was there last year during the thru hiker bubble. Its not too far off from the bubble now so you may still have a great selection.
ldsailor
05-27-2016, 15:32
That store in Fontana had a limited selection and high prices when I went through there about 5 weeks ago.
I would seek a better reprovision plan. After Fontana is the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Unless you go into Gatlinburg, reprovision points are pretty much non-existent until you exit at Davenport Gap 70 miles later. Gatlinburg isn't very good either.
at fontana----you may be able to hitch into robbinsville where there is a grocery store....
and i think cherokee has some sort of grocery store as well, although i havent been through there in a few years.......
Gatlinburg is fine for resupply, but you need to take a trolley ride to get to a big supermarket (ditto for the post office, library, and laundromat).
Starchild
05-27-2016, 19:58
Limited and expensive but certainly doable was my experience in 2013 and revisiting in 2014. If I did a single maildrop for a thru that would be my place.
Lone Wolf
05-27-2016, 20:04
i resupplied there every year for 14 years straight. there's plenty there
I remember piling 90 candy bars on the counter at the store at Fontana Dam the week before Easter in 2002. The girl said "You can't live on just candy." I replied "You don't have anything else in your store." The shelves were practically picked clean. I ate 10 candy bars a day for the next week until I got to Mountain Mama's.
walkingjoe
05-28-2016, 21:10
I reached Fontana Village in Mid-April and found it to be one of the better non-grocery resupply points for what I was looking for. Certainly not a grocery store, but they sold things like oatmeal, pop tarts, etc. by the box rather than per serving like many hostels or outfitters. It sounds from other's comments that the question is whether or not they area stocked at the time. They had a pretty large selection, so if you're not very picky you should be fine -- if they're out of x you can still buy z. The shuttle driver told me they are constantly having to throw away food because it reaches the "best buy" date, so they may not keep certain things stocked when things slow down. This is also the store for the resort which is primarily condos with kitchens, but some of the hiker foods may not sell well with them. As far as prices, they were higher than a grocery store but I think low enough to be cheaper than shipping supplies.
Was just there last week... its not your FULL Service Market, no.. but, it has PLENTY to get you to Standing Bear with many different meal options. Back yrs ago, you would mail a pkg to resupply, but in recent yrs, it has def improved. Good options
lonehiker
05-29-2016, 00:49
Was just there last week... its not your FULL Service Market, no.. but, it has PLENTY to get you to Standing Bear with many different meal options. Back yrs ago, you would mail a pkg to resupply, but in recent yrs, it has def improved. Good options
Not sure what back yrs ago really means, but even in 08 the selection was fine. The only reason most mailed to this location is that Mr. Tarlin's resupply article suggested it.
2004 was the 1st time I went thru... and then, it was indeed slim-pickings! Its an easy re-supply now... There are not many places where you have to mail a re-supply now... its more @ convience I think....
garlic08
05-29-2016, 17:23
at fontana----you may be able to hitch into robbinsville where there is a grocery store....
And you can easily hitch into Robbinsville from Stecoah Gap. It'll mean carrying your food load for the Smokies another 15 miles, but you can just stay on the trail at Fontana.
MuddyWaters
05-29-2016, 21:44
Depending on how the scene is at the fontana hilton is, staying at the hike inn may be good and jeff will run you to robbinsville for dinner and resupply . probably not bad at all in June, but a bed can be nice for a night.
Earlier in season, hikers tend to stack up at the hilton, its not anyplace I want to be when it gets that way.
You can leave your car there with resupply in it. Then when get there youve got car to go eat in village, etc or a hotel. When get to davenport or standing bear, shuttle back to your car.
They actually had a very large selection of hiker foods when I was there last year during the thru hiker bubble. Its not too far off from the bubble now so you may still have a great selection.
Realize this is a bit of a necro but this is exactly the type of information I need sometimes.
FWIW, this necro question was asked in regard to the BMT. The Yellow Creek BMT reroute now takes a BMT hiker through/closer to Fontana Village resupply compared to the older dangerous narrow paved Hwy 28? and 129 road walk by Cheoah Dam, Deals Gap and Twenty Mile Ranger Station.
Yes, between that store, filling up on ice cream, and if needed the gas station towards the main road 28? you should be fine
Yes, dont forget about the gas station.