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Hiking section from Neels Gap to Dicks Gap mid October over 4 days. having some problems figuring out how to split of the hike and where to stop each night. Any suggestions from some you guys that have made this trip would be greatly appreciated. If you have any other suggestions that would help me with this trip I would also appreciate anything you can give me. Thank you.
An option:
Checkpoints:
Dicks Creek Gap...69.6
Deep Gap Shelter...66.0
Tray Mtn Shelter...58.6
Unicoi Gap...52.9
Blue Mtn Shelter...50.5
Low Gap Shelter...43.2
Whitley Gap Shelter...38.4
Neel Gap...31.7
4 days / 3 nights, 37.9 miles, ~9.5 mpd
Possible camps:
Night 1, Low Gap Shelter area (11.5 mile day)
Night 2, Rocky Mtn (mile 54.3 Get water on way up) (11.1 mile day)
Night 3, Deep Gap Shelter area (11.7 mile day)
Day 4, out 3.6 miles
Have a great trip!
You'll need to add some miles from the parking lot below Neel's Gap up to the AT and then south on the AT back to Neels....unless you are getting dropped off at the store. You can't park there. Neels to Unicoi is a good section, relatively easy except for a few short climbs. Unicoi to Dicks Creek is a different story. Tough climb right out of the gap and then several more before you finally descend. I've done them both a couple times and the section north of Unicoi is one of the tougher, IMHO. Low Gap and Deep Gap are decent shelters. Blue Mountain and Tray...not so much.
Whitley Gap is way, way off the AT and a steep climb down and back up. Better is to go a little way down the shelter trail and set up on one of the open rock faces and watch the sunset. Wildcat Mountain is what I think it's called.
Lots of good camp sites on this section, well spaced out. I vote carry a tent and stop when you get tired.
I did this hike last fall and below is how we split it up to keep the mileage close on each day.
Day 1 - Neel's Gap to Low Gap shelter
Day 2 - Low Gap Shelter to Rocky Mountain (tent)
Day 3 - Rocky Mountain to Deep Gap shelter (tent due to all the mice in shelter)
Day 4 - Deep Gap shelter to Dick's Gap
As Mockernut stated the first part of this hike is relatively easy and the second half is much more strenuous. The hike out of Unicoi Gap is very tough and the hike up Tray Mtn is easily tough.
This was not one of my favorite hikes in Georgia. Not a lot a nice views and most of the hiking is in trees with not a lot to look at. We're doing Dicks Gap to Winding Stair Gap in October this year and I hope it is better.