BMT: Trip help US64 to Joe Brown Highway

[Mocs123]

I am thinking about continuing my work on BMT sections over New Years weekend and wanted to get some advice. I am thinking about going from US 64/Ocoee (mile 91.4) to Joe Brown Highway (mile 128.5). I remember good parking at the campground on the Ocoee River, but what about on Joe Brown Highway? The old guide I have mentions parking 3 miles west at Coker Creek Post Office, is that still the best area to park at?

How is the trail in this area? Is it easy to follow? Blazed? Maintained well? Are there any particular highlights or lowlights I should prepare myself for?

It looks like good campsites would be at mile 105 at Lost Creek and mile 118.8 at Loss Creek. Thoughts?

Thanks for your help!


Brad

[SGT Rock]

There is a small parking area at Unicoi Gap, Joe Brown Highway. I haven't ever heard of any issues leaving a car here.

There are some nice views to the state line north when you get to FS1173-1. Lost Creek is a nice walk, but in January you won't get to stop and play in the creek.

You will have a nice walk along the Hiwassee River around Reliance. If you are going through Reliance on a weekend the Hiwassee Angler may be open (I would call ahead if you plan to use them) but everything else in the area will be closed. The Narrows will be down, and that is a pretty place to explore, but again it will be too cold to play around. I would also take the side trip to Buck Bald if I were you.

There are some pulls up, but nothing you really need to worry about.

The campsite at 105 is very nice. Good water and lots of places to hang or tent. Loss Creek is also very nice. Great picks for camps.

[royalusa]

Sorry, don't know the answers to all your questions, but here's some info:

We stayed at the Loss Creek campsite (mile 188.8) - it's a beautiful site. Just make sure when you continue on the next morning that you immediately cross the creek to pick up the trail. We followed the path just past the campsite - it's a deadend; not the trail!

Also looks like according to our journal (http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=317212) that we got misplaced on the trail (missed a switchback) ... I think this was somewhere around mile 114-118. Keep your eyes open for a switchback - there's not many on the BMT so you tend to not look for them.

Each time we got misplaced on the trail, it was only for a few minutes; nothing major. We always backtracked to the last found blaze or last portion of known trail. The trail is really not hard to follow at all ...we probably just got sloppy in our efforts.


If you want a more current guidebook, I'd highly recommend Sgt Rock's: http://bmtguide.com/

His book is just as good if not better than all the highly praised AT guidebooks.

Have a fun hike!

[SGT Rock]

Thanks for the compliment. I'm working on the 2011 edition which I hope to have out around February. IMO it will be a much better guide. I learned a lot doing that first one.

[Ewker]

Thanks for the compliment. I'm working on the 2011 edition which I hope to have out around February. IMO it will be a much better guide. I learned a lot doing that first one.

damn, that means I will need to buy it :D

[Mocs123]

To get to Buck Bald I assume I take the road (198?) up to the summit?

Glad to know that there is actually parking at Unicoi Gap in case we decide not to do the three mile road walk.

Thanks for all of the help!

[SGT Rock]

damn, that means I will need to buy it :D
You just might ;)

To get to Buck Bald I assume I take the road (198?) up to the summit?

Glad to know that there is actually parking at Unicoi Gap in case we decide not to do the three mile road walk.

Thanks for all of the help!

You will cross Gravel HWY68 next to the intersection with FS198. Just take 198 uphill. Can't miss it.

[Mocs123]

Thanks for the help!

[SGT Rock]

No problem. Have a good hike.

[10-K]

Thanks for the compliment. I'm working on the 2011 edition which I hope to have out around February. IMO it will be a much better guide. I learned a lot doing that first one.

I'm guessing there aren't many changes for the BMT thought the Smokies in the new guide?

[SGT Rock]

Most of the changes from the last guide are in the town descriptions. If you don't need to get into town from the trail in the Smokies then you won't see much change at all. For that part mostly what you would notice different is how I show the concurrent trails in the Smokies, that way you can tell what the other trail name is you should be hiking on. In the Smokies you will not generally see any signs that say BMT, the makers are add ons to the existing posts of those signs - and that has caused some folks navigation problems. So I added a bar to the right side of the page in the area of the elevation and profiles that has a watermark with the name of the trail that the BMT shares its path with. I've attached an example so you can get an idea of what I am talking about if you already have one of my guides.

If you do need to get to Bryson City, Gatlinburg, or Cherokee from the trail to resupply the changes are enormous. All new maps, at least double the service providers, etc.

[10-K]

That was one of the things I noticed when I was looking at your guide and following along on a GSMNP map. It would be nice if the guide specifically stated when a junction was reached where the BMT took a new trail - like the AT Guide does for the AT in the Whites...

Any chance it'll be ready by the first week of February? :) That's when I'm planning to hike that section of the BMT.

I guess it's easy enough to just look at the map, huh? Either way I'll definitely be picking up the updated guide.



Most of the changes from the last guide are in the town descriptions. If you don't need to get into town from the trail in the Smokies then you won't see much change at all. For that part mostly what you would notice different is how I show the concurrent trails in the Smokies, that way you can tell what the other trail name is you should be hiking on. In the Smokies you will not generally see any signs that say BMT, the makers are add ons to the existing posts of those signs - and that has caused some folks navigation problems. So I added a bar to the right side of the page in the area of the elevation and profiles that has a watermark with the name of the trail that the BMT shares its path with. I've attached an example so you can get an idea of what I am talking about if you already have one of my guides.

If you do need to get to Bryson City, Gatlinburg, or Cherokee from the trail to resupply the changes are enormous. All new maps, at least double the service providers, etc.

[SGT Rock]

I have that sort of watermark for the entire length of the trail so whenever it is on shared trail (like in the Cherokee National Forrest) you know what other trail name you might see for the trail. Especially now that they re-did the signs through parts of the Cherokee Forrest and made it more confusing IMO.

There is a chance it might be ready. I won't know for sure until Awol gets his AT Guide to the printer, after that happens then I can start working to get mine through the final edits with the printer to get it made.

If it ain't ready by the start of your hike, I can shoot you the GSMNP pages in PDF so you can print your own updated pages off. Just keep up with what the status is here on this forum.

[10-K]

If it ain't ready by the start of your hike, I can shoot you the GSMNP pages in PDF so you can print your own updated pages off. Just keep up with what the status is here on this forum.

I thought about asking if I might snag the pdf for GSMNP if the guide wasn't shipping yet but I didn't want to reach. :)

[SGT Rock]

Check your PMs

[Mocs123]

If we were to go further north, to Mudd Gap, how are the crossings at Brookshire Branch, Bald River, and Mangan Branch? I know Bald River is decent size at the falls, would this be a bad idea for a reasonably warm January Weekend?

Also - Is there any camping around Buck Bald? That ends up being right about where i need to stop one night.

Anything else that I should take note of from Joe Brown Highway to Mudd Gap (Cherohala Skyway)?

Thanks again for your help!

Brad

[Tipi Walter]

Joe Brown to Mud Gap is my neck of the woods and here's my take on it. There's a tough uphill from Unicoi Gap to Peels Top and then a general downhill to Sandy Gap. After which, prepare for a long uphill to Moss Gap and mixed from there to Sled Runner Gap. There are no significant creek crossings on this trail to Mud Gap, the biggest one being Brookshire down by the trailpost in the Upper Bald River valley. Even in flood stage this one is doable, and you don't have to cross the notorious Upper Bald downstream near the Holly Flats Road.

After the Brookshire crossing you hump up and over Sugar Mt and reach the Tellico River road and a bridge crossing to Sycamore Creek. There are no Sycamore crossings and Mangan Branch is nothing more than a little springhead. The hardest part will probably be the boring last bit of steep roadwalk up to Whiggs Meadow. From there it's a short 1.5 mile, 500 foot descent to Mud Gap.

What are your dates? I might be out during that time.

[SGT Rock]

Tipi Walter is an expert in the area. My thoughts?

Spot on with the crossings. I crossed the Brookshire Creek at the Bald River during some rainy times and had no issues. Last time I was through there I didn't recognize it right away because it was so much lower than I remembered from the first time. The other two you asked about are nothing to worry about.

I don't remember any camping spots anywhere for miles around the Buck Bald area. Of course you can probably find somewhere to put a tent, but that stretch was also fairly dry as I remember it, you would have to pack in water. Maybe you could get someone to cache some water near the bald for you?

[Mocs123]

It looks like we are going back to the original plan as the members of my group wimped out on my 24 mile Saturday. I will probably try and do the Joe Brown Highway to US129 section in May or June and try to catch some wildflowers on a side trip to Statton Bald. Any suggestions on when to go?

Thanks for the help Sgt Rock, I have your original guide from 2008, and need to pick up the 2011 version when it comes out. Thanks for putting this guide together, even the older version I have is well done and extremely helpful.

[SGT Rock]

No real suggestions on when to go, May or June should be fine. I guess the difference would be weather. May will be cooler, lows in them mountains could still be in the 30's.

Thanks for the compliment on the old guide. The newer one has more campsites, water, and such than the old 2008 version. It also has the terrain profile which the 2008 didn't. I hope to have the new guides ready next months sometime.

[Mocs123]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31999566&l=63c89b3d5c&id=1480185348

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31999574&l=e2a0a371ba&id=1480185348

We had a couple of waist high crossings due to flash flooding, but overall had a great trip. The trail was well marked and maintained. It looked like there were a few relocation in that section recently.

[SGT Rock]

Your pictures didn't come through, doh.

Glad you had a good hike. I suspect the high water points were around Lost Creek, Loss Creek, and Towee Creek? Seems a year or two ago Towee Creek had some flooding issues.

[Mocs123]

http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/24896/2603086230086983979S600x600Q85.jpg
http://inlinethumb24.webshots.com/48151/2793010430086983979S600x600Q85.jpg
http://inlinethumb19.webshots.com/48146/2239479910086983979S600x600Q85.jpg

[SGT Rock]

Wow. I am impressed.

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[SGT Rock]

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