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View Full Version : Watson Gap to Ocoee River



Mr. Carter
04-08-2011, 08:53
Hey guys, I am new here. Long time reader, first time poster.

A group of us are intending to hike Watsons Gap to Ocoee River this year around mid-May.
http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=HGD139-002E

Our thought process is as follows: Arrive Friday mid-afternoon hike appox 5-6 miles. Hike all day Saturday, wake up Sunday and hike out (3-4 miles is what we anticipate covering max).

With this general logic in place, my question(s) to you is this.

1) We need to locate a suitable water source, and camp ground for Friday night. Our group could consist of up to 8 people, so it is strongly preferred to camp near a water source.

2) We need to locate a suitable water source, and camp ground for Saturday night. Again, same premise.

Could you with experience in this area assist me in plotting out some potential 'stop points' for the night? I appreciate your assistance in advance, cannot wait to become more involved in this community.

Also: Any general advice about this section would be great, and what temps should I be expecting this time of year?

-Dex

royalusa
04-08-2011, 09:46
A couple thoughts for you:

1. Do you have Sgt Rock's guidebook? If not, you should get it- it shows water and camping spots for the entire BMT. It's an EXCELLENT guidebook - just as good if not better than the AT guidebooks. See: http://bmtguide.com/

2. We hiked the BMT last year in the May/June time frame, so you can get an idea of temps and weather from our journal:
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=10946

The trail conditions we experienced may or may not be what you will have - it will all depend on when the trail maintenance is done. The conditions we journaled triggered some maintenance activities, so the folks after us had a much different experience than us.

3. Double Spring Gap at BMT mile 20.2 has 2 springs (gosh, wonder how they named the gap, huh) and a big enough area to hold several tents. That's more miles than you wanted for Day 1. I do not have any experience/knowledge with a potential earlier spot at the Jacks River Trail...perhaps others do.

Hope that helps.

Have fun!

Tennessee Viking
04-08-2011, 10:03
If you travel the old mountain/forest service road down a bit from Watson Gap. You will come to Dyer Gap and Dyer cemetery. You can pick up the BMT there. You can follow the BMT down to the S Fork Jack River, and there is quite a bit of camping opportunities there.

Only adds a handful of miles

Mr. Carter
04-08-2011, 11:20
Thanks for the information, and yes, I have been considering ordering his guidebook, looks incredibly helpful.