Huskey Gap - Little River Trails

New Trail Miles Completed: 7.6

Total Trail Miles Hiked: 15.2

2 Sept. 2012

Phew...  I finally got a chance to get out and add some new trail miles to my quest!  This has been a great summer for outdoor activities!  I've gone hiking in the Smokies, camping & hiking in the Big South Fork, paddling in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Boy Scout Camp at Camp Buck Toms...  But it hasn't been a great summer for adding new trails to my Smokies list - there's just been too much else going on.

This trip was a spur of the moment decision - I was faced with an unexpectedly free afternoon so I grabbed my map and decided to tackle the Huskey Gap trail and the upper end of the Little River trail up to campsite #30.  

Huskey Gap trailhead on Newfound Gap Road

The Huskey Gap trailhead is on Newfound Gap road just about 1.5 miles south of Sugarlands Visitor Center.  The Little Brown Book says that this area was part of the Sugarlands community back in the days before the park, although I didn't see any signs of the previous occupants.  Huskey Gap trail gains about 1300 feet in elevation over the first 2 miles up to Huskey Gap where it junctions with the Sugarland Mountain trail.

This first part of the trail is quite nice - LOTS of big Tulip Poplars and more grape vines than I've seen anywhere in the park except for maybe the Grapeyard Ridge trail.  There were buckeyes littering the trail here and there and sun filtering through the trees despite a forecast of rain.

From Huskey Gap the trail descends about 600 feet over 2.1 miles to its junction with the Little River trail.  The lower part of this section of the trail is a little more on the southwest facing slope and so is drier with more pines and mountain laurels.  As you approach the end of the Huskey Gap trail you start to hear and then finally see the Little River below you.  As you reach this section you pass backcountry campsite #21 (the new one - the old campsite #21 is on the Sugarland Mountain trail and is still marked as a campsite despite the fact that it's been out of commission for a while now).  Campsite #21 is currently closed due to "aggressive bear activity."  The rangers have even set up a tent in the site with a wildlife camera attached to a tree to photograph any marauding bears :-)  It looks like a very nice campsite - close to the Little River and very large.  It'll be a good spot to go back to once the bears have gone to sleep.

Campsite #21

Not far down from campsite #21 is the junction with the Little River trail.  I remember visiting here a couple of springs ago when there was still snow on the ground.  I always love coming back to places I have been before.

Little River - Huskey Gap trail junction

The Little River trail parallels the Little River for its entire length.  Down near Elkmont the Little River is quite wide and carries a lot of water.  But the further up the mountain you go the narrower and shallower it gets.  And especially at this time of year the water was fairly low.  The trail itself is an old railroad bed so it's straight and wide and flat and even covered with gravel for most of its length.  It crosses over some of the old railroad bridges that have been converted to trail bridges.

The Little River is more of a creek up the mountain near its source

old railroad bridge

The Little River trail meets the Goshen Prong trail which leads further up (7.7 miles) to the crest of the Smokies and the Appalachian Trail.  The Goshen Prong trail is currently closed though due to downed trees from a big storm that ripped through the park earlier this summer.

Shortly after this junction you reach backcountry campsite #24 - also closed due to aggressive bear activity.  This looks like a nice spacious site - there are at least 3 tent areas / fire rings and it sits pleasantly by the banks of the Little River.  Apparently it's quite popular with both backpackers and bears.

Campsite #24 - Danger!  Aggressive Bear Activity!

The next landmark from here is the junction with the Rough Creek trail.  I briefly considered taking the Rough Creek trail over to the Sugarland Mountain trail and then back down to the Huskey Gap trail on my return trip, but that would have added an extra 3.2 miles to an already long day so I decided to just retrace my steps.  I'll have to come back someday to do the Rough Creek trail.

The upper parts of the Little River trail seemed very deep and dark and undisturbed to me.  Strange considering the fact that the trail is an old logging rail line and campsite #24 is very popular, but it just had the feel of true wilderness.  The trail parallels the river on one side and is often bounded by tall cliffs on the other.  The fall wildflowers were out in profusion as well.

As the Little River trail winds its way to its end at backcountry campsite #30 it gets narrower and narrower, and the bridged creek crossings give way to rock hops.  In particular, there are about 3 creek crossings that require significant rock hopping just before you get to the end of the trail at campsite #30 that were no problem with the low water, but could be quite difficult (if not impossible) when the water is high.

creek crossing near campsite #30

Campsite #30 is pretty nice.  The only folks I saw all day long were here at the campsite.  There was one group who had just arrived and another who had been there for a couple of days and were headed out.  It's a nice site - a few different tent site are available all on a nice high bank that overlooks the confluence of several small creeks that make up the headwaters of the Little River.  I stopped here for a bite of dinner and to rest for a few minutes before heading back to my car.

Overall I'd give this hike a high rating.  Huskey Gap trail has a nice variety of habitat types and some good ups and downs, as well as some really big trees.  The Little River trail is quite nice - I love trails that parallel water and the Little River trail doesn't disappoint.  There are lots of landmarks along this route too that help you keep track of where you are and provide interesting places to stop and take a break.  I'd love to come back to this area and camp in any or all of the campsites (21, 24 & 30).  And last, but not least, it was great to get out in the Smokies again and see some new places!  Hopefully it won't be quite this long again before my next hike.

Til next time, happy hiking!

Sugarland Mountain Trail

New Trail Miles Completed: 12.0
Total Trail Miles Hiked: 12.0
23 March 2012

OH. MY. GOSH.  It's been almost 3 months since I added any new trail miles to my quest.  It's been 2 months since I've been out hiking.  I have been doing lots of running and going to the gym, but it's just not the same...

So finally today I got to get out and do a new hike with my buddy Shane.  Out of bed at 5 am, on the road by 6 am (thanks for the shuttle Sarah K!), and at the trailhead by 8 am.  Sugarland Mountain trail runs for 12 miles from Clingman's Dome Road (~ 6000 feet elevation) down to Fighting Creek Gap on the Little River Road (~ 2300 feet elevation).

Shane & me at the start of our hike

This was a cool trail to do today because spring is definitely here and I wanted to get an idea of how far along the wildflowers are.

Here are some of the flowers we saw today:
Spring Beauty, Sweet White Trillium, Yellow Trillium, Trailing Arbutus, Smooth Rock Cress, Blood Root, Squaw Root, Rue Anemone, Meadow Rue, Speckled Wood Lily, Lousewort, Squirrel Corn, Cut-leaved Toothwort, Mayapple, Large-flowered Bellwort, Trout Lily, and Blue Cohosh.

Trailing Arbutus

Yellow Trillium

The weather today was off and on rain.  Up on Clingman's Dome Road it was foggy and misty in the morning which just added to the Spruce-Fir forest mystique that make the high-elevation Smokies so amazing.  We ran into several AT thru-hikes early on - you have to take the AT for a few tenths of a mile to get to the start of the Sugarland Mountain trail.

Appalachian Trail sign-post

They had all stayed at the Mt. Collins shelter last night and seemed in good spirits despite the early morning rain.

Mt. Collins Shelter

The upper parts of Sugarland Mountain trail meander through Spruce-Fir forest with occasional great views across the valley.

4.8 miles down-trail the Sugarland Mountain trail reaches its junction with the Rough Creek trail.  From a clearing near the trail junction you can look back and see the Chimney Tops.  [and by the way - the trail to Chimney Tops will be closed Mon-Thurs for the 2012 season starting at the end of April]

Sugarland Mtn - Rough Creek trail junction

Chimney Tops

From here the trail continues to descend, and we walked through a couple of amazing wildflower spots.  Spring is SOOOOOO early this year - it's amazing to be seeing Trilliums in March!  For the most part the Sugarland Mountain trail is a "typical" Smokies trail: fairly narrow, eroded a few inches below the surrounding round level, and full of rocks and roots.  It's a well-maintained trail in general, although we did have to cross a number of downed trees of various sizes.

Toward the end of the middle section (between Rough Creek trail & Huskey Gap trail) we stopped at Campsite #21 for lunch.

Campsite #21 marker

There's a lot to recommend about Campsite #21.  Right now the wildflower display is amazing!  It has 2 sets of cables for hanging food away from the bears.  There is a nice water supply now that apparently diminishes quite a bit during the drier months of the year.  The site is situated in a very cool boulder field and there is a LARGE boulder with an overhang that provided a nice respite from the rain today.

Overhanging boulder at Campsite #21

The one thing that Campsite #21 does NOT have?  Any decent tent sites...  The campsite sits on the side of a hill, and amidst a boulder field.  The few flat spots available are (a) very small, and (b) pretty wet during the spring.  It's a really cool site, and would be fun to stay at, but not if you had a lot of people or big tents.

After lazing away an hour or so having lunch and looking at wildflowers we saddled up and headed on down the trail.  Not too long after lunch Shane spotted something off in the woods that just didn't look natural, so (of course!) we had to investigate!  As you can see, it turned out to be...

a "FOR SALE" sign???  How in the world does a for sale sign end up deep in the woods of the Smokies...  Shane reckons that it was brought in by tornado back in April.  Works for me.  Regardless, it's now on it's way to the landfill.

Eventually we reached the Sugarland Mountain - Huskey Gap trail junction which put us just about 3 miles from the end of the trail.

Sugarland Mountain - Huskey Gap trail junction

Along this section there were several nice views back up the valley toward the tops of the mountains, and the wildflowers were just amazing.  By now the rain had pretty much gone away, and the temperatures had warmed up.  What a great way to celebrate the beginning of spring and to get a chance to get out on the trails with Shane.

It will hopefully NOT be another 3 months before I get out on the trails again.  I'm enjoying the beginning of spring already and I'm looking forward to a highly productive spring / summer hiking season!

Til next time - happy hiking!

Birthday Hike - Twin Creeks Trail

New Trail Miles Completed: 1.9
Total Trail Miles Hiked: 3.8
26 Dec. 2011

Today is my birthday!  So I gathered up my boys (18 and 11 years old respectively) and we headed down to Gatlinburg.  I wanted something nice and easy for today - just a chance to get out and spend some time on the trail with my sons.

Twin Creeks trail is just under 2 miles long and parallels Cherokee Orchard Road just inside the park from Gatlinburg.  We started our hike at the trailhead near the park boundary, just as Cherokee Orchard Road enters the park.  The trail travels along an area that was heavily settled before the park, and you can see numerous reminders of the previous inhabitants in the form of rock walls and fallen-down chimneys.

The trail also parallels LeConte Creek for much of the way and it was full of water and joyously noisy today.

Along the way we almost ran into (literally) a doe that seemed completely unperturbed by our arrival.  All three of us walked to within 5 feet of her and she just stood and watched us and then meandered away.

The Twin Creeks trail passes by the fairly new Twin Creeks Science & Education Center.  This is a great facility that helps park and associated scientists both do research within the park and share that research with area students.

Finally, the Twin Creeks trail runs into the Noah "Bud" Ogle Nature trail that leads back toward Cherokee Orchard Road and the Noah "Bud" Ogle Cabin.  This little plot contains both a cabin (which appears to actually be a hybrid of 2 cabins stuck together) and a barn.  Both are typical of the construction of the Smokies from the 1800s.

After exploring the cabin and barn we turned around and headed back down the trail to the car.  The elevation difference between the upper and lower ends is pretty small (~ 600 feet) and while I never really noticed the elevation gain as we went up, it seemed like we were flying down the trail on our way back.  Overall this is a pleasant trail - the proximity to the road is strange, but the cultural history that the trail encompasses is pretty rich, and walking along LeConte creek is very nice.  The weather was great - the sun peeked in and out during the day, and the temperatures in the mid-40s were perfect for hiking.  Best of all I got to hang out with my boys - something that happens more rarely now that Jesse is in college.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day!  Til next time, happy hiking.

Anthony Creek Loop

New Trail Miles Completed: 8.7
Total Trail Miles Hiked: 13.2
26 November 2011

I've had my eye on this loop for a while...  I had actually intended to do it as an overnight backpacking trip, but decided on the spur of the moment to make a day-hike out of it on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Anthony Creek Trailhead @ Cades Cove picnic area

The loop starts out on the Anthony Creek trail in the Cades Cove picnic area, hooks up with Russell Field trail and follows it up to the Appalachian Trail at Russell Field, traverses the AT over to Spence Field, down the Bote Mtn trail to hook up with Anthony Creek trail again and complete the loop.  At 13.2 miles it makes for a fairly long day-hike (at least for me) and the hike from Cades Cove up to Russell Field gains about 3000 feet in elevation.

I have to start out by saying one thing about this loop - there are a LOT of ROCKS on these trails!  Rocks the size of marbles, baseballs, footballs, soccer balls, Volkswagens...  I spent a lot of my time watching my footing to avoid turning an ankle.  This entire loop is also a horse trail, so there are a lot of places where the trail is pretty beat up and muddy.

The trail follows Anthony Creek for much of the first part, and there were several creek crossings (mostly with footbridges).  The water was running high so that loud chatter of rushing water was a constant companion.

Anthony Creek trail winds its way up along the creek slowly gaining elevation as it wends its way between Leadbetter Ridge and Allnight Ridge.  After 1.6 miles it reaches the junction with Russell Field trail at the base of Anthony Ridge.  Anthony Creek trail continues on to the left (east), while Russell Field trail turns right (south) and ascends the flanks of Leadbetter Ridge on its way up to the AT.

Anthony Creek - Russell Field trail junction

I took the Russell Field trail up, and I do mean UP.  As soon as you get onto this trail the elevation gain starts to kick in.  It gains about 1200' over the first 2 miles, has a nice 0.5 mile stretch of flat ridge-top walking, and then gains another 700' over the last mile up to the AT.

Typical section of the Russell Field trail.

About a mile up you come to Backcountry Campsite #10.  All I can say is "ugh."  This is a rationed site due mostly I suspect to its size.  It's a tiny site directly off the trail and there is really only 1 flat spot, and it was a muddy mess.  Maybe it's nicer in the summer (the little brown book says nice things about it), but I was glad I wasn't staying there.

As the trail heads up Leadbetter Ridge there is a nice flat section of ridge-top walking where you are staring straight ahead toward the ridge that you will ultimately be climbing up.

View of McCampbell Knob and the main ridge of the Smokies from Russell Field trail

After climbing around the western slopes of McCampbell Knob the trail dead-ends into the AT at Russell Field.  The area had been cleared of trees by Russell Gregory (for whom it, and also Gregory Bald are named) to graze cattle during the summers.  Most of the area has been overgrown with trees again, but there's one small area that is still clear that you can reach by taking a side trail once you near the top.  At the Russell Field - AT junction is the Russell Field shelter.  This is a very nice shelter, and has been upgraded in the last few years.  There are cooking & eating benches and tables around the front, a skylight over the sleeping area, and a tarp has been hung over the front to keep the wind out.  I stopped here for a few minutes to rest and have a snack.

 Russell Field shelter

Sleeping area & skylight inside Russell Field shelter

Russell Field - Appalachian Trail junction

From here I headed east (north) on the AT toward Spence Field.  This stretch of the AT is 2.9 miles and reminded me of many of my early days of hiking.

These white blazes marking the Appalachian Trail mean a lot to me.  My first real backpacking trip took place in October of 1985 when I was a freshman in college near Johnson City, TN.  For fall break some friends and I backpacked a short section of the AT near Roan Mountain.  And I was immediately captivated, both by hiking and backpacking, and by the AT itself.  I've been a member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy ever since, and still dream that one day I'll be able to do a thru-hike.  It felt great to be back up on top of the Smokies - there's nothing quite like the feeling of walking along the top of a ridge and looking down in to North Carolina on one side and Tennessee on the other.

The 2.9 miles from Russell Field to Spence Field went fairly quickly.  About this time the sun started to peek out occasionally from behind the clouds giving the whole landscape a nice glow.  Spence Field still has a lot more open area than Russell Field which makes it quite picturesque.

The Appalachian Trail running through Spence Field

Just 0.2 miles down Eagle Creek trail from Spence Field is the Spence Field shelter - a twin to the Russell Field shelter.  I dropped in here for a break and to eat some lunch and met some other hikers who were settling in for the evening (despite the fact that it was only 1:30 pm).  

Self-portrait at Spence Field shelter

Here in Spence Field is where the Bote Mountain trail meets up with the AT, and this was to be my path back down.

Appalachian Trail - Bote Mountain trail junction

Once on the Bote Mountain trail I again had to contend with the rocks...  But at least I was headed down instead of up this time.  The trail is pretty steep here - drops about 1200' in 1.7 miles to where it junctions with the Anthony Creek trail.  There were lots of Beech groves along this stretch.  I love Beech trees in the winter because they hold on to their golden brown leaves throughout the winter giving some really nice color to the landscape.

Beech grove along the Bote Mountain trail

The junction with the Anthony Creek trail put me back on my original trail, just 3.5 miles from Cades Cove, but still had to contend with the rocks.  This section continuously follows Anthony Creek and the trail is often on a ridge well above the creek providing some amazing views.  I stopped several places just to contemplate the beauty of a rushing mountain stream and the many little waterfalls.

Beautiful little waterfall on Anthony Creek

Along this section you come to Backcountry Campsite #9.  In contrast to site #10, this one was quite pleasant.  It's fairly large with a couple of nice fire pits, a wide space, and sits just above Anthony Creek.  Definitely someplace I'd love to come back to.

Backcountry campsite #9

Shortly thereafter I got back to the Anthony Creek - Russell Field trail junction and retraced my steps back to the Cades Cove picnic area.  It took me just about 6 hours exactly to make the loop, including a couple of breaks for food.  Pretty good time for me, especially considering the elevation gain over the first 5 miles.  It was a great day in a lot of ways.  The loop was challenging, but not overly difficult.  The weather was great - temperature around 45-50 degrees most of the day, with some nice sunshine.  I alternated between hiking in just a t-shirt to a t-shirt + polypro long underwear shirt to t-shirt + polypro + fleece jacket + stocking cap depending on the wind and the sun.  Met lots of other hikers too.  One guy who had been out for a solo backpack, a guy out on his horse, a family who was out for an extended backpacking trip, and a couple of guys who were staying at the Spence Field shelter.  Not to mention several sets of day-hikers.

This was another good hike for me in terms of making connections too.  I had done the first little bit of Anthony Creek trail a couple of times before.  Once with my family and my brother, his wife and a friend on New Years Day, 2000.  I seem to remember that it was about 60 degrees then!  And Duncan and I had hiked the 0.2 miles between Cades Cove and the Crib Gap trail a couple of years ago.  I had also been to the Bote Mountain - Anthony Creek junction earlier this year, and remember plotting to do the Anthony Creek loop at the time.  Best of all, I had previously done the whole AT from Newfound Gap to Fontana Dam many years ago - it was one of my first backpacking trips in the Smokies not too long after we moved here.  It was great to retrace those steps and stop in at the shelters where I had visited before.

This is a great time of year to be out on the trails, so don't let the cooler weather scare you off.  Be prepared with some good layers, but head on out there!  With the leaves off the trees the views are often spectacular.  Til next time, happy hiking!