Info on Benton MacKaye Trail

[SavageLlama]

Newly finished trail took 25 years, spans 290 miles

By Jack Horan
Charlotte Observer (NC)
May 1, 2005

Hikers can make a continuous, 290-mile trip from Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Springer Mountain, Ga., on the newly finished Benton MacKaye Trail.

Construction of the last 22 miles of the trail in Tennessee ended in February, and signs marking the Benton MacKaye Trail will be posted on existing trails in the park during May. Work began 25 years ago, an all-volunteer effort.

Diana Ristom, publicity director of the Benton MacKaye Trail Association, said the 96 miles of trails in the Smokies, running along the park's southern tier, should be marked by June 1.

Within the park, the trail intersects the Georgia-to-Maine Appalachian Trail at two places -- Davenport Gap in the northeast corner and Twentymile Ranger Station in the southwest corner. The two trails form a figure 8 in the park.

The Benton MacKaye Trail intersects North Carolina's Mountains-to-Sea Trail and connects the Georgia Pinhoti Trail to the Appalachian Trail.

While the Appalachian Trail takes a north-south route from the Smokies to north Georgia, the Benton MacKaye Trail makes a westerly swing after it leaves the park. It passes into Tennessee through the Joyce Kilmer/Slickrock Wilderness, the Citico Creek Wilderness and the Big Frog Wilderness before entering Georgia at the Cohutta Wilderness.

The southern terminus for both the Benton MacKaye and Appalachian trails is Springer Mountain. A more remote trail than the AT, the Benton MacKaye Trail has only two shelters on its route. The trail is not signed or blazed in federal wilderness areas.

The trail is named for the late Benton MacKaye (pronounced Mac-KYE), a forester who in 1921 proposed and helped build the Appalachian Trail.

Ristom said the association plans a grand-opening July 16-17 at Mud Gap on the Cherohala Skyway between Tellico Plains, Tenn., and Robbinsville, N.C. For more information, see www.bmta.org.
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[SGT Rock]

Except the AT doesn't go to the 20 mile ranger station.

[Youngblood]

Except the AT doesn't go to the 20 mile ranger station.

20 Mile Ranger Station is where the BMT enters the Smokies from the south, I think it intersects the AT at Sassafras Gap, just north of Shuckstack Tower.

Youngblood

[Ridge]

http://www.bmta.org/sections/Smokies...scriptions.pdf

Me and a friend are considering a hike in or near the GSMNP and I have looking into some of the BMT. Here's a link that includes mileage tables and descriptions in the the park. hikerwife

[Ramble~On]

This trail rocks !
Linking Cohutta to Citico and Slickrock and hooking into the park means with the MST you can now hike from Cohutta Wilderness all the way into the Shining Rock Wilderness. The trail itself rocks but the linking of 6 Wilderness areas opens a lifetime of trail loop hikes.
Cohutta, Big Frog, Citico Creek, Slickrock Creek, The Park, MST, Shining Rock and Middle Prong .

I smell a book in the making.
This is loop hike heaven.

The Twenty Mile thing: There are still a ton of maps and guide books out there claiming that the AT passes near Topoco, Calderwood, Cheoah and into the park at Twenty Mile. Some of my outdated topo mapping software shows the same thing.
Is anyone aware of how and where the BMT leaves Slickrock and enters the Park ? With the two lakes there I can only see a long stretch of road walk.

[Youngblood]

This trail rocks !
...Is anyone aware of how and where the BMT leaves Slickrock and enters the Park ? With the two lakes there I can only see a long stretch of road walk.

http://www.bmta.org/construction/bmt_const.htm

[Youngblood]

Hey, the BMTA has posted a new map... it shows how the BMT and AT connect. http://www.bmta.org/BMTRouteMap.pdf And, for what its worth, I think our very own Hammock Hanger, Hikerhead and crew are on the BMT as we speak.

Youngblood

[max patch]

I assume the old 8 mile road walk is now in the woods.

Anybody ever do the road walk?

[SGT Rock]

Hey, the BMTA has posted a new map... it shows how the BMT and AT connect. http://www.bmta.org/BMTRouteMap.pdf And, for what its worth, I think our very own Hammock Hanger, Hikerman and crew are on the BMT as we speak.

Youngblood

Thanks Youngblood. I'm going to mark that on my Smokies' AT Map

[Youngblood]

I assume the old 8 mile road walk is now in the woods.

Anybody ever do the road walk?

Hey Max... how you doing? I'm thinking you are talking mostly about Section 7 that crosses US76 just south of Blue Ridge, GA. It's still pretty much road walks, but they re-routed some of it a few years ago and it's not too bad. Some of the road walks are in and out of a really neat mountain cabin community on the old Sisson Property, some of it is old farm road that is interesting and some of it is on gravel roads that aren't too bad. However, there are two seperate 3 mile road walks that I try to avoid if I can.... they are boring and sometimes a problem with dogs and/or cars. Those are the road walk between Shallowford Bridge and Becky Branch on Aska Road and Stanley Creek Road and the section on Boardtown Road and Bushy Head Road. The BMT is a good trail. I hope to hike some of the newly opened section leading to the Smokies sometime this year... you interested?

Youngblood

[max patch]

Thats right, Section 7. My maps are probably from 1990 or so; when I get home I'll compare them to the link you left for the new maps. I recall that there was an "under construction" or "pending" reroute on my maps, curious if what was proposed back then is what they finally ended up with.

[Ramble~On]

Youngblood...Thank you.

Map 14 answered my question.

[Mike]

Am I right in guessing that the two shelters on the trail are davenport gap and laurel gap in the smokies?

[Ramble~On]

This section the BMT shares the first portion with the Cold Spring Gap trail, an old logging road and a nice level hike. About halfway between Strawberry Knob and the intersection with the Brush Mnt. trail is a pocket of virgin hemlock. Some trees are 12' and one is 14' around. Further up on the ridge between Cherry Log Gap and Glenn Gap is a prime example of the destruction that boar can do. In one area on either side of the trail the boar have roto-tilled an area larger than a football field to bare dirt.
A short side hike on this section leads to Bob Bald, from the top of the bald looking east there is a piped spring to the right of the stand of spruce.
The views and camping make the bald worth the trip up.
Where the BMT meets the junction with the Fodderstack trail at Cherry Log Gap head to the right on Fodderstack. Fodderstack eventually heads off to the right where it junctions with the Bob Stratton Bald Trail #54. Follow # 54 and it takes you up to the bald.

[Dances with Mice]

Deleted. Shouldn't start computer before the coffee maker.

[SGT Rock]

Deleted. Shouldn't start computer before the coffee maker.

Now that sounds like wisdom. There should be something else along those lines of "Turn computer off after 3rd adult beverage"

[Goon]

If you are on the section near Aska Road and the river, then are you also just a short walk from the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant, specializing in fresh caught Georgia trout. Hmmmmm.

[Hikerhead]

We finished up the original southern part of the BMT today. Started on Sunday. We did not see any other hikers besides ourselfs. We did come across 2 maintainers near Springer and another one 20/30 miles farther. The trail was in great shape. Fresh Blazes and hardly any blowdowns on the trail. There was one major major blowdown about 1/2 mile from the end. The last 8 or so miles coming into Ocoee was a little interesting. No blazes and about 10 sign post with no signs but we made it with the help on the maps from the BMT. We had water the whole way but I carried 3 quarts most of the time just in case.

If you want to get away from the crowds. This is it.

[MOWGLI]

We finished up the original southern part of the BMT today. Started on Sunday. We did not see any other hikers besides ourselfs.

If you want to get away from the crowds. This is it.

Sounds great Hikerhead. Did you encounter any wildlife? Where did you camp along the way? How was resupply on US76?

[Hikerhead]

Animals. Bluebearee came across 2 groups of boars going to Double Spring Gap towards Big Frog. I only saw 3 deer coming off of Toonowee Mtn down to rt 60 on the first crossing. I also saw a Peregine Falcom and a pair of big birds, eagles maybe. Couldn't identify. No bears but lots of scat. No snakes were seen either. No Coyotees were seen nor heard. We did hear owls about every night.

I was hoping to have the animal sighting that you did but it didn't happen.

Campsites: 1st night at Bryson Gap, 2nd at Payne Gap, 3rd night right before the road walk on Dial Rd. 4th at the Shelter (name?), 5th just past Fowler Mtn, 6th at Double Springs.

I carried all of my food. The dehydrator worked well. The others stached a food drop in the woods just before Rt 76. BB and I hitched a ride down to the Chevron station on 76. Just the regular service station snacks plus they did have hotdogs. We also went to the nice store and restraunt up the road from the 1st rt 60 crossing. Good food there plus some hiker supplies. I got Iodine tabs there. The lady there said they were going to start stocking some more hiker "stuff".