Gabes Mountain Trail

Trail Miles Completed: 2.2
Trail Miles Hiked: 4.4
7 Oct. 2010

Fall is definitely in the air around here.  Chilly nights and warm sunny days.  And it's fall break at UT so we decided to go for a one-night camping trip last night since we've got other obligations coming up this weekend.

We've been camping at the Cosby campground in the Smokies a couple of times before, and really enjoyed it.  Compared to our usual haunts (mostly Elkmont, occasionally Cades Cove) the Cosby campground is lightly used, and last night was no exception.  While there were other campers around we didn't see or hear much of them.

We got a nice fire going, fixed our hobo meals, and mostly sat around the fire relaxing and talking.  That was something Sarah & I both really needed after some long, stressful weeks.  The night was chilly, but we were snug in our tent and sleeping bags and after a breakfast of pancakes & sausages we packed up and got ready to hit the trail.

There are several trails in the Cosby area, and I've never been on any of them.  When I saw that the Gabes Mtn. trail led to Henwallow Falls in just 2.2 miles I thought that would be a perfect family hike.

The trail head is near the entrance to the Cosby campground.  The trail winds gently (for the most part) up about 800 ft in elevation gain to the side trail to Henwallow Falls.  It's a beautiful trail - lined with rhododendrons, magnolias, hemlocks, and maples, and has several creek crossings on log bridges.  The weather was perfect - cool, but sunny - great hiking weather!

About half-way to the falls you reach an area that "Hiking Trails of the Smokies" describes as a "traffic loop" - apparently an old road used to come in from Cosby and Henwallow Falls was a popular destination for an afternoon drive.  There's a sign here telling you how far you are from either end of the trail.

The book also mentions that there were some homesites in this area and that chimneys and foundations can still be found.  We looked, but didn't find any old home sites, but I did find something odd.  Not far off the trail was what looked like a grave marker - a small stone marker that just said "Jennifer" - no birth or death date, or anything else.  I'm very curious why this is here and who it's for.

From here the trail gets a bit steeper, but in just over a mile you find yourself at the spur trail that leads down to Henwallow Falls.

The trail down is steep and full of rocks and roots.  At the bottom of this spur trail you come to the falls.

It's a very pretty place, and was a great spot to stop for lunch and a rest.  Good rocks to climb on for a 9-year old, and some good rocks for sitting on for the rest of us.

The trip back was mostly down hill and went quickly.  It was really nice to get away from everything for a couple of days, and a fantastic hike with the family.  I look forward to seeing what the other end of the Gabes Mtn. trail looks like someday soon, and exploring more of the trails around Cosby eventually.

Til next time, happy hiking!

Meigs Creek Trail

Trail Miles Completed: 3.5
Trail Miles Hiked: 7.0
6 Sept. 2010

Happy Labor Day! What better way to start off a holiday than with an invigorating hike?  I hopped out of bed bright and early this morning and got to the Meigs Creek trailhead at the Sinks by about 7:15 am.  Despite the fact this it's a holiday there weren't many folks out and about that early, and I only saw two other pairs of hikers on my hike.

Meigs Creek trail winds up and over a western ridge of Curry He Mountain, and then up a fairly narrow draw following the banks of Meigs Creek which ultimately drains into the Little River.  The Little Brown Book says that this is a good trail to practice your rock-hopping skills, and suggests that the many creek crossings can be difficult or dangerous when the water is high.  It's been hot and dry for a while now, so the 18+ creek crossings were no problem for me today.  Here's an example of one of the lower crossings.

The trail leaves the newly renovated Sinks parking area (which is VERY nice compared to what it used to look like) and rises fairly steeply over the first mile as it skirts a ridge of Curry He Mountain.  It's an interesting contrast of north-facing vs. south-facing slopes.  The first mile as you're going up the ridge is a north-facing slope and is damp, cool and shady with plants like rhododendron, maples, hemlocks and lots of ferns.  As you cross over the ridge and begin to descend down to Meigs Creek you move onto a south-facing slope that is considerably drier and more exposed and has more pines, oaks and mountain laurels.

You can hear Meigs Creek before you actually get to it, and it's a typically gorgeous little mountain creek.  Lots of rocks and little pools, with the banks overhung with rhododendron & hemlock (although sadly many of the hemlocks are dead or dying from the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid infestation).  There are no bridges across the creek, and I counted 18 crossings ranging from around 8 feet across to less than 2 feet.  But the water was low today and there was no problem rock hopping.

The trail follows Meigs Creek from here up a fairly narrow draw, so there wasn't much sunlight and it was a gorgeous cool, dim, misty morning.  There's a beautiful little waterfall right off the trail - probably 15 feet high - cascading down a mossy face.

This is quite a ferny hike - lots of New York fern, and one of my favorite ferns - the northern Maidenhair fern.

Meigs Creek trail dead-ends at Buckhorn Gap where it meets the Meigs Mountain and Lumber Ridge trails.  I stopped for a quick break and a snack before turning around to head back to the car.  Sitting there enjoying my snacks I looked up to see the sun filtering through the trees.  It was just plain gorgeous!

The trip back down was uneventful.  It took me a total of 2 1/2 hours to make the 7 mile round trip hike - a pretty good rate.  I was home by 11 am and energized for the rest of the day.   I'd definitely recommend this hike - it's short, not too strenuous and Meigs Creek is beautiful!

So til next time, happy hiking!

Alum Cave Trail

Trail Miles Completed: 5.0
Trail Miles Hiked: 11.0
30 July 2010

Alum Cave Trail is just one of several routes to the top of Mt. LeConte.  I had previously hiked a chunk of this trail, but didn't make it all the way up to the top to finish it off.  My friend Tim had informed me earlier this summer that if we didn't get to go hiking together sometime soon then our friendship was over :-)  So I talked to Tim at a pool party Wednesday night, looked at my calendar on Thursday and said "What about tomorrow?"  Tim said "Sure!" so this morning off we went.  We wanted to get an early start, so I set the alarm for 5 am, and was actually up before the alarm went off.  Picked Tim up and we left his house around 6:30 am, and got to the trailhead around 7:30 am. (for those of you who know me well, you will realize that this is an amazing feat all by itself).

Alum Cave trail starts out near Newfound Gap Road about 1/2 way up from Sugarlands to Newfound Gap.  It's a VERY popular trail for several reasons, and the parking lots are nearly always full to overflowing by early morning.  It's the shortest trail to Mt. LeConte, Alum Cave Bluff is an amazing sight in its own right, and there are a lot of great views from this very rocky trail that hugs the side of the mountain.

The weather today was perfect: cool, yet sunny this morning; warming up as the morning wore on, but with great weather and views from the top of LeConte.  One of the first interesting places on the trail is Arch Rock which is exactly what it sounds like.  The trail goes up a stone stairway under the arch.

Today there was water EVERYWHERE!  The trail was wet, the rock faces along the trail were seeping and running with water, and the creeks along the trail were full and loud.  It was absolutely beautiful.  My previous trip on this trail was in the fall - October I think - and it was very dry, so it was a pleasant surprise to see so much water.

The next attraction is Alum Cave Bluff itself.  It's not really a cave - more like a very tall overhanging rock wall.  Below is a view of the bluff - that's Tim taking a picture for some friendly folks at the bluff.

There was a constant rain of water coming down from the edge of the bluff - it was so cool to stand at the bottom and look up at the cascade of droplets raining down.  The picture below doesn't do it justice unfortunately, but if you look closely you can see some of the water droplets.

From Alum Cave Bluff the trail up the rest of LeConte gets rockier and slicker since it was wet, and in many places there are cables attached to the rock face to give hikers a hand-hold so they don't go sliding several hundred feet down the side of the mountain.  There are some AMAZING views down into the valley from here.

Unfortunately, sometime shortly after this last picture my foot slid on a wet rock and I fell down - right on top of the camera that was in my pocket...  The camera is now kaput, but luckily I wasn't hurt.

We arrived safely on top of LeConte and stopped at the LeConte Lodge picnic tables for a snack and a drink, and to enjoy the sunshine.  After a rest we headed a little further up the trail to see the Mt. LeConte shelter and then took the side trail to Cliff Tops to see the view (which was awesome).  From there we headed back down the trail.  It was absolutely packed today with folks going down from the LeConte Lodge or heading up to the LeConte Lodge or just taking a beautiful day for a hike.  It was great to spend a day in the mountains with my buddy Tim, and I look forward to more hikes with him in the near future.

I think that Alum Cave Trail may rate as one of my all-time favorites in the Smokies thus far.  The trail is challenging but beautiful and the many views are well worth the effort.  This is the second time this summer I've been up LeConte, and I'm excited about taking a trip up sometime to stay the night.

Til next time, happy hiking!

So... really, how many miles of trails are there?

I'm so confused...  When I started this journey I had it in my head that there were approximately 900 miles of trails in the Great Smoky Mountains N.P. (hence the blog name).  I guess that number came primarily from the "900 miler club" - their web site says "Within the boundaries of the GSMNP are about 900 miles of maintained hiking trails..."  On the other hand the GSMNP official website says "Choose from over 800 miles of trails..."  


This past Father's Day I got Liz Etnier's excellent book "Day Hikers Guide to All the Trails in the Smoky Mountains" (which I highly recommend!).  In the appendix of her book she lists a total of 791.4 miles which she compiled from the 3rd edition of the Hiking Trails of the Smokies book and the 2003 version of the trail map.  Because this is just the way I am, I sat down with my 2001 2nd edition copy of Hiking Trails of the Smokies and added up all the miles of trails listed in that book.  I came up with a total of 794.4 miles.


SO - it looks like my 900-mile quest has turned into an 800-mile quest.  I have modified my "odometer" accordingly (it only affects the percentage of the trails I've done).  I don't plan to change my blog name though, since in order to finish all 800 miles of trails in the park I'll easily have to hike well over 900.


Regardless of whether it's 800 or 900 miles, the quest to finish all the trails in the Smokies has become a passion (my wife might say obsession).  I've already seen so many new parts of the park and enjoyed many trails I might never have taken that I'd say it's already been a success.  I've got a couple of hikes in the Abrams Falls / Cades Cove area percolating around in my head to finish off that section of the park sometime this summer.  Maybe I'll see you out on the trails.


Til next time, happy hiking!

Laurel Falls and Cove Mountain Trails

Trail Miles Completed: 12.5
Trail Miles Hiked: 12.6
21 July 2010

When I decided to hike all of the trails in the Smokies, I knew that meant I'd have to go back and hike the Laurel Falls trail again, which I did NOT relish. For those of you not familiar with it, the Laurel Falls trail is probably the most hiked trail in the whole park (at least the first 1.3 miles of it).  It's paved, always crowded, and (in my humble opinion) leads to a very mediocre water fall...

But in order to finish the trail and get to the Cove Mountain trail, I had to do it again.  Sarah agreed to help me shuttle my car to Sugarlands Visitor Center and then took me up to the Laurel Falls trailhead.  She and Duncan joined me for the first part of the trail (up to the falls) and it was a nice day for a hike.  There were zillions of people, but almost all of them stopped at the falls and then turned around to go back to the parking lot.

From the falls the trail winds its way up to the crest of Cove Mountain.  There's an elevation gain of about 1500 feet from the parking lot to the top of Cove Mountain over a 4-mile stretch of trail.  It's a fairly steady climb, but rarely steep except for the last 1/2 mile.

Along the way up Laurel Falls trail I passed the junction with the Little Greenbrier trail.  I can vividly remember the January day I hiked that trail, and imaging when I might be back.  That's one of the neat things about doing all the trails in the park - seeing how they all connect with each other.

According to the little brown book, the area above Laurel Falls was never logged or burned, and represents true old-growth Smokies forest.  I can believe it now, having seen the trees.  There are some of the biggest trees I've ever seen in the park in this area - particularly the Tulip Poplars.  The one pictured below was easily 6 or 8 feet in diameter at the base, and it was just one of many really big trees.

The trail winds up the ridge and ultimately terminates at the top of Cove Mountain where the Laurel Falls trail and Cove Mountain trail meet.

My way down was to the right (east), but first there was a short (0.1 mile) up to the old fire tower which has been converted to an air pollution research station.  You can climb about 1/3 of the way up the tower, but that doesn't get you above the trees so there aren't any good views.

From here I headed back down the Cove Mountain trail which ends at the Park Headquarters near the Sugarlands Visitor Center.  It's a different kind of trail from the usual Smokies trail.  It looks more like an old road, complete with tire ruts, than a trail.  It also looks like it's not used very often as it was quite grassy.

Cove Mountain trail winds along the northern boundary of the park, and slowly descends from the summit of Cove Mountain (4000 ft) to Sugarlands (1500 ft) over 8.5 miles.  There's not much along the way to break up the hike - no trail junctions or overlooks - just hiking along.  There were some cool plants though.

Stump sprouts of old chestnut trees

Turk's Cap Lily

Downy Rattlesnake Plantain Orchid

Yellow fringed orchid

Blackberries, blueberries, and huckleberries, all almost ripe

And while I didn't actually see any bears, there are clearly a LOT of bears in the area because the whole trail was covered with piles like this:

The trail is so close to the border of the park that in many places there are roads and houses that are very close to the trail.  This amazing house was literally 5 feet from the trail.  There was a sign on the tree that said "Forget the dog, beware of owner!"

As the trail approaches Sugarlands there's a waterfall called Cataract Falls.  I don't know if it's just because there hasn't been much rain lately, or what, but it was pretty pathetic looking. [*see note at bottom  of post]

The trail ends up at the Park Headquarters, just down the road from Sugarlands Visitor Center where my car was parked.  After 12.5 miles it was a nice sight to see, although I could hear the traffic from about a mile up on the trail.  (Note that the trail mileage on this sign differs from the sign on top of Cove Mountain by 0.2 miles - I'm not sure which one is more accurate, although this sign is clearly newer)

All in all it was a good day on the trail.  I'd love to go back to the Laurel Falls trail and spend some more time looking at the big trees, and the wildflowers on the Cove Mountain trail were great.  It was a nice solo hike - lots of solitude and time to think.

Til next time, happy hiking.

*note added 2 March 2011:  apparently Cataract Falls is NOT always pathetic looking...  just saw a recent picture of the falls overflowing with water and it was quite beautiful!  for example check out the picture here.  my photo was from the height of the dry season (mid-summer) while the falls seem to be best observed in spring when the water is really moving.

Duncan's first backpacking trip.

Ok, so this post has nothing to do with me completing all the trails in the Smokies, but it is a milestone nonetheless.  Duncan and I just got back from his first ever backpacking trip!  He's 9 years old and we have done a LOT of car camping and hiking in the Smokies as a family, but he's never gone backpacking before.

I recently purchased a used backpack at a garage sale that fits him well, and Sarah and Laurel are out of town this week, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to take to the trails.  To break him in gently we picked a hike from Abram's Creek campground to Campsite #1 along the Cooper Road trail.  The total distance is about 1.5 miles, and the trail is relatively flat, so it's perfect for a first backpack.

Campsite #1 is a nice big open site, with 3 different fire rings / tent areas, but we were the only ones there last night. Kingfisher Creek runs at the back of the site, and we set up our tent on the other side of the creek.

We explored, played in the creek, ate dinner, made Jiffy-Pop popcorn, and had a campfire.  We enjoyed just sitting around and chatting for most of the evening until heading to bed around 10 pm.

This morning we got up and cooked breakfast - pancakes with powdered sugar.

After breakfast we packed up camp and got ready to head back.

On the way back we stopped at a spot on Abram's Creek for some swimming and exploring.  The water was cold, but refreshing, and the creek is deep enough to enjoy swimming, but also shallow enough to climb on the rocks and relax.

While exploring we came to a rock and Duncan said "What's that?"  I turned around and saw what I thought was a dead snake - then I moved toward it and it moved too!  Turned out to be a young copperhead sunning himself on a rock.  Glad I didn't sit on him!

We decided to make lunch there by the creek, so Duncan played while I cooked.  Mac & cheese for him and tuna & crackers for me.  Nothing like cooking lunch sitting on the bank of a creek in the Smokies!

After lunch we lazed around for a little while before packing up and heading the last little bit down the trail.

It was a great trip with my little buddy, and I have a feeling it will just be the first of MANY backpacking trips we'll take together.  I think he had a good time and I know I did.

Til next time, happy hiking!

Rainbow Falls and Bullhead Trails

Trail Miles Completed: 12.9
Trail Miles Hiked: 14.2
Elevation Gained: 4,000 ft!!!
23 June, 2010

I've been wanting to do some longer hikes and to get up high in the Smokies, so yesterday I did both.  I've never been to the summit of Mt. LeConte before and the combination of the Rainbow Falls trail up to LeConte and the Bullhead trail back down made for a good loop hike.

I hit the trail at the Rainbow Falls trailhead around 10:15 am.  Despite the fact that it was a Wednesday morning the trailhead parking lot was already full, and there were lots of folks on the trail.  Many were just going up to Rainbow Falls and back down, but many were hiking all the way up to LeConte to stay at the Lodge.  Rainbow Falls trail has all the things I love about the Smokies - it follows LeConte creek so there's always the sound of running water in the background, it's got BIG rocks and waterfalls, a great diversity of plants, and a good trail.  The fact that it gains 4000 ft in elevation from the trailhead to the summit of Mt. LeConte just makes it a wee bit more challenging that your usual trail...

2.7 miles up the trail you come to Rainbow Falls.  It's a tall waterfall with a narrow falls over a wide rock lip.  I can imagine how amazing it might be right after a big rain!  Supposedly on sunny days you can see a rainbow from the mist of the falls, but i was pretty overcast when I was there, so no rainbow.  It's a beautiful spot nonetheless.

From here on up the trail continuously ascends along the flanks of Mt. LeConte.  The uphill is relentless, although rarely steep.  As you climb you enter into the higher-elevation vegetation and start to see the spruce trees (smells like Christmas!).

This side trail led to a nice overlook - at least it would have been a nice view if the entire mountain hadn't been wreathed in clouds.  Still - it's cool to stand on the edge of a cliff and look out into white nothingness and realize you're standing on the side of a mountain!

As you get closer to the top you reach the junction of the Rainbow Falls and Bullhead trails.  The Bullhead trail was my return route, so I turned left up toward LeConte (the sign here says is only 0.6 miles, but it sure felt like more than that!).

There are several different trails that one can take up to Mt. LeConte:  Rainbow Falls, Bullhead, Trillium Gap, Alum Cave, and the Boulevard.  They all approach from different sides, and of course they ultimately meet somewhere near the summit.  I had actually intended to take the Alum Cave trail yesterday with my friend Tim, but he had to bail at the last minute so I promised him we'd hike it together a different day.

Coming up the Rainbow Falls trail the first sign that you're reaching the top is LeConte Lodge.  It's a collection of small cabins with a dining hall and office, and one can make reservations to stay.  It's a privately run organization within the park.  I don't know that much about it, but I did find it sadly ironic that there are park service signs all over the place telling people to stay on the trails so they don't damage the fragile high elevation ecosystem, yet LeConte Lodge takes up several acres of the fragile ecosystem with buildings and trails of its own.

Continuing on up the trail toward the summit one comes to yet another trail junction: this marks the end of the Rainbow Falls trail where it meets the Trillium Gap and Boulevard trails.  To get to the summit of LeConte you have to head about 0.5 miles up the Boulevard trail.

Along the way you'll pass the Mt. LeConte shelter.  This is the only hiker shelter in the Smokies that is not on the Appalachian Trail* (see below).  It's a typical shelter with two levels of bunks (accommodates 10-12 people) with areas for cooking, eating and gear storage.  Fires are not allowed at this shelter any more because apparently people were chopping down the Fir trees for firewood...  I stopped here for a lunch of tuna & crackers, trail mix and beef jerky.

About half-way between the shelter and the summit there is an awesome view down into the valley looking back toward Sugarlands.  The exposed spruce trees and rhododendron along the ridge are all stunted and windblown (a condition known as krumholtz - thank you Dr. Wallace - I remember that term from your Ecology class that I took almost 25 years ago).

The actual summit of Mt. LeConte (aka "high top") is actually not all that impressive.  In an attempt to raise the height of the mountain people have stacked rocks on the summit over the years.  I added my own and thus raised the summit of the mountain by approximately 2 inches.

From here I turned around to begin the journey back down.  Along the way I took another side trail to the Cliff Tops.

There is a loop trail that leads out to the Cliff Tops, and it's supposed to be an amazing place to watch the sun set.  My views were limited unfortunately by the ever-present clouds.  It was neat though to look down from the sheer cliffs.

The trail on the upper reaches of LeConte is rough and rocky.  Those are the perfect sized rocks to turn your ankle on, so I spent a lot of time looking down at the trail instead of around me.  It's rough on the feet and ankles, but well worth it.

The return trip took me back down the same trail to the Rainbow Fall - Bullhead trail junction where this time I turned down the Bullhead trail.  The "Smokies Trail Bible" says that the Bullhead trail is the least used of the trails to LeConte.  Having hiked it I can see why, and you can see evidence of how rarely it's used.

This is what much of the trail looked like - yes, there IS a trail under all that vegetation!  In many places it is narrow and deeply rutted and the plants seem to be winning the battle.  I felt more like I was wading through plants than hiking!  I don't have a whole lot to recommend about the Bullhead trail.  It has the primeval feeling of the deepest, darkest Smokies which is neat, and I met absolutely NO ONE else on the trail.  There are some neat rock formations including huge rock walls and a couple of rock houses (shallow caves under overhanging rocks).  It doesn't have many good overlooks or other interesting features though so I was just kind of slogging along to get back to the car.

One neat thing on this trail is "The Pulpit" - a rock structure probably 4 feet high x 6 feet wide that was built by the CCC guys that also built the trail.  I'm not clear on WHY they felt the need to build it, but there it is.  Right about the time I passed the pulpit it started to rain.  At first it was just a light drizzle and I rarely even felt a drop being under the trees, but ultimately it started absolutely POURING, complete with thunder and lightning.  Luckily I did bring a rain jacket and had all my stuff in plastic bags.  They always say it can rain at any time in the Smokies (it is a temperate rain forest after all), and you should always be prepared for it.  Luckily I was this time, because I had to hike the last 3 miles in a downpour.

The Bullhead trail empties out at the Old Sugarlands trail about a half mile from the Rainbow Falls parking areas.  After over 14 miles of hiking including a 4000 ft elevation gain I was tuckered out (not to mention soaking wet from the waist down) and glad to get back to my car at about 5:30.  But it was a great hike and a beautiful day to be out, and I'm glad to have finally made it to the top of LeConte.

So, til next time, happy hiking!

* After posting this and looking at my maps I realized that the LeConte Shelter is NOT the only shelter in the Smokies that's not on the AT.  In addition there are the Mt. Collins and Kephart shelters that are close to the AT, and the Laurel Gap shelter (where I had previously stayed!) that's on the Benton MacKaye Trail.