View Full Version : Joyce/slickrock/citico VS Smokies July 2010
Hey everybody, im trying to decide on whether i want to goto the smokies or joyce/slickrock/citico areas in july. It will be either right before or right after july 4th. I am going for 4 days and hope to cover 70 miles. Help me decide!
smokies:
+:
Views(reuduced by vapor and as much smog as LA)
giant trees
bears
-:
smog-reduced visibilty
Tough hiking
heavily croweded during july(i like solitude)
Joyce/Citico/slickrock:
+:
solitude
wild
400 year old forests
bears
-:
high point is 700 feet lower than le conte in the smokies
overgrown
could get lost, trails are poorly marked
Anybody who has experience in any of these areas, please let me know how your trips went, highlights, lowlights, etc.
If you like solitude, go to Kilmer-Slickrock-Citico. Fewer people, no permits or assigned campsites to pack people in together.
bulldog49
05-09-2010, 13:43
Smokies will be packed with people at that time.
TIDE-HSV
05-10-2010, 19:48
Those 400 year old trees in the Smokies are confined to a couple of pockets. The Slickrock area has a sizable virgin grove in Joyce Kilmer. The JCS has its share of bears, but in many trips, spread over many years, I've glimpsed one. They can be hunted there - tends to make them shy. In the GSMNP, well, do a search on my username. The principal advantage of the Smokies is that it is possible to plan out a 70 miler with less up and down, IOW, to gain some altitude and keep it longer. In JCS, you will do a lot of altitude gain and loss, with a 70 mile route. I love both areas for what they do for me...
Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-10-2010, 21:28
Slickrock Wilderness is a fantastic choice if you are pretty familiar with using maps and a compass. There is no way I would hike in the Smokies in July on any trail that is at all well known because of the crowds - there are a few trails that aren't as well known on the southwest end, but they don't have good views.
The Smokies has all sorts of bridges and most of the trails are so overused that they are ruts in the ground. In Slickrock you sometimes have to look to find the trail and you cross most water the good old-fashion way. In the Smokies most blowdowns are cleared within a week or so - in Slickrock it may be months. In the Smokies the trailheads have signage - no blazes and very few trail signs in Slickrock. You will see fewer other hikers in Slickrock and most will be seasoned backpackers - in the Smokies you will see many dayhikers and a lot of novice backpackers who don't have a clue what they are doing.
Ox97GaMe
05-10-2010, 23:37
you may be able to do both. Hike along the BMT and you can get about 30 miles of JCS and about 30 miles in GSMNP. That trail is pretty well marked. The issue might be finding a good entry and exit point and hooking up shuttle service to get you from one end to the other. Either location will make for a great trip that time of year.
TIDE-HSV
05-10-2010, 23:41
Very good point. If you decide you do want part of the Smokies, the BMT should be looked at for that time of year (really any time).
generoll
05-11-2010, 08:25
You can do loop hikes in either area. Stay off the AT in the Smokies and you'll discover a whole different world and have plenty of solitude. The Slickrock Creek area is also an excellent choice and like the Smokies has trout fishing available. Since the Slickrock Creek is the boundary between TN and NC, a fishing license for either state is acceptable. I love the falls along the Slickrock Creek and have seen brown trout trying to jump the falls at Lower Falls.
Flip a coin. Either way you win.
bulldog49
05-11-2010, 08:52
Very good point. If you decide you do want part of the Smokies, the BMT should be looked at for that time of year (really any time).
You will still encounter crowds, does not matter what part of the park.
TIDE-HSV
05-11-2010, 09:14
You will still encounter crowds, does not matter what part of the park.
True, but there areas which are far less impacted...
You will still encounter crowds, does not matter what part of the park.
I have hiked the park in July and once you get past the first mile or so you never really see anyone (tourist). Maybe I have been lucky every single time :D