View Full Version : Sam's Gap (TN) camping
bigcranky
08-29-2009, 14:46
Greetings,
Heading North out of Sam's Gap, toward Erwin, is there a good campsite before the climb of Big Bald? We don't require water, just a nice reasonably flat spot, maybe with a good view.
Thanks.
There's water several miles north of Sam's Gap and there are some flat spots with good views, but not both. You shouldn't have any problem finding something suitable.
dreamsoftrails
08-29-2009, 15:25
i remember passing an area north of sams gap where a large group was comfortably camping at a nice spring, in a cozy area. there was also water again on the way to big bald after that.
From the Companion, camping at Low Gap W/Water.
Miles Features Services Elev. Miles from Springer
from
Katahdin
1,859.8 Sams Gap, R 3,850 314.2
U.S. 23, 126
1,859.1 Springs w 4,000 314.9
1,857.5 Street Gap 4,100 316.5
1,856.1 Low Gap C, w 4,300 317.9
1,854.1 Spring w 4,850 319.9
1,853.3 Big Bald 5,516 320.7
1,853.1 Big Stamp W–0.3m C, w 5,300 320.9
1,852.2 Bald Mtn Shelter… S, w 5,100 321.8
10.1mS; 10.6mN
bigcranky
08-29-2009, 18:09
Thanks. I was looking at the map (latest version), and hoped that might be the case. Appreciate the help.
There is a small meadow about 2 miles north of Sams Gap, it is a beautiful place to camp as it looks out over miles of rolling mountains.
That is a good spot. And you could stock up on water on your way there.
There is also a couple before this spot and a couple after.
Low Gap is 3.7 miles north of Sam's Gap. It has both a campsite and water.
MedicineMan
08-30-2009, 21:16
and from that meadow you'll have a view of the very top crest of Big Bald.
Tennessee Viking
08-30-2009, 23:52
There are some small spots just south of Sams Gap. To the north, there is the old talc mind road. Then there is a campsite in the tree line above Street Gap. Plenty of camping at Street Gap. Then there are several little small blue blazes between there and Wolf Laurel accesses. Low Gap is one of the biggest spots. Then there is the blue blaze trail into Wolf Laurel at the board.
Greetings,
Heading North out of Sam's Gap, toward Erwin, is there a good campsite before the climb of Big Bald? We don't require water, just a nice reasonably flat spot, maybe with a good view.
Thanks.
My wife and I were going to camp on the top of Big Bald in August but when we got to the top there was a Lexus SUV and a group of seniors up there milling around....
bigcranky
09-20-2009, 08:40
We did the hike over Labor Day. We got on the trail about an hour earlier than we expected, so we ended up going to the top of Big Bald on the first night. (Yes, there was a pickup truck there. See below.)
Thoughts on campsites:
The nice meadow just south of Street Gap would make a good campsite. No water that we saw.
Street Gap is a dirt road accessible by regular car. Plenty of camping. Not sure about water.
Low Gap has nice water, but it's not in a saddle (or gap), is heavily wooded, and the camp sites are mostly packed down hard dirt on a slight slope. Not someplace I would camp in a storm with a tarp or tarptent.
The very top of Big Bald is accessible by vehicle. There is a great view, though, and a nice camp site right on top. The road to the top is gated, an only people from Wolf Laurel can get up there (in theory.)
We ended up camping in the open on the way up Little Bald, just past where the trail crosses the road near Big Stamp. Great views, nice place.
Pix are in my gallery.
There is also a gate for Street Gap, so the traffic is minimal.
Jayboflavin04
09-23-2009, 09:49
Big cranky just south of big bald shelter (1/4) mile. There is a large rock and an open area that is nice and flat and protected by treee. There is actually a fire pit in the rock.
Wish we had camped there. The sky was beautiful that night and there was a group of scouts that camped at big bald shelter that night.
DiamondDoug
09-23-2009, 16:28
The very top of Big Bald is accessible by vehicle. There is a great view, though, and a nice camp site right on top. The road to the top is gated, an only people from Wolf Laurel can get up there (in theory.)
I'm the section maintainer from Big Bald to Little Bald. I used to get all cranky about people from Wolf Laurel going to the top of the bald, walking from the parking area on the blue blaze trail or getting a key to the forest service gate and driving in. The nerve of these people, not hikers, going to this incredibly beautiful spot without exerting obscene amounts of energy, or spending weeks hiking to get there.
I got over it. It is a spectacular spot and I'm glad they go up there to take advantage of the opportunity to see the view.
Tennessee Viking
09-23-2009, 16:54
Big cranky just south of big bald shelter (1/4) mile. There is a large rock and an open area that is nice and flat and protected by treee. There is actually a fire pit in the rock.
Wish we had camped there. The sky was beautiful that night and there was a group of scouts that camped at big bald shelter that night.
I have seen that. Did Hermit Greer used to live there?
i don't think that's the 'accepted' hermit greer living quarters, but it certainly would have been in his domain and it's not all that unlikely he camped there. I was always told that hog greer's cave was down the yellow blazed (albeit overgrown) side trail about a half mile before big bald (if headed northbound) and just prior to leaving the forest for the start of the meadow. It leads north into TN and downslope steeply to a large cluster of boulders that most people appear to stop at, because the trail nearly disappears here. But the blazing continues even steeper downhill to the left and arrives as a small cave with openings on each side (really like a giant boulder perched up on other rocks) to form a room - though one I found to have little headroom, but was surprisingly dry in the rain.
there is a great campsite on a knob just prior to that meadow before street gap (again, if headed northbound). it's sheltered from wind but only a few paces to cross the treeline and enter the grassy area with great views toward big bald.
Gray Blazer
10-08-2009, 07:56
My wife and I were going to camp on the top of Big Bald in August but when we got to the top there was a Lexus SUV and a group of seniors up there milling around....
Yeah ...It's kind of awkward when you wake up in the morning and have to use the facilities and there's a group of car peole watching you back out of your tent.
This guy on the left is the self proclaimed Hermit of Little Bald. You might run into him on a early Sat morn. He lives in a dwelling on the blue blaze north of the shelter. The guy on the right is a moron.
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/6/2/1/7/at_08_1196_thumb.jpg (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=26860&catid=member&imageuser=6217)
hey is that really the guy who signs the big balg shelter registers as "hermit of big bald"? he claims to live down on roaring for on the NC side between Big & Little Balds? seems to know a lot of history about the area - did you happen to catch his real name?
Gray Blazer
10-09-2009, 07:12
hey is that really the guy who signs the big balg shelter registers as "hermit of big bald"? he claims to live down on roaring for on the NC side between Big & Little Balds? seems to know a lot of history about the area - did you happen to catch his real name?
I've met him twice and he calls himself the hermit. He told me he maintains the shelter log. I don't know his real name. I think his email address may be on the log.