View Full Version : Where to start?
So myself and three other good friends are planning a 12 day hike in june.
We dont know where to start. We were originally looking at just doing the at in the smokies but found that that have to many rules for our liking.
What we are looking for is:
Close to the smokies or south we are coming from florida. we have been looking into the cherokee national forest.
Low population. we would like it to be as quiet and away from people as posssible.
As beautiful as possible. coming from Florida we dont get to see the waterfalls forests and mountains that the area has to offer.
few rules. we were looking into the smokies but found disappointed with how many rules there were and that you had to camp at designated sites. Like i said we want to be away from people and not have to follow a schedule to be in a certain location when it comes time to camp.
So myself and three other good friends are planning a 12 day hike in june.
We dont know where to start. We were originally looking at just doing the at in the smokies but found that that have to many rules for our liking.
What we are looking for is:
Close to the smokies or south we are coming from florida. we have been looking into the cherokee national forest.
Low population. we would like it to be as quiet and away from people as posssible.
As beautiful as possible. coming from Florida we dont get to see the waterfalls forests and mountains that the area has to offer.
few rules. we were looking into the smokies but found disappointed with how many rules there were and that you had to camp at designated sites. Like i said we want to be away from people and not have to follow a schedule to be in a certain location when it comes time to camp.
12 days can get you from Springer on the south end to the Smokies if you are in shape and take just 1 or no zero days. Or you can arrange a shuttle to meet you at NOC and that would be a pretty easy 134 miles or so in that amount of time. Call the Hike Inn in Fontana and they will provide shuttle services for a fee.
12 days can get you from Springer on the south end to the Smokies if you are in shape and take just 1 or no zero days. Or you can arrange a shuttle to meet you at NOC and that would be a pretty easy 134 miles or so in that amount of time. Call the Hike Inn in Fontana and they will provide shuttle services for a fee.
thank you for your response. Im having trouble finding much information on that hike.
We are in good shape and have been training for about 6 months.
We are on a tight budget so a shuttle is out of the option.
Looking at some random photos I found the areas south of the smokies do not look nearly as "green, foresty and river filled" as the areas more north. please correct me if im wrong.
thank you for your response. Im having trouble finding much information on that hike.
We are in good shape and have been training for about 6 months.
We are on a tight budget so a shuttle is out of the option.
Looking at some random photos I found the areas south of the smokies do not look nearly as "green, foresty and river filled" as the areas more north. please correct me if im wrong.
Honestly, the scenery in the smokies is hard to beat. As far as "rules" go, which are of concern for your group? You can do some very nice hikes in the smokies that avoid the shelters on the AT if that is a concern. It's easy to put together some loops that take 12 days and even allow for the possibility of resupply so you only have to carry 6 days or less food at any given time.
As for the AT north of the park, I can't really say beyond Max Patch. I haven't been between there and SNP.
when we called the smokies they said we would have to register and camp only at designated spots. just seems kind of like a buzz kill when we are trying to get away from plans, schedules and people.
sorry i dont know how to edit my post but i also wanted to say that from what they told use camp fires are also restricted to those areas.
sorry i dont know how to edit my post but i also wanted to say that from what they told use camp fires are also restricted to those areas.
They do require you to give a trip itinerary and follow it while in the park, but that's not a bad idea for safety reasons. As for the fire restrictions, it's much better for the environment and keeping impact down to only have a fire at designated campsites. You wouldn't want to have the eyesore of fire pits all over the place that would appear within a year or two without that restriction.
Lastly, due to weather and a sprained ankle I have had to deviate from my registered itinerary in GSMNP in the past and when a ranger checked our permit (it figures, the only time this ever happened in tons of nights in the park) he cut me complete slack when I showed him my ankle. I guess what I'm trying to say is that as long as you can show just cause for the deviation, they are not out for blood.
well from what you explained smokies arent what we are looking for.
we have no intentions of following an itinerary. we want to walk into the woods and not see or deal with lifes restrictions and rules (of course respecting the leave no trace obligations) till we come back out.
this is more of a survival/nature hike then anything.
so far Cherokee national forest seems to be the best fit that i have found.
stranger
04-20-2009, 03:59
The smokies are beautiful, but there are rules, I can't stand the fact that you can't tent out until a shelter is full, but usually that's not a problem in the smokies thanks to all the tourists.
A nice hike would be from Springer to NOC, as mentioned, the Nantahalas are beautiful and not too difficult, that would be easy pickings over 12 days. The AT from NOC to Newfound Gap is a little rough, but south of there is quite moderate terrain.
I believe you could do a loop hike from Springer with the Benton MacKaye Trail, just not sure how long it would be, I think there are a few options there.
The smokies are beautiful, but there are rules, I can't stand the fact that you can't tent out until a shelter is full, but usually that's not a problem in the smokies thanks to all the tourists.
A nice hike would be from Springer to NOC, as mentioned, the Nantahalas are beautiful and not too difficult, that would be easy pickings over 12 days. The AT from NOC to Newfound Gap is a little rough, but south of there is quite moderate terrain.
I believe you could do a loop hike from Springer with the Benton MacKaye Trail, just not sure how long it would be, I think there are a few options there.
The loop you are talking about is the BMT, Duncan Ridge Trail, and the AT. I haven't done it but I've looked into it and it comes out to around 65 miles. Kinda short for a 12 day outing, but the Duncan Ridge Trail has been called the toughest 35 miles east of the Mississippi so maybe low mileage days are in order there.