The Smoky Mountain Hiking Blog

The fall hiking season is rapidly approaching and soon leaf peepers will be out in full force in the Smoky Mountains.

Although the Smokies has experienced an extreme drought this summer, Katherine Mathews, Western Carolina University’s foliage forecaster, is predicting above-average leaf color this fall. Typically, drier weather during the spring and early summer results in a colorful fall leaf season, said Mathews.

The timing of fall color season depends upon many variables, making it virtually impossible to predict the exact dates of “peak” colors in advance.

One of the most important variables is elevation. At the higher elevations in the Smoky Mountains, fall color displays begin as early as mid-September with yellow birch, American beech, mountain maple, hobblebush, and pin cherry beginning to show autumn colors. If you’re looking for good fall color hikes during this time period, you’ll want to be at the highest elevations in the park; however, you’ll also want to avoid hiking in areas that are predominantly spruce-fir forests.

Suggested mid-late September hikes: Andrews Bald, Mt. LeConte, the Jump-off or Rocky Top.

In the lower elevations you may notice a few dogwoods and maples that are just beginning to turn. You may also see a few scattered sourwood and sumac turning to bright reds as well.

Suggested early-mid October hikes: You’ll still want to hike in the higher elevations. In addition to the suggestions above, check out Gregory Bald, Mt. Cammerer, Spence Field or the Sugerland Mountain Trail starting from Clingmans Dome Road.

Autumn colors usually reach their peak at mid and lower elevations between mid-October and early November. This is usually the best time to be in the park as you will see the spectacular displays of color from sugar maples, scarlet oak, sweetgum, red maple, and hickories. Your hiking choices will have greatly expanded during this time period as well. You can continue to hike at elevation to take in the fall colors from above, or you can walk among the autumn colored trees.

Suggested mid-late October hikes: If you wish to hike at elevation for spectacular fall views try exploring the Rich Mountain Loop, Alum Cave, Hemphill Bald, Shuckstack, Bullhead, Charlies Bunion or Mt. Sterling trails. If you wish to hike among the trees, check out Baskins Creek Falls, Little River, Old Settlers or the Porters Creek Trail.

As the fall color season begins to wind down in early November, you’ll want to hike at the lowest elevations in the park. Check out Miegs Mountain Trail, Schoolhouse Gap, Abrams Falls, Oconaluftee River Trail, Indian Falls, or the Deep Creek Loop.

To get a general idea of when leaves are approaching peak colors you can follow the fall foliage map on the Weather Channel site. To get a birds-eye view on changes in fall colors, you can periodically check the four Smoky Mountain web cams by clicking here.

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The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintains a collection of over 400,000 photographs taken during geologic studies of the United States and its territories from 1868 to the present. The majority of these photographs have never been published. Fortunately, the USGS is in the process of publishing the collection to their website – so far, they’ve posted about 38,000 photographs to the site.

Many of the pictures were taken in our national parks. The site includes 154 photos from the Smoky Mountains, most of them taken in the early 1950s, but there are a few from the turn of the (20^th) century.

Below are a few sample photos from the collection. All four pictures were taken by W.B. Hamilton in the early 1950s. You can view the entire collection of Great Smoky Mountains National Park photos by clicking here.

Mount LeConte and Emerts Cove

The Little Pigeon River

Mount LeConte in Winter

Clingmans Dome from Mount LeConte

Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com 

Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.

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Well, according to an article in the Economist, the answer is yes. The article sites several statistics showing declining visitation for the Park system as a whole since peaking in 1987. Not only are people visiting less often, but they’re also visiting for a shorter amount of time and they’re camping less.

Furthermore, Americans are spending less time on outdoor related activities in general.

Although many explanations have been put forth, such as increased time watching TV, playing video games or surfing the internet, the article states that the biggest reason Americans aren’t visiting our National Parks is because they’re flocking to big cities for their vacations now. Instead of Yellowstone or Yosemite, families are now opting to visit New York or Las Vegas.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, visitation in the Smoky Mountains has held steady over the last 8 years. Yes, the Park had more than 10 million visitors in 1999 and 2000, but if you look at the long-term picture (see graph below - visitation statistics are from 1959 through 2007), visitation in the Smokies has slowly trended upwards.

Looking at the National Park System as a whole, should falling interest in our National Parks be cause for alarm for those of us that love them? The thinking goes that if we as a nation no longer support the Parks, we may no longer want to pay for them.

Maybe Ken Burns’ new documentary series will spark a renewed love affair with our Parks.

Are you at all concerned about these trends? Is there anything that we as a nation should do?

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

P.S.  for anyone interested, you can view a few pictures from my recent hiking trip to Colorado by clicking here.

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Summer hiking season is already upon us. Anyone who has ever been to the Smoky Mountains during the dog days of summer knows how hot and humid it can get in the Southern Appalachians. I’d like to offer some tips for beating the heat this summer.

Before we go into anything else, the most important thing about hiking during the summer is staying properly hydrated. Hiking in hot, humid weather depletes your body of liquids. To replace those fluids and electrolytes you need to drink frequently. If you wait until you feel thirsty you’ll more than likely already be dehydrated. The more dehydrated you become, the less efficient your body is at cooling itself down. Your body becomes less efficient at walking as well.  

Make sure you take plenty of water or some type of sports drink with you on any hike. Sports drinks are excellent sources of liquids because they replace both fluids and electrolytes. Good old Gatorade gets the job done for me.

If you’re thinking about drinking water from the backcountry, know that it must be treated for Giardia lamblia. Giardia is a parasite that can cause an intestinal infection with a variety of symptoms. To avoid this infection, boil water for at least one minute or use a filter capable of removing particles as small as 1 micron.

To help offset the effects of fatigue, bring a lunch and/or snack with you. Food is your body’s primary source for fuel and salts (electrolytes) while hiking. Try eating a salty snack every time you take a drink.

Finally, stay away from sodas and alcohol as they will only promote dehydration.

Besides staying properly hydrated, there are a few other things you can do to help avoid over-heating while out on the trail.

For one, go slowly and rest often. Also, try hiking in the early morning as this is coolest part of the day.

Summer provides a great opportunity to explore trails at the higher elevations of the Park where it’s naturally cooler. Keep in mind, however, that the summer season brings thunderstorms to the Smokies. Never ascend above tree line when there’s lightning. If you’re already above tree line when a thunderstorm approaches you’ll want to descend immediately.

Wear moisture-wicking clothing made of polypropylene or polyester to carry sweat and moisture away from your body. Moisture-wicking material keeps you dryer, cooler and more comfortable than a sweat-soaked cotton shirt. It’s also a good idea to wear light colored clothing because it tends to reflect heat away from your body.

Wearing a hat, a baseball hat, or, preferably, a wide-brimmed hat, will help protect your face and neck from the sun. Don’t forget sunscreen either. Sun-burned skin makes you feel hotter.

Finally, you should be aware of heat related health issues on the trail. As part of your first aid training you should know the signs for heat exhaustion, heatstroke and even hyponatremia; and know what to do if someone in your party has any of these signs.

For additional safety tips, please click here. Have everything you need for your hike? Check out our day hikers checklist to make sure you have all the essentials before heading out on the trail. 

Jeff                                                                                                              HikingintheSmokys.com

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Every hiker has a list of favorite trails. After many years of hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I decided to compile a list of what I consider to be the best hikes in the Smokies. If you’re new to the Smokies, use this article as a starting point in trying to decide where you should hike. If you’re a veteran Smoky Mountains hiker and have a different list, step up and voice your opinion. Tell us what’s on your list why you like those particular trails. The seven hikes that follow are in no particular order.

Mt. Cammerer 

Nuts & Bolts   Start from the Low Gap Trailhead in Cosby for this 2500 foot climb, 12 mile roundtrip hike to reach the summit of Mt. Cammerer.

Trail Highlights  Climb 2.5 miles up the Low Gap Trail before hooking-up with the Appalachian Trail. Cross over a grassy ridge on the AT before turning onto the rugged spur trail that leads to the summit. Mt. Cammerer is on the edge of a rocky outcropping overlooking the Pigeon River Gorge. On a clear day, the views are simply awesome; some even say the best in the Park. For an even better vantage point, step up to the deck of the stone fire tower. This “western” style tower, which was fully restored in 1995, provides you with 360 degree views. Look in any direction and see row upon row of smoky blue mountains. 

Trivia Tidbit  The octagonal fire tower was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the late 1930s using hand-cut stone from the surrounding area.

Andrews Bald 

Nuts & Bolts  From the Clingmans Dome parking lot, hike 1.7 miles along the Forney Ridge Trail to reach Andrews Bald. Total elevation gain on the roundtrip hike is 900 feet.

Trail Highlights  Only a 1.7 mile hike to see magnificent views? Sounds like a breeze. Well, not so fast. Don’t let the mileage fool you - this is a rugged hike! The trail is littered with rain run-off, rocks and small boulders. But don’t let any of this deter you. Thanks to several acres of open grassy meadow commonly referred to as balds in the Appalachians, spectacular views of the southern Smokies await you at the end of this hike. Andrews Bald is the perfect place to open up a blanket, relax, and enjoy a picnic.

Trivia Tidbit  Without maintenance from the Park Service, Andrews Bald would be reclaimed by forest.