Trying to plan a section hike this fall.

[jorge99s]

I'm in the early stages of planning a section hike for the fall. I'd like to hike the length of the AT through the smokies. When do the southbound thru hikers generally come through this section of the trail? Thanks

[Don H]

You can find the answer here: https://whiteblaze.net/forum/content.php/44-AT-Hiking-Rates-Section-by-Section

[illabelle]

We did the southern half of the Smokies in mid-October 2012. It was cool, but not a problem. About a week later, Superstorm Sandy dumped record snowfall (for October), and most SOBOs had to sit in Hot Springs for several days or skip the Smokies entirely. A few had to be rescued. Study the forecast and prepare.

[Slo-go'en]

There are not enough SOBO hikers to make that a concern. Just pick the week you want to go and make reservations 30 days out (you can only make reservations 30 days prior) to ensure you get the shelters you want.

[johnnybgood]

Agree. Start looking into securing those shelter reservations of your choosing . SOBO hikers are fewer and are spread out more along the trail.