Tag: outdoor activities

If you’re in the Cades Cove area and you’re looking for a good, all day hike; look no further than the Cooper Road Trail just off the Cades Cove Loop Road. It’s a 10.9 mile hike from the loop road, around 4.3 miles in, to the Abrams Creek campground.

A former Indian trail, Cooper Road, at one time, was the main access way into Cades Cove for early settlers venturing into the Smoky Mountain region for the first time.

It’s an easy hike going in as maples, oaks, and pine trees are prevalent before reaching a small sign for the Wet Bottom Trail – a connector trail if you’d like to go back to the Elijah Oliver Place.

Continuing straight, the trail soon rises over a few ridges and a creek, then descends into a ravine. More ridges appear and the trail continues higher and higher on a rockier path. Two miles into the hike, the trail begins to cut back and forth above a creek. This is a great area to gaze at some beautiful spring wildfowers.

You’ll come to the junction with the Hatcher Mountain Trail and Little Bottoms Trail at mile 5.7. The Cooper Road Trail continues straight at this intersection through more maples and oaks. Once you’ve hiked 7.4 miles, you’ll notice 3 large rocks that mark the intersection with the Cane Creek Trail.

Hikers moving along will climb left to the junction with Goldmine Road. Here, you’re at 1750 feet and it’s downhill for most of the way, with one exception up a creek.

During your gradual descent, you’ll notice a scraggly wooded area, drop into a ravine, and cross yet another creek. More water crossings are a sign of Kingfisher Creek’s tributaries before coming to backcountry campsite No. 1 on the left. Ten people can camp here and Kingfisher Creek runs behind the site.

The Little Bottoms Trail junction is reached at mile 9.6 and leads left to Abrams Falls in a little over 4 miles. Abrams Creek Campground is seen at mile 10.5 and the ranger station is just a bit further.

Looking for a great hike where you can see the Smoky Mountain fall foliage in all its glory? Try the Ace Gap Trail which travels 5.6 miles from Rich Mountain Road to Beard Cane Trail.

The trailhead is close to Cades Cove which is a good thing for all those visitors who come to the park either looking for the entrance or Cades Cove – two of the more known locales of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You can access Rich Mountain Road from the Cades Cove Loop Road.

At the trailhead along Rich Mountain Road, hikers will notice a large sinkhole – evidence of the abundance of limestone in the area. Once you start, you’ll notice a side trail to the Bull Cave. Only hikers with special permits and equipment can enter the Bull Cave as it descends 420 feet. It was given the name Bull Cave as Rich Mountain Road was at one time a cattle passage and legend has it a bull fell into the cave, thus the Bull Cave.

Large growth oak trees align the start of the Ace Gap Trail, which is considered one of the park’s easier trail as it runs nearly level throughout the 5.6 miles. If you look closely at the white pines on the left of the trail you’ll notice the lightning scar on one that runs the length of its trunk.

Hikers will reach Kelly Gap at 2.3 miles. Further hiking brings you along a ridge line before you reach the Beard Cane Trail. In May, numerous Pink Lady’s Slippers give the higher a “How do you do?” upon reaching the Beard Cane Trailhead.

You’ll be able to distinctly tell when you’ve reached Ace Gap at 4.8 miles by the old railroad bed that crosses the trail. This was the property of the Little River Lumber Company during its heyday. It is said that Ace Gap gets its name from the timbermen who gathered to play cards at this spot during their break.

The Eagle Creek Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains is an 8.9 miler with various streams crossing the trail throughout. Starting on the North Carolina side of the Smokies, the trail begins at the junction of the Lakeshore Trail – 6.1 miles northeast of Fontana Dam. To reach that point, you’ll have to take a boat across Fontana Lake to backcountry campsite No. 90. In other words, you’ve got to really want to hike the Eagle Creek Trail because it takes some maneuvering to get there.

Eagle Creek has been used for years by various people to make a living, as well as for travel purposes. Today, the TVA harnesses its water for electricity. Hiking the Eagle Creek Trail starts out at the base of the creek. It’s a strenuous, challenging hike so be prepared and wear good shoes or boots.

At 0.5 miles past campsite No. 90, the trail crosses the stream by way of a foot log with a handrail. It’s a pretty aggressive stream at this point so proceed with caution when crossing the foot bridge.

The junction with Pinnacle Creek is reached at 0.7 miles on the trail. Eagle Creek is crossed again in about a quarter mile, sans a foot bridge. You’ll be tasked with crossing the creek at least 15 miles within the first 4.6 miles so be prepared and make sure to wear the appropriate gear. Sometimes the water levels may not allow you to go on. This trail depends a lot on the recent weather.

Backcountry campsite No. 89 is passed at mile 1.6 and can hold as many as 6 tents. You’ll rock hop Ekaneetlee Creek following the campsite and cross Eagle Creek again soon thereafter. And at the 2.6 mile mark, you’ll reach backcountry campsite No. 96, which is basically an island and can hold 4 tents. However, if you want to use the bathroom, you’ll have to ford the creek back to the other side as the island does not meet backcountry regulations when it comes to bathroom use.

More stream crossings are met 4 miles in. You’re beginning to get the picture when it comes to the large amounts of tributaries that crisscross the trail. Good shoes are imperative. Backcountry campsite No. 97 is passed before reaching Spence Field. The washtub at the campsite is to be left untouched, but feel free to imagine what early settlers may have used it, or in fact lived in the area.

Continuing along the shores of Eagle Creek, the trail begins to climb and get steeper. Gunna Creek – a major tributary of Eagle Creek is reached as you climb the mountain. It’s rough descent down the mountain in no way reminds the hiker of Eagle Creek.

You’ll cross Gunna Creek for the first time at mile 6.2 by way of a somewhat difficult rock hop. There is no fishing beyond this point either as the park looks to protect such species as the brook trout.

As you hike up and up, Spence Cabin Branch follows the trail. You won’t cross it until the path levels. On up the mountain you’ll come to Spence Field Shelter where hikers can find shelter and bathrooms. If you plan to stay here, be sure you make reservations beforehand. Spence Field is east only 0.1 miles. If you want a great view of Cades Cove, walk on over an admire the beauty of the Smokies. Enjoy it, you’ve hiked a very challenging trail and should be proud of your perseverance.

The Forney Ridge Trail joins the Forney Creek Trail on a 7.6 mile descent from Clingman’s Dome to the Jonas Creek Trail intersection. While few might choose this as an out-and-back, it’s part of a popular 20.5 mile backcountry loop that continues up to Silers Bald on the Appalachian Trail and back to Clingman’s Dome.

No matter your route, the Forney Creek Trail is compelling for its passage through several distinct ecotones, a stop at Forney Creek Cascade, light crowds, and several unaided, potentially challenging creek crossings:

Begin on the Forney Ridge Trail, which drops steeply past the Clingman’s Dome Bypass Trail through dense bands of Fraser fir and red spruce. Though swaths of forest exhibit extensive beetle damage, the trail corridor itself is healthy and verdant.

Forney Ridge drops in rugged stages to the Forney Creek Trail, which narrows on a variously steep and sloppy descent. Notable along the way are open grassy hillsides – a relative rarity in the Park – which are good places to find turkey and bear.

The trail reaches the top of Forney Creek and turns down beside it, transitioning from spruce and fir into an upper-hardwood forest. Birch and rhododendron appear as you head downstream to the 1st of two spurs for Backcountry Campsite #68.

This is potentially confusing, as the falls and 2nd site are still .4 miles away, and the two are not depicted separately on most maps.

Continue through a steep hairpin turn down to the second site #68 at the base of Forney Creek Cascade. This long, two-tier fall slides down wide rock slabs into a narrow pool along the creek.

Grades moderate past the falls across a tributary, the first of many wet encounters. Hardwoods emerge in greater numbers on a steady, if uneventful descent along dry southwest-facing slopes.

The creek is audible but mostly concealed until reaching the first major crossing at 4.95 miles. This scenic area is highlighted by a tumbling tributary and several cascades upstream.

The trail continues above and away from the creek into the heart of a northern hardwood forest. Rhododendron envelops portions of the trail while vines drape from towering maple, beech, and poplar. The understory is notably lush and diverse at these lower, wetter elevations.

You’ll reach a second major crossing at 6.0 miles to Backcountry Campsite #69, which is unceremoniously located right along the trail.

Travel levels considerably to consecutive crossings at 6.25 miles, 6.6 miles, and 7.0 miles. Concentration and fatigue management are key on these more voluminous fords.

The Forney Creek Trail meets the Jonas Creek Trail at a log bridge near the creeks’ confluence. Whether continuing on a loop or returning the way you came, a minimum 3,800′ net climb awaits back to Clingman’s Dome.

Looking for a Smoky Mountain trail the really gets your heart and leg muscles going? Look no further than the Baxter Creek Trail – a 6.1 mile rocky trail that goes no where but up. Get your good fitting boots ready and stretch those quads because this trail will make a man, or woman, out of you.

The trail starts out at the Big Creek Picnic area at the Big Creek Campground in Newport, TN and travels upward to the junction of the Mount Sterling Trail and Campsite #38. A handful of logging companies used the land over the course of a century to 1930s with various degrees of success. Still, the mountain’s steep grade seemed to have its way with most as each eventually abandoned its efforts.

The trail starts off at the Big Creek Picnic Area before crossing a metal bridge over Big Creek. From there, the trail begins to rise and you’ll notice a large island in Big Creek to the right. You’ll encounter number tree and wildflower species along the trail from toothwort to the American beech before moving through forests of hickory, maple, and dogwood. A side trail leads to a large stone chimney at 0.3 miles.

You’ll hear Baxter Creek before coming to a large Eastern hemlock with a number of branches on its lower trunk. The trail is becoming narrower, rockier, steeper, and at times more hazardous at this point as you approach Baxter Creek again. This is where the climbing really begins and doesn’t end till you reach the fire tower. Eventually you’ll reach a small ridge overlooking Big Creek Valley where you can see Mount Cammerer.