Great Smoky Mountains National Park Backpacking Trips
This is a very popular loop trail that circles
the headwaters of the Nantahala river. Standing Indian Basin is the
horseshoe-shaped drainage formed by the Nantahala and Blue Ridge Mountains.
Several prominent peaks over 5,000 feet in elevation—Albert Mountain, Big Butt,
Little Bald, and Standing Indian Mountain—cap the rim of the drainage. There are many trails through the area and
several options exist for loop trails.
What makes this area so attractive...
This two-night hike was made by scouts and scouters of Troop 224, Oak Ridge, Tenn. We started and finished at Standing Indian Campground in Nantahala National Forest. We made the loop in a counter-clockwise direction, starting with Kimsey Creek Trail, which took us to the Appalachian Trail at Deep Gap (3.7 miles). After a stop to check the views from Standing Indian Mountain, we continued to Beech Gap, where most of our group...
The
Bartram Trail is a 100 mile memorial trail in the state of North Carolina, in
honor of the Philadelphian naturalist, William Bartram, who traveled throughout
the southeast from 1773 to 1777. ( ncbartramtrail.org) This 13.2 mile hike is a
shuttle trip that combines the last section of the Bartram Trail (6.6 mi) to
ascend Cheoah Bald and descends along a section of the Appalachian Trail from
Cheoah to US 19 on the Nantahala River.
The shuttle trip is...
Great Smoky National Park - Mount Sterling Summit via Big Creek, Swallow Fork, and Benton MacKaye Trails
Mount Sterling, North Carolina, United States
18.0 miles
18.0 miles
Weekend trip with some buddies to the northern end of Great Smoky National Park. 4100 feet of elevation gain to bag this summit. An old steel lookout tower provides an outstanding view at the top, although it was much to cold to enjoy it too much when we went. Night-time temps on the mountain were at 4 degrees F. Burrrr.
Big East Fork to Graveyard Ridge & Shining Creek
Big East Fork, North Carolina, United States
17.7 miles
17.7 miles
Sections
4 & 5 follow the spine of the Trimont Ridge, beginning in Franklin, NC and
ending on the shores of Nantahala Lake.
Section 4 is an 11.5 mile section of mostly strenuous trail—there is
some moderate, but not nearly enough—that climbs from the trailhead near
Franklin up 3100’ to Wayah Bald. Now if
your thinking “3100’ isn’t so bad…” look at the elevation profile. Actually you climb 3100’ about 3 times over
the course of Sections 4 &...
Great Smoky Mountains NP - Smokemont to Peck's Corner Loop
Cherokee, North Carolina, United States
21.4 miles
21.4 miles
Begin on the Big East Fork Trail on the south side of the river, climb out of the valley on the Greasy Cove Trail, follow the Art Loeb Trail across the Shining Rock Ledge, and descend back to the trail head on the Shining Creek Trail.
3 Day trip into the Smoky Mountains from Elkmont to Cades Cove. This was a 32 mile hike. The day before this hike, the Park experienced over 90 MPH winds in some areas of the park. There were down trees everywhere.
