View Full Version : shelter space in the smokies
my next section is the smokies, and i understand i will need to make shelter reservations ahead of time. if i don't want to worry about all of the spots being taken, when (spring or fall months, preferably) should i plan to do this section? i did deep gap to fontana in mid-may this year, and that section wasn't too crowded. i like to meet other people on the trail, but i just don't want to have problems being able to reserve the shelters i want. thanks.
Chaco Taco
08-24-2010, 16:08
Avoid weekends, avoid october. If you want to have some sort of "solitude", shoot for early March depending on the severity of winter.It will still be pretty cold but only slight thru traffic and little hiker traffic in the upper elevations. Mid November is also fine as well. You will always have "crowds" with it being a National Park.
The main way to get the reservations you want is to call exactly 30 days before the first day of your hike.
The first time I hiked the Smokies as a section was in November, not during Thanksgiving. I only saw 7 other backpackers during the entire week. Half the nights I was the only one in the shelter. To say there was no problem getting a reservation was an understatement.
Appalachian Tater
08-24-2010, 19:06
If you can't get a reservation for the shelter you want, make a reservation for a shelter before or after it but stay where you originally planned, that should keep you out of trouble.
Chaco Taco
08-24-2010, 20:24
If you can't get a reservation for the shelter you want, make a reservation for a shelter before or after it but stay where you originally planned, that should keep you out of trouble.
9 times out of ten, you wont have any issues because if its not during the ridgerunning season, you probably wont even run into any type of authority. Just having a backcountry permit is really the main issue
9 times out of ten, you wont have any issues because if its not during the ridgerunning season, you probably wont even run into any type of authority. Just having a backcountry permit is really the main issue
when is the ridgerunning season?
Digger'02
08-25-2010, 09:20
march 1- Nov 1. Why? you looking for a job? :banana
march 1- Nov 1. Why? you looking for a job? :banana
goodness, no. i love the peace and simplicity that i find on the trail, but when it's raining, snowing, or 100 degress outside, i like earning my paycheck in my dry, comfortable office. hats off to those of you who do it, though.
BobTheBuilder
08-25-2010, 12:50
Don't outclever yourself.
Make your reservations, but if you show up at the shelter and it is full, it means people are there without a permit. Set up your tent and go to sleep. No worries if Johnnie Law shows up, because either they issued too many permits, or somebody in the shelter will be in trouble, not you. You should always have alternate shelter anyway in case of injury, bad weather, getting lost, etc.
If you go in March make sure it isn't during spring break. That's what happened to me. I got stuck in a pack of 7 students from IL hiking the park. Every shelter I was at they came in as a group within a few hours.
Really played havoc on everyone as they were rather on the rowdy side. Not malicious, just loud and active.