PDA

View Full Version : January suggestions



naturlred
11-20-2016, 21:24
My family will be visiting Knoxville/Gatlinburg TN in mid January and were wondering what hikes if any would be suggested.
We are also hoping to hike some of the smokies but are unsure what roads will be accessible during mid winter.
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
Thanks

TNhiker
11-20-2016, 22:42
Right now---I would suggest the national park as being your best option....

lots of the other places are on fire and not sure exactly how much is affected as most fires are not out yet....


roads being open will obviously depend upon weather but generally one can still get around especially for the roads at lower elevations...

moldy
11-21-2016, 08:39
You will have to go with the weather that is provided. If we have a warmer January than normal and there is no snow in the Smokies then can hike there. If it is too cold up there you might want to drive to the North end of the park at Davenport Gap to hike North to Hot Springs NC as a warmer alternative to the park

Hikingjim
11-21-2016, 08:55
Some smokies info:
The Mount Le Conte hike is nice. Alum cave trail is a good option. High elevation though, so could ice up or snow more easily than other trails, but it's easily accessible and close to Gatlinburg. There are other nice hikes that start along hwy 441 as well. That highway only closes if it ices, storms, etc (sometimes just morning)
The road up to clingman's dome (off 441) closes.
There's some decent hikes within the park at lower elevation if weather is terrible.

Cookerhiker
11-21-2016, 20:23
I suggest contacting the Park for their winter schedules - many trailheads are closed for the season.
https://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm

TNhiker
11-21-2016, 21:02
many trailheads are closed for the season.



roads will start to close down for the season, but trails stay open...

theres only one trail closed right now and that due to a bridge being washed out (ramsay cascades)...

if the roads are closed----one can still hike the road to access the trail....

naturlred
11-21-2016, 21:48
TNhiker, I see you are from the Knoxville area, could you point us in the direction of some good low elevation hikes near here. This is the general area we will be spending most of our time researching and visiting....we are debating a relocation to this area in the up coming months and are coming to visit as a family and make a final decision. We are avid hikers and are visiting in January for the purpose of seeing if this area is still active in mid minter unlike where we are from now.
If you have ant other recommendation besides hiking trails we should make sure we also see while in the state, I would be open to any ideas.
Thanks

Venchka
11-21-2016, 21:54
The Albright Grove is nice if you're a tree person like me.
Wayne


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

TNhiker
11-21-2016, 21:56
yeah....

i live in knoxville.........

moved down here 19 years ago.............to go hiking in the Park...

start with this..

https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/upload/GSMNP-Map_JUNE14-complete4-2.pdf



the AT is the ridgeline and in generic terms----going to the top of map and going to the bottom of map are downhills...

of course there are hills in between, but that will give you some sense.....


i would kinda wait and see how the weather plays out------you may find yourself wanting to do a ridgeline hike......


oh, to answer whether the area is still active in the winter-----oh, yeah.........the park is open year round and people backpack year round....

also----there will be some days in january where i may be in shorts------next day i may be in a coat...

its a fairly light winter season with snow and cold to be honest......yeah, it gets cold..........and we get snow...........but not really that much.......

not enough to keep people outta the mountains......

naturlred
11-22-2016, 08:06
Thank you all so much for your suggestions.
Keep them coming if you have any more.
It looks like we will just have to have a plan for any type of weather around the time we are due to arrive.
It also looks like we may need to bring an assortment of clothing....wearing shorts in January would be a treat for this WI family without a doubt.

Hikingjim
11-22-2016, 09:14
Thank you all so much for your suggestions.
Keep them coming if you have any more.
It looks like we will just have to have a plan for any type of weather around the time we are due to arrive.
It also looks like we may need to bring an assortment of clothing....wearing shorts in January would be a treat for this WI family without a doubt.

I went down there for new year's a couple years ago on a last minute trip. Saw the 5f temps here on the forecast and 50f there... worth the 10 hour drive.
My fiance got significant use out of her microspikes.