PDA

View Full Version : Section Hike from Clingmans



cutter10x
02-28-2018, 12:32
i am planning on a section hike from the dome around may 12th, nights still cold then? like 40 or below? i use a hammock and wondering if i need my UQ. im guessing that there will be plenty of people on the trail and ill have the proper permits and reservations but personally would rather not have to stay in a shelter. im obviously not familiar with how it all works.

TNhiker
02-28-2018, 12:50
may i suggest checking out the Park's website and it will give you the info you need on reservations and such...........

and yes, you will have to stay in a shelter.....

no hammock....

cutter10x
02-28-2018, 12:54
ok thank you

Burrhead
02-28-2018, 13:06
I would plan on under 40 degrees while up on the higher ridges. I camped at Silers Bald last year during the last week of June and the temp got down to 42.

johnacraft
02-28-2018, 14:06
may 12th, nights still cold then? like 40 or below?

Definitely possible. Leconte Lodge has a daily weather post (http://www.highonleconte.com/daily-posts) - it's only a few miles away, and about the same altitude, so it's a pretty good proxy for weather in that area.

May 13, 2017, the low was 34F (http://www.highonleconte.com/daily-posts/may-14-2017-home-decor).

May 15 & 16, 2016, the low was 22F (http://www.highonleconte.com/daily-posts/may162016-strange-days).

JC13
02-28-2018, 14:55
It got down close to 40* when we were there in July. I believe they state it has snowed at LeConte every month of the year but August I think it was.

FlyPaper
02-28-2018, 15:46
Curious as to where your destination is.

You might consider hiking from Newfound Gap instead. We did GSMNP in two sections. One from NFG to Fontana Dam. The other from NFG to I-40.

It is tempting to think that since Clingman's Dome is the highest point in the park, you minimize your uphill hiking. But that is an illusion. To get to Clingman's Dome, you have to hike uphill from the parking lot about 350'. And if you are hiking north this trip, when you come back to hike south you'll have to go up 350' again. Of course from NFG to Clingman's Dome is a bigger uphill, but at least from NFG the trail crosses right through the parking lot. Also, it is a shorter drive to NFG no matter where you're coming from.

Hike your own hike, of course.

HooKooDooKu
03-01-2018, 01:27
In GSMNP, you can only camp at designated campsites. Along the AT from Clingman's Dome to Davenport Gap, the only campsites are shelters. Section hikers (such as yourself) are required to get a reservation for each shelter you plan to stay at... and section hikers must stay in the shelter. The only exception are hikers with a thru hiker permit (which you don't qualify for). They are allowed to tent near the shelter when the shelter is full. Park rules treat a hammock like a tent, therefore you can not hammock near the shelter. Further more, hammocks are not allowed to be attached to any structure in the park (so you are not allowed to hang your hammock in the shelter).