Hiking AT in GSMNP

[Gordie]

Four of us are hoping to get permits for the AT shelters in the Smokey Mt NP in late June. We are thinking about starting at Davenport Gap and hiking south to Mt Le Conte, but we are wondering if starting at Mt Le Conte and hiking north would be a better option as far as difficulty... ect. Our plan now to fly down and stay in Gatlinburg leave our car there and get shuttled to Davenport. We are from New England and have never hiked in this region before so I would welcome any suggestions.

Thanks, Gordie

[ht61]

A north bound hike would provide for a more predominantly down hill hike. I would suggest looking into a stay at the Standing Bear Farm. It is three miles north of GSMNP off the AT and my understanding is they offer a shuttle service.


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[TNhiker]

agreed.......i would go north....

while you'll still have some ups and downs---the biggest uphill will be getting to leconte....

[Rain Man]

Go south. I'd rather hike up a long mountain, than down one. I hiked that section north.

Don't skip the side trail to Mount Cammermer lookout. 1.2 miles round-trip, but worth it in my opinion. Great views.

RainMan

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[TNhiker]

also agreed......

it should be a crime to skip mount cammermer if doing this section....

[ht61]

I agree with Rain Man in regards to the side trip to Mt Cammerer lookout. Uphill or downhill is a personal preference, but either direction is a nice hike.


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[sliderule]

Day 1 logistics would certainly be easier if you started on the LeConte end. You could park right at one of several trail heads (Alum Cave would be my recommendation) and get right on the trail. And the day 1 hike would be shorter as well. Plus, it's probably better to hobnob with the LeConte Lodge guests on Day 1 rather than Day 5. And, starting at Alum Cave reduces the net elevation gain by about 2000 ft.

[HooKooDooKu]

I personally do not like the idea of having to try to meet up with a shuttle at the end of a hike. So I always like to have my vehicle positioned ready for me at the end of my hike.

I've heard of some problems with cars left at Davenport. The area is relatively remote. By comparison, the trail heads around LeConte are high traffic areas. So leaving a vehicle at a LeConte trail head would seem the safer bet.

I would argue that if you get to "hobnob" with the LeConte Lodge guests, they will be more interested in hearing what you have to say about the hike you're nearly finished rather than the hike you are just starting. Beside, LeConte Lodge guests and LeConte Shelter hikers don't interact too much.

So my personal suggestion would be to park a vehicle at the Alum Cave Trail head and have a shuttle drive you from Alum Cave Trail to Davenport Gap. Your first day hike will be about 10 miles (if you include Mount Cammerer). But you should have plenty of time... Wake up at 6, get some breakfast at 7, get to Alum Cave Trail head by 8:30, and Davenport Gap by 10:00. With sunset not until 8:30, you have plenty of time to do the 1st day's hike, even if you have to delay the start by a few hours.

By ending at Alum Cave Trail head, your last day is a 5 mile hike back to your vehicle. That would make it possible for you to get out of the woods early enough to freshen up at the Sugarland's Visitor's Center and catch an evening flight back to New England... or if you are driving, you could still make it home by midnight if you get up and get packing from LeConte at the Crack of dawn. Alternately, if you are staying in a hotel that last night, the short hike at the end of the trip gives you the most about of time to clean up and relax before heading home the next day.

As for LeConte Lodge, it is a set of rustic cabins sitting near the top of Mt. LeConte. Hiking up the mountain is the only access to the Lodge. As such, rates are not cheap. The cost is about $130/person. LeConte Lodge guests are provided a cabin with a pair of bunk beds (with clean sheets and wool blankets), access to flush toilets, and provided an all-you-can eat dinner (with wine @ an additional cost) and breakfast the next morning. However, getting reservations at the Lodge is not easy. They take reservations at the start of October for nights the following year. Within a few days, the lodge is usually booked for the year. However, cancellations do occur. You would be unlikely to get a reservation on a weekend, but if you end on a weekday, your odds go up. For more information about the Lodge, see their website. It could be a great way to end (or start) a major hiking trip in the GSMNP.

[sliderule]

I would argue that if you get to "hobnob" with the LeConte Lodge guests, they will be more interested in hearing what you have to say about the hike you're nearly finished rather than the hike you are just starting. [/QUOTE]

Clearly you are burdened by the notion that stories must be somehow related to actual experience!!! Or perhaps you believe that life will only begin for our New England friends when they arrive in Tennessee.

Beside, LeConte Lodge guests and LeConte Shelter hikers don't interact too much.

I would argue that the opportunity exists for those who so chose. Unless, of course, things have changed since my last visit. Tell me, is sunset at Cliff Tops now segregated? Is sunrise at Myrtle Point now "off limits" to hiker trash?

[HooKooDooKu]

...perhaps you believe that life will only begin for our New England friends when they arrive in Tennessee.

Of course not... but based on experience, I would say that the 1st question that gets asked is "where are you from?". If geography doesn't lead itself to a line of conversation, the next question likely to be asked is "which trail did you come in on?". If anything interesting has happened (such as bear encounters), that question frequently leads to discussions of the current hike. For THAT particular conversation, you'll obviously have possibly more to talk about if you've been on the trail for several days. I know for me in particular, I've been to LeConte enough that I already know all the approach trails. I'm likely to find it more interesting to hear from someone what it was like hiking to LeConte from Davenport (a hike I have not done) than to hear about a trail I've already hiked.

I would argue that the opportunity exists for those who so chose. Unless, of course, things have changed since my last visit. Tell me, is sunset at Cliff Tops now segregated? Is sunrise at Myrtle Point now "off limits" to hiker trash?

You are absolutely correct... the opportunity exists. But based on my experience of being a LeConte Lodge guest about 15 times over the last 15 years, I just have not seen it happening that much. I'm not sure why, but I'm going to guess it might include reasons like the following:

Life at LeConte Lodge centers around dinner. That means LeConte Lodge guests are on more of a clock than hikers staying at the shelter... and that clock runs out at dinner time. Additionally, since ALL LeConte Lodge guests eat at the same time, dinner is absolutely a time period during which the two groups are segregated. And that period of segregation tends to be an extended one as many lodge guests tend to hand around for a while after dinner chit-chatting.

Cliff Tops tends to be somewhat segregated as well. While I'm not sure about all times of the year, when I'm at LeConte, it seems like you go strait from dinner to Cliff Tops for sunset. But those coming from the shelter take a different trail that those coming from the lodge. Then add the fact that people tend to head to Cliff Tops in groups. It doesn't mater if you are talking about the lodge or the shelter... you are more likely to head to Cliff Tops as a part of a group than go alone. As a natural process... those groups tend to stay together.

The next morning is pretty much the same thing all over again. For those that go to sunrise, you usually go in groups. For lodge guests that don't go to sunrise, their morning consists of waking up (because of the call to breakfast), eat breakfast, and then pack up to head down the mountain. So the morning after presents even less opportunity for those staying at the shelter and those staying at the lodge to interact.

So the only main time that those staying at the lodge and those staying at the shelter have to interact is during the afternoon before dinner. But that usually requires those staying at the shelter to come down to the common building and porch at the lodge, and requires that those staying at the lodge to hang out there as well. There usually are some. But many lodge guests go take a rest in their private cabin.

Now of course, there are exceptions. For one, there will be those that are rather extroverted and more likely to try to interact with what others are around them. I've even been to LeConte Lodge with someone who specifically hiked up to the shelter to check the place out and chit-chat with those staying at the shelter (like me, he's logged many more hours camping in GSMNP than staying at LeConte Lodge). But I just don't see much interaction.

Now I'm speaking from the point of view of someone staying at the lodge. I've never stayed at the shelter on LeConte. So if anyone is a frequent visitor to the LeConte shelter, I'd like to hear what the experience was like from their point of view.

[elmotoots]

I stayed at the shelter several times years ago and honestly I kind of felt like a monkey in a cage when the lodgers would come by and stare into the shelter. (not all, some were very friendly)

Back then I had heard talk they were going to close the shelter, did they or is it still there?

I have done that section 4 times now, went to Lodge shelter 2 of those times, and then walked back down to the AT.

We always started at Davenport Gap because.

After 30 plus miles I do not want to walk down hill that far.

But mostly because we did not want to end our hike, and then have to ride all the way around the MT's to get back to our car.

If we were coming home it would add to much extra driving to the day.

If we were staying in the MT's we ended right where we wanted to be.

You would also be right by the front country campgrounds if you did not want to pay for a hotel.

This is just my opinion, but the grand finale ending would be much nicer at New Found Gap, good view and flushing toilets, or even the Alum Cave Bluffs.

But hey you can't go wrong no matter which way you go, your in the MT's

[HooKooDooKu]

Back then I had heard talk they were going to close the shelter, did they or is it still there?

The shelter it still there... I think the privy has been been updated recently. I never hear talk of it being closed. But I did hear that people had started to try to cut down trees for building fires. The shelter now has the unique distinction of being the only shelter/campsite in the GSMNP where camp fires are now prohibited. The fireplace in the shelter was bricked up about 5 years ago.

[aaronthebugbuffet]

Difficulty isn't that much different in either direction in that section.
Choose the direction based on your ride logistics and where you want to shelter.

[kennyxedge]

No matter which way you end up hiking, GSMNP is beautiful. And like everyone mentioned, don't skip out on Mt. Cammerer.

[Gordie]

Thank you for all of the input. I'll be back with more questions.

[HooKooDooKu]

FWIW: If you have questions not specific to the shelters, there is a sub-forum devoted to the Great Smoky Mountains in general:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/foru...-National-Park

[daddytwosticks]

FWIW: If you have questions not specific to the shelters, there is a sub-forum devoted to the Great Smoky Mountains in general:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/foru...-National-Park

+1. A great resource. I used it before my first hike in the Smokies last year.

[Gordie]

We got our permits for the last week of June and we'll be hiking from Mt LeConte to Davenport Gap on the AT. The ranger we talked to suggest that we should carry bear spray. I was wondering if it was really needed for this hike. The only time I ever carried it was at Yellowstone NP because it was required.

[TNhiker]

thats interesting that a ranger would suggest that......

in a way----on that route---i could see it being needed.....

especially at shelters were theres problematic bears..........for example, cosby knob shelter has issues with bears for years---even to the point of having bears "steal" packs away from the shelter area...

overall, off the AT in the smokies backcountry----i dont see it being needed...

ive hiked/backpacked in the park for the last 15 years and have never had a reason to use bear spray..........or bear bells for that matter...

but, just thinking for that route, thats why the ranger suggested it....

[FarmerChef]

I was just in the Smokies a couple weeks ago doing section from Fontana to Green Corner Rd. We encountered 2 bears (a momma and cub only feet away before we realized they were there). They ambled off and took their time walking away. Other than that, we saw lots of other wildlife but no bears, not even at the shelters. So I'm scratching my head around the bear spray recommendation as well. Can't hurt but it is extra weight.