View Full Version : Any relatively level 3-5 day hikes in the Smokies ??
Gearhead
11-03-2010, 17:04
I know it's a stretch but are there any relatively level 3-5 day hikes in the Smokies ?? Any flat trails at all ??
The only one I know of is Midnight hole, but i'm sure there are more.
Mouse Creek Falls
Big Creek Trail follows an old railroad grade used to haul lumber out of the mountains during the logging boom at the start of the 20th century. At 1.4 miles the trail passes Midnight Hole, a deep, picturesque pool below a 6' falls. At 2.1 miles a short side trail on the left leads to a bench where hikers can rest and view Mouse Creek Falls which is on the far side of Big Creek. The falls are 45’ in height.
The 4-mile roundtrip hike to the waterfall is considered moderate in difficulty.
Access Trail: Big Creek Trail
Trailhead: Exit I-40 at Waterville Road (#451). Turn left after crossing the Pigeon River and proceed 2.3 miles to an intersection. Continue straight, past the ranger station, to a large parking area at road’s end.
bigmac_in
11-03-2010, 17:13
You could walk around the road in Cades Cove. Just Sayin'. . .
Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see the part where you said 3-5 days.
TallShark
11-03-2010, 19:19
not to be blunt but... i don't think so for a trip that long.
Lone Wolf
11-03-2010, 19:26
I know it's a stretch but are there any relatively level 3-5 day hikes in the Smokies ?? Any flat trails at all ??
no.........
HeartFire
11-03-2010, 20:05
Old Settlers trail is 17 miles long and relatively very flat. 3-5 days - how many miles a day?
chiefiepoo
11-04-2010, 01:00
deep creek trail from newfound gap road to deep creek campground is mostly easy down hill. 13 miles mol with several back country campsites. it's a good two night / three day trip for youngsters or new back packers. but you'll need to self shuttle with multiple cars or ride the cherokee to gatlinberg scheduled shuttle to the trail head.
chiefiepoo
11-04-2010, 01:04
another route would be in the cades cove area over a loop that uses campsites 11 and 15, I believe. It's not level but has one of the least extreme trail profiles. the guide book says you have a wet ford at the start / finish.
The Lakeshore Trail is ~30 miles and is flat as a pancake. If you look at it, the AT is pretty flat too compared to many of the other trails in the park. If you want something easier, you can start at Newfound Gap and go SOBO to Fontana.
Stir Fry
11-04-2010, 08:08
The Lakeshore Trail is ~30 miles and is flat as a pancake. If you look at it, the AT is pretty flat too compared to many of the other trails in the park. If you want something easier, you can start at Newfound Gap and go SOBO to Fontana.
You must have never hiked the Lake Shore trail. Its a lot of things but flat as a pancake it not. Newfound to Fontana is also a dificult section. looks ok on paper I have done it both directions and SOBO is less dificult but still not easy. If thats there first hike it will most likly be there last.
The Lakeshore Trail is ~30 miles and is flat as a pancake. If you look at it, the AT is pretty flat too compared to many of the other trails in the park. If you want something easier, you can start at Newfound Gap and go SOBO to Fontana.
Coming in to say this.
I wouldn't describe the LST as flat as a pancake but it's as flat as you're going to get in the Smokies. There's one 1000 foot hump to it but other than that you're going flat.
Do not let the name confuse you though. You can only see the lake a handful of times on it. It's fairly repetitive as far as scenery and it gets it's length from zig zagging along the edge of the lake. So it's not like you're really going 30 miles. You're hiking 2 miles to get 1 mile ahead. I got real tired of doing the same turn over and over and over again. It's also not indicative of GSMNP. There are little to no mountain views.
It's boring. It's unnecessarily long and it's overgrown in places with a bunch of briars.
That said the trail is where all the old settlements were in the early part of the 20th century. If you like history and old things read up about the area before hand and you'll love it. There are numerous old cemeteries just off the trail as well as the abandoned town of Proctor, NC. If you really took your time in exploring these places it'd be easy to make a 3-4 day affair of it.
Me and a buddy started at Big Creek, went down to Fontana on the AT and then came back up the BMT which the LST is part of. It was the start of "just walking back to the car" so there was a bit of psychological blues associated with realizing making Fontana was only the halfway point of our trip so maybe I'm a little harsh but my friend and I both agreed we'd like to water shuttle in and explore Proctor more and check out some of the graveyards but that for backpacking there were a lot more interesting places to go.
You must have never hiked the Lake Shore trail. Its a lot of things but flat as a pancake it not. Newfound to Fontana is also a dificult section. looks ok on paper I have done it both directions and SOBO is less dificult but still not easy. If thats there first hike it will most likly be there last.
The Lakeshore Trail and it was by far the flattest trail I have done in the Appalachians. It did have a few small humps on the Fontana end, but nothing major. I will agree with the previous poster that it isn't the most scenic trail, particularly when the lake is low (it was something like 70 feet low when I did it a few Novembers ago).
I hiked from Fontana to Davenport in four days last summer and have hiked from Newfound to Fontana four times, the most recent being in two days this past year, and compared to a lot of the AT, and to most of the trails in GSMNP, it is pretty flat. I am not saying there still isn't quite a bit of up and down but most, like Brier Knob and Thunderhead, are steep but relatively short. It is certainly easier than the trail south of the park, and easier than much of it north of the park. (Disclaimer: I have only gone as far as Pearisburg, VA)
Where does it say this is their first hike? Did I miss something?
HooKooDooKu
11-04-2010, 09:17
Old Settlers trail is 17 miles long and relatively very flat. 3-5 days - how many miles a day?
Old settlers, Gabes Mountain, & Lower Mount Cammerer (camp sites 33, 34, & 35) are "relatively" flat.
The area between Cades Cove and Abram's Ranger station is also "relatively" flat (look at camp sites 1,2,3,11,14,15,16,17).
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/upload/GSMNP%20Backcountry%20Map.pdf
Gearhead
11-04-2010, 16:06
Thanks everybody, I'm trying to introduce my wife to overnight backpacking slowly and she mentioned she'd like to go to the Smokies for a few days.
I've backpacked there several times but couldn't really think of any trails that didn't involve alot of elevation gain/loss.
chiefiepoo
11-04-2010, 18:18
If you take the down hill Deep Creek trail and the wife is not talking to you by the end, you can treat her to a stay at the Folkstone Inn B&B about 1/ 2 mile from the end of the trail. It's a stay you'd both enjoy after the stress of an inaugural BP trip.
You can car camp and do some day hikes with light packs. That way she can get some elevation changes with a light pack. A short trip to a summit might be the ticket for bigger and better things in the future.
You might not want to do any water crossings on the first trip either
MkBibble
11-04-2010, 21:00
Have you considered SNP? That's where I'm trying to get my wife to go.
HooKooDooKu
11-05-2010, 02:26
Thanks everybody, I'm trying to introduce my wife to overnight backpacking slowly and she mentioned she'd like to go to the Smokies for a few days.
Rather that 3 to 5 days, I would suggest starting with nothing more than a two night hike.
The best "relatively flat" two night hike I can think of is a loop starting in Cades Cove at Rabbit Creek Trail to camp site #15 the 1st day, out to the Abram's Creek Ranger Station and back in on Little Bottom's Trail to camp site #17 the 2nd night. That way, you can end the loop with an early morning view of Abram's Falls. The trail does have a few water crossing, but if the water level's are not high, and the temperatures not too low, they are easy water crossing.
TIDE-HSV
11-06-2010, 10:27
The Lakeshore Trail and it was by far the flattest trail I have done in the Appalachians. It did have a few small humps on the Fontana end, but nothing major. I will agree with the previous poster that it isn't the most scenic trail, particularly when the lake is low (it was something like 70 feet low when I did it a few Novembers ago).
I hiked from Fontana to Davenport in four days last summer and have hiked from Newfound to Fontana four times, the most recent being in two days this past year, and compared to a lot of the AT, and to most of the trails in GSMNP, it is pretty flat. I am not saying there still isn't quite a bit of up and down but most, like Brier Knob and Thunderhead, are steep but relatively short. It is certainly easier than the trail south of the park, and easier than much of it north of the park. (Disclaimer: I have only gone as far as Pearisburg, VA)
Where does it say this is their first hike? Did I miss something?
The lake will never be any higher than that again. There is a crack in the dam, and they keep the level below the crack...
4eyedbuzzard
11-06-2010, 17:30
Have you considered SNP? That's where I'm trying to get my wife to go.
I'll second this recommendation. Lower elevation = milder weather, well graded and milder elevation changes = less strenuous, lots of places to bail-out if necessary.