View Full Version : Places to get picked up in GSMNP
I think I know the answer to this but I'll ask anyway.....
Weather permitting me and my son are going to start at 20 Mile ranger station and hike to Davenport Gap on Jan 29.
He only has 4 days off from work and considering we're going to get a late start the first day he'll need to get off the trail before Davenport Gap.
Where is the last "easy" place my wife could pick him up? I'm thinking the visitor's center at Hwy 441 (just up from Cherokee) is the last decent, easy to arrange pickup point but was wondering if there might be another one closer to Davenport Gap.
generoll
01-11-2011, 11:39
I am assuming that you're talking about hiking the BMT. Take a look at Round Bottom Horse Camp. The road in there is a decent single lane dirt road that runs along the creek. It's gated as the Cherokee have fishing rights there, but if you take the Hyatt Ridge Trail after leaving Enloe Creek you'll only have a couple of miles to walk to the gate. Twenty Mile to Enloe Creek and beyond is a very ambitious plan for this time of the year. The trail along Enloe Creek is cut out of the side of the gorge and can be very icy from the spray in the creek. Additionally if the trail isn't covered by snow it will be covered by leaves which hide a lot of the roots and rocks along the trail.
In any case enjoy your hike and send us a report.
P.S.
The BMT crosses 441 at Smokemont which is of course right beside 441.
I am assuming that you're talking about hiking the BMT. Take a look at Round Bottom Horse Camp. The road in there is a decent single lane dirt road that runs along the creek. It's gated as the Cherokee have fishing rights there, but if you take the Hyatt Ridge Trail after leaving Enloe Creek you'll only have a couple of miles to walk to the gate. Twenty Mile to Enloe Creek and beyond is a very ambitious plan for this time of the year. The trail along Enloe Creek is cut out of the side of the gorge and can be very icy from the spray in the creek. Additionally if the trail isn't covered by snow it will be covered by leaves which hide a lot of the roots and rocks along the trail.
In any case enjoy your hike and send us a report.
P.S.
The BMT crosses 441 at Smokemont which is of course right beside 441.
It's definitely a weather permitting kind of hike. My original plan was to thru hike the BMT in April but I'm having trouble getting that much time off and decided to do a chunk of it in February. If it's dicey we'll just hike around here somewhere...
So it sounds like 441 @ Smokemont would be the easiest and last best place before Davenport Gap for my wife to find. I don't want to get her off the beaten path.
generoll
01-11-2011, 14:34
Agreed. A shorter option if you find yourself held up is by the tunnel on the road to nowhere out of Bryson City. She can park right by the bridge where the trail ducks under the road and heads up Noland Creek. Fontana to Noland Creek was a 2.5 day hike for me in good weather. I'm not a fast or particularly strong hiker, but don't be fooled by the name Lakeshore Trail. It aint. Lay your hand out on the table and splay your fingers. Now imagine hiking cross ways across your fingers. Up and down. No big climbs. but it's not ridge running either.
SGT Rock
01-11-2011, 15:13
She could park right at the trailhead on US441, it is beside Smokemont Campground. There is the Luffty Church right there, you cannot miss it. The Oconoluffty visitor center is a little bit a way, but there would be something to do while she waits. That is where my wife picked me up on my hike for a quick trip into Cherokee
I'm not a fast or particularly strong hiker, but don't be fooled by the name Lakeshore Trail. It aint. Lay your hand out on the table and splay your fingers. Now imagine hiking cross ways across your fingers. Up and down. No big climbs. but it's not ridge running either.
Hmm... looks like after the climb up Sasafras Gap there's about 25 miles or so of relatively easy hiking - is that a mirage? :)
I was hoping for an easy day in the beginning since I'll be carrying so much food.
She could park right at the trailhead on US441, it is beside Smokemont Campground. There is the Luffty Church right there, you cannot miss it. The Oconoluffty visitor center is a little bit a way, but there would be something to do while she waits. That is where my wife picked me up on my hike for a quick trip into Cherokee
That's it then...
So my son can do the first 60 with me and I can do the last 30 by myself.
Ox97GaMe
01-11-2011, 19:44
Round Bottom is closed in the winter time. your only option will be Smokemont campground, or hike over to the visitor center and catch a ride there. It is a pretty agressive plan to hike 60 miles in the park in 4 days this time of year. Expect snow most of the way, but you may not have too much at the lower elevations. There will be places where you could be post holing through 3+ft of snow at the higher elevations. Those trails dont get much traffic in the winter.
Be safe.
SGT Rock
01-11-2011, 20:00
Hopefully the weather will be OK. I hiked through in early February and didn't have issues with snow. Lots of rain and some cold fords, but no snow. It took me 4 nights and 5 days of hiking.
Hopefully the weather will be OK. I hiked through in early February and didn't have issues with snow. Lots of rain and some cold fords, but no snow. It took me 4 nights and 5 days of hiking.
What can I expect in the way of stream crossing - anything over knee deep and 25 feet wide (typically)?
Also, am I correct that after that first big climb out of Twenty Mile ranger station there's about 20-25 miles of relatively (I use the term loosely..) easy hiking?
generoll
01-11-2011, 21:57
nothing impossible, and so of the best scenery in the area. I just recall being a bit surprised that the lakeshore trail wasn't a cakewalk (for me)
Hikerhead
01-11-2011, 22:02
nothing impossible, and so of the best scenery in the area. I just recall being a bit surprised that the lakeshore trail wasn't a cakewalk (for me)
Me too. I was thinking..Lakeshore...must be flat...WRONG!!
SGT Rock
01-11-2011, 22:11
Nothing very bad - it was just cold and rainy so I got waist deep crossings in icy water.
The Lakeshore trail ain't easy, but it also isn't that climb out of the NOC either.
Nothing very bad - it was just cold and rainy so I got waist deep crossings in icy water.
The Lakeshore trail ain't easy, but it also isn't that climb out of the NOC either.
Wow... the Lakeshore trail section of the BMT elevation profile on Mr. Parkay's map makes it look pretty easy by GSMNP standards....
How many of those waist deep crossings did you have?
Hikerhead
01-11-2011, 22:40
Nothing very bad - it was just cold and rainy so I got waist deep crossings in icy water.
The Lakeshore trail ain't easy, but it also isn't that climb out of the NOC either.
Lakeshore was a lot flatter than things that were coming up, fer sure.
SGT Rock
01-11-2011, 22:49
Wow... the Lakeshore trail section of the BMT elevation profile on Mr. Parkay's map makes it look pretty easy by GSMNP standards....
It ain't bad, but it seems like it should be easier than it is.
How many of those waist deep crossings did you have?
One waist deep, but with the rain coming in I got my feet wet a lot going from Shuckstack to Camp 90, and then again when going from Noland Creek Trailhead to Bryson Place. I think the deep crossing was Noland Creek if I remember correctly.
I also heard that they replaced the Deep Creek bridge that washed out last winter, but if they didn't it will be a deep ford.