Recommendations for the best three night hike in NC or TN?

[valleyfire]

Recommendations for the best three night hike in NC or TN?

[moldy]

Grayson Highlands.

[Venchka]

Grayson Highlands.

Virginia.
NC-TN: Roan Highlands. The AT south of Hwy 19E.
Wayne

[Slo-go'en]

Davenport Gap (north end of the smokies) to Hot Springs. Easy three days with Snowbird and Max Patch for vistas. Roan Highlands isn't bad either.

[devoidapop]

Are you set on AT? There are great multi day hikes in Linville Gorge, Black Mountains, or the Art Loeb Trail.

[TwoRoads]

I'd second the section from Davenport Gap to Hot Springs (Hard to beat Max Patch views) and also Grayson Highlands (although that's in Virginia). I also like Mooney Gap to Nantahala Outdoor Center. Takes in Albert Mountain and several prominent balds.

[tdoczi]

not a huge fan of davenport gap to hot springs.... its ok. snowbird has a giant telecom tower and the related service roads and max patch anyone can drive to the top of. and on a nice day just about everyone does.

truthfully havent hiked anything from hot springs to damascus, so can't comment on it, but i'm surprised no one has suggested newfound gap to davenport gap.

and no, its not too hard for a 3 day hike. not remotely. dont believe the hype.

[bigcranky]

Hey, valleyfire, do you have a little more information? Is this a full four days/3 nights hiking? Or are you driving on days one and four, so it's more like three nights/2 days of hiking? That'll make a significant difference. Also if you have some idea of how many miles you'd want to cover or maybe if you'll be staying in some specific place visiting family or whatever.

I'm assuming you'll be coming from Florida, which means that Southwest Virginia should also be in range, and I'll +1 the notion of the Grayson Highlands area. Along the NC/TN border (from the Smokies north), there are great views in the Roan Mountain area and also around Erwin, both north and south. In the NC section south of the Smokies there are some great hikes in the Nantahalas and around Standing Indian.

I think you'll get more specific recommendations if we have the additional info about what you're looking for.

[MuddyWaters]

Depends.
Is 3 day 30 miles or 60 miles?

Grayson has 1 day of interesting hiking, just a few miles.

Roan has 2 days but, over about 20 miles

Smokies has limited views, over. 35 miles or so.

Id say Roan is overall best. Especially mid june.


Start at indian grave gap-go to 19E. Include beauty spot, roan area . 42 miles

[Gambit McCrae]

I think that the Roan & Grayson Highlands along with the Newfound Gap to Davenport are the 3 most suggested trips for the AT in the south. For a new hiker, planning a weekend trip I would highly suggest doing these 3 trips in the following order of Grayson, Roan, Smokies.
Grayson can easily be done as a loop letting you really modify while on trail.
Roan is a bit tougher, weather a good bit more volatile and would suggest a shuttle (Doing the trip NOBO from Carvers Gap to 19E)
Newfound Gap to Davenport NOBO, requiring more miles in a day, some good climbs and a more technical shuttle ie cost and shuttle time.

Also bear in mind that these 3 trips are pretty darn action packed with views and tree/ plant life/ wildlife and that if a hiker wants to start his AT journey with these 3 trips, do not expect near the same scenery for future trips.

[HooKooDooKu]

Hey, valleyfire, do you have a little more information?

Yea, with a bit more information, I can suggest hikes tailored to your needs in GSMNP.

[Venchka]

One more missing piece of the puzzle:
Need a shuttle?
Wayne