The Benton MacKaye Trail (BMT) travels 289 miles through three states. The trail begins in Georgia, just 2/10 of a mile north of the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail on Springer Mountain. As it moves north, in enters Tennessee and North Carolina. Roughly the last third of the trail winds through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The trail ends at its northern terminus at Baxter Creek Trailhead on the north side of the park.
The BMT roughly parallels the AT from Springer Mountain through the Smokies. The BMT serves as a lesser traveled alternative to the AT and was developed to take some of the traffic off the AT. The idea of using the BMT as an AT alternative never caught on. As a result, the BMT became a worthwhile, shorter thru hike in its own right. The BMT leaves the masses of the AT behind though, as it travels through more remote and wilder terrain. And if your not familiar with Benton MacKaye, he's the one that first proposed the concept of the AT.
I was looking for another backpacking trip in the Southeast this spring after my Ouachita Trail hike in March. While there are no shortage of trails and routes to choose from, many of my other choices were eliminated due to natural disasters. The Sheltowee Trace Trail in Kentucky recently saw significant flooding. A combo Bartram and Foothills Trail hike in South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina first saw trail closures due to Hurricane Helene. Then large wildfires closed sections on both the Bartram and Foothills Trails. The BMT ticked a lot of boxes for what I wanted in a hike, and was currently open and in decent shape, so that led me to my next backpacking trip.
After working out some logistics, my trip on the BMT was set to begin April 9th. On the 8th I drove to Standing Bear Hostel, just north of Great Smoky Mountain National Park, along the AT; not far from the northern terminus of the BMT. Parking at the hostel provided a secure place to leave my van for the duration of my hike. The following morning, I had a shuttle set up to get me to the southern end of the trail at Springer Mountain with the Grateful Hiker/ The Further Shuttle (I recommend them for a shuttle).
I arrived at the Springer Mountain Trailhead around noon on the 9th. The reach the start of the BMT, I had to hike about 3/4 of a mile on the AT toward Springer Mountain. Although the BMT actually starts about .2 miles before the summit of Springer, I wanted to hike beyond the BMT's southern terminus to the start of the AT. I hadn't been to the summit of Springer since I began my AT thru hike on March 21, 1999. The summit was shrouded in heavy mist at the start of my AT hike. For the sake of nostalgia I wanted to stand at the southern terminus of the AT once again. Although the signs were the same, this time I had a clear day and a view from Springer. Happy to stand on Springer once again, I didn't linger. The AT wasn't my goal, it was the BMT. So I backtracked the .2 miles to the start of the BMT and began my journey north around 1230PM.
Shortly after starting on the BMT proper, you reach a plaque about Benton MacKaye. During the first 7.5 miles the BMT crosses the AT a couple times. The two trails even run together for about a mile before splitting at mile 7.2. About two hundred miles later, the two trails will cross paths again.
The AT and BMT split at Long Creek Falls. Even though this picturesque waterfall sits only about 1/10 of a mile from the AT, I saw at least two AT thru hikers walk right by it. I made the side trip and saw several day hikers enjoying the falls. There weren't any backpackers at the falls. There is even a pretty nice campsite close to the falls. I'm guessing it's common for the AT hikers to miss the split. After the AT turns right at the junction and the BMT continues straight, a sign emphatically lets hikers know it isn't the AT.
I was lucky to start my hike on a picture perfect day with blue skies and comfortable temperatures in the 60s. I was surprised at how nice the tread of the trail was in the beginning. I passed a couple viewpoints but most of the time I had at least partial views through the trees. At elevation, only a few trees began to show signs of buds or leaves. I was happy that the trail crossed a lot of creeks.
I often push myself on my first day of a trip. Because I started in the afternoon, I wasn't sure how far I would get the first day. My initial thought was to hike about 15 miles to the Toccoa River. The trail crosses the river on an iconic suspension bridge that bounces as you walk across. Several good camping spots sit close to the river. And of course the camping has the water of the river.
I arrived at the Toccoa about 515PM. I still had at least two and a half hours of daylight left. Since it was my first day, I was feeling strong. I saw one pair already camped at the river. The bridge is a popular destination and not too far from the road, so I saw several groups nearby. I decided to keep hiking after refilling my water and taking a short break.
Continuing beyond the Toccoa, there wasn't great options for camping. Water was also scarce according to FarOut. There was an opportunity to camp near a road crossing with water. Unfortunately, the water was downstream from a chicken farm and not considered safe for consumption and the campsite was close to a paved road. Just before the road crossing, I reached a piped spring that was flowing strongly and not compromised by the chicken farm. I filled four liters expecting a dry camp.
Not wanting to camp near a paved road, I set my sites for a dry site on Wallalah Mountain. According to FarOut, there was room for one tent. The comments mentioned lots of poison ivy nearby, but the spot sound serviceable for one tent. One comment even said "perfect for one." The spot was terrible. Sitting on the crest of the mountain, it was battered by wind. An old fire ring sat near a flat spot but it was covered in lumpy vegetation, including a lot of poison ivy. The spot that had bare ground was flat but full of large roots. I read through the FarOut comments and saw better options at a saddle in another .6 or .7 miles ahead.
I reached the saddle and did find a much better spot to set up my tent. It was leafy, but not rocks or vegetation to contend with. I ended up hiking 21.3 miles, further than I expected with my late start. The camping options left me no choice. It was nearly 8PM by the time I set up my tent. There was still lingering light for at least a half hour. I had two high-calorie Boston Cream pies with me. Rather than cook, I ate the pies. The spot was still pretty windy, but I had at least some shelter in the saddle compared to the summit.
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| View during the climb of Wallalah Mountain |
Day 2Saddle north of Wallalah Mountain to Scroggin Knob Campsite
25.0 MilesBy morning, the overnight wind let up some. The day started off fairly nice. The trail made its way over several mountains in the 3,000' range. The wind picked up and clouds moved in as the morning progressed. I heard one clap of thunder by early afternoon as I reached the fire tower on Brawley Mountain, but the rain held off. The intermittent views continued with the lack of leaves on the trees
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| Lots of partial views without the leaves |
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| Southern blue flag iris |
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| Blue Ridge Lake in the distance |
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| BMT passing through the leafless forest |
After passing the fire tower, the trail descended for several miles as it dropped below 2,000' enroute to the Toccoa River. The trail takes to a road walk for several miles near the river to cross it on a bridge and navigate through private property. I got caught in a light shower for maybe a thirty minutes along part of the road walk. It wasn't hard enough to put on a rain jacket and at least there wasn't any thunder and lightning.
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| Brawley Mountain fire tower |
The trail crosses the Toccoa River at the Iron Bridge Cafe and General Store. By the time I reached the Iron Bridge the rain had pretty much let up. I was looking forward to the Iron Bridge for a meal. I enjoyed a bacon cheeseburger and chocolate/coffee milkshake. While waiting for my food, I assessed my food bag to see if I could skip a hitch into Blue Ridge the next day. While the resupply options weren't great at the store, they had enough to get me an extra day or two of food and avoid hitching into Blue Ridge. By the time I was ready to leave the Iron Bridge, the sky cleared up. I checked the weather, although humid, it looked like I could avoid any rain until I reached my next campsite.
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| Toccoa River from Shallowford Bridge |
Leaving the Iron Bridge, the BMT continues a couple miles on the road walk. The trail leaves the road at a trailhead for Fall Branch Falls. Fall Branch Falls is only a mile from the trailhead and a popular spot for day hikers. I saw several groups of people out for the quick hike to the falls. By the time I reached the falls, only one family was still there.
Fall Branch Falls is a scenic waterfall. Unfortunately, the one side of the creek is bordered by private property. A glamping outfit with a bunch of yurts sits right next to the creek and waterfall, distracting from the natural landscape. After hiking to the top of the falls the trail turns away from the yurts. It doesn't seem like the day hikers go beyond the viewing area at the base of the falls. The only sign of life beyond the bottom of the falls was a single turkey that ran down the trail for about 100 yards as I approached.
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| Fall Branch Falls |
I thought about camping near Fall Branch Falls. The camping options weren't great though. It was only a little after 5PM when I got there with plenty of daylight left in the day. It was an easy decision to keep going. There was a promising campsite about four miles ahead with a spring nearby.
Leaving the falls, the trail climbs back up over 3,000' as it makes its way over Rocky Mountain. After about two miles, the clouds thickened and the wind picked up. It began thundering and lightning. The storm wasn't too close, but moved closer as I dropped from Rocky Mountain. A few sprinkles fell, but the light rain was only intermittent. My pace picked up as the trail was generally downhill my last couple miles of the day.
The last half-mile or so, the rain became more steady, but was never more than a light drizzle. The thunder and lightning was definitely getting closer. My target was the Scroggin Knob Campsite. I stopped at a small creek less than a 1/4 mile before the campsite to top off my water bottles. The drizzle began to pick up a little bit. The wind was definitely becoming more gusty. I was surprised to see another backpacker stopping at the creek to top off, going the opposite direction with the intent to keep on hiking into the quickly approaching storm.
After I filled up my bottle, I picked up the pace. It was clear that I was going to be in the approaching storm sooner than later. I reached the campsite pretty quickly around 640PM just as the rain started to pick up. I set up tent pretty quickly and got my gear out of the elements. Within a few minutes, the full brunt of the storm arrived. While there was certainly a fair amount of thunder and lightning, I was far more concerned by the intense wind. My rain fly was taking a beating and blowing into the tent mesh. Since I set up my tent so fast, I wasn't sure how strong my stakes were in the ground. At the same time, the skies unleashed buckets of rain. Water was flowing all around my tent. Fortunately my site selection was good enough to avoid the runoff.
By 720PM the rain stopped. The wind didn't right away and sounded like a freight train blowing through the tree canopy for another half-hour. I added an extra stake on my tent on the windy side to play it safe. As it became darker, the storm moved on and the wind let up. The only aftermath was a wet rain fly and distant thunder and lightning. More showers were forecast later in the night. After 9PM, it drizzled lightly with a little thunder and lightning for about another 1/2 hour.
Day 3
Scroggin Knob Campsite to South Fork Jack's Creek Campsite
24.9 Miles
It didn't rain again overnight. It was fairly nice when I got moving in the morning. My tent was pretty wet, but the trail was surprisingly dry for the heavy downpour last night. The trail dropped from Scroggin Knob and began a long walk through private property. At first the trail followed dirt roads through a field before it soon started passing homes and following a creek. Along the field and sections of the road, I encountered thick clay that clung to my shoes. At one point I had to ford a small stream while on the road. I reached US 76 after about 4 miles. I originally planned on heading into Blue Ridge for a resupply, but I had enough food until my next resupply in a couple more days. Crossing four lane US 76 can be quite challenging as steady traffic zips by pretty fast.
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| Crossing through an open field |
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| Laurel-lined forest road |
After crossing 76, the trail continues to pass through private land. The BMT goes back and forth between short sections of trail and roads. This section of the trail is full of large, stately cabins and homes that look like they are out of a magazine. The sections of singletrack seemingly pass between property lines with homes on either side of the trail at times. At one point the trail follows a wooden walkway crammed between two homes. There are a lot of short but surprisingly steep, pointless ups and downs on this stretch after crossing 76.
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| Cherry Log Lake |
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Crossing a wooden walkway between
parcels of private property |
Because of this extended stretch of private property, the only dedicated BMT shelter sits along this section. The Indian Rock Shelter is actually a pretty nice shelter with a little creek right in front of it. Unfortunately a house sits right behind it on a hillside looking down at the shelter. I stopped at the shelter for a snack and water. Leaving the shelter the trail continues for another two miles between a mix of trail and road. After about two miles, mostly in the woods, the BMT begins a roughly 2.5 mile road walk before reentering the National Forest and beginning a climb toward Bear Den Mountain.
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| Indian Rock Shelter |
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| Wide trail |
I was happy to be back in the National Forest on a singletrack trail. The trail passes a memorial about two dogs, one a stray that was found near here and was adopted by the people that found it. With several dogs of my own, I found the memorial touching.
Unfortunately by afternoon the sky wasn't looking too promising. A few light, on and off showers started to fall. It was a chilly day with a steady wind. I don't think the ridges were over 50F and the wind made it feel colder. The cool rain didn't help staying warm.
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Memorial to two dogs, one that was a
stray found near this spot on the trail |
The rain was never too hard, but it was quite unpleasant on the cool day. I used my poncho to stay dry and cut the wind. I had hoped to stop at some point to dry my tent, but that wasn't going to happen. I stopped later in the afternoon by a creek to eat lunch, refill my water, and take a break. Within minutes, the heaviest downpour of the day began. I refilled my water and ate as quickly as I could, but didn't get to enjoy my break. I heard one rumble of thunder during the afternoon, but it didn't amount to a thunderstorm. A few times during the day some form of ice fell from the sky. I think it was tiny hail. I don't think it was quite cold enough for sleet.
The trail stayed fairly high, traveling several miles above 3,500'. On Flat Top Mountain the trail topped out at over 3,700', the highest elevation since the beginning of the trail at Springer Mountain. With no leaf cover, a steady wind kept the afternoon quite chilly, even when it wasn't raining. The rain was fairly intermittent. Just when it seemed to clear, I would take off my poncho and the next band of showers would move in. This happened several times.
After Flat Top Mountain, the trail drops about 1,200 feet as it makes its way to the South Fork of Jack's River. I was surprised to see another backpacker camped near the river. After talking with him, I was tempted to camp with him. It was a rough day, and misery enjoys company. There wasn't really a spot for another tent though. I continued another 3/4 of a mile to a campsite right along the river. I finished the day at 24.9 miles. Since I didn't want to stop in the cool temperatures and showers, I arrived at camp fairly early for such a long day.
While the campsite had a nice setting along the river, a mix of recent rains and hog damage left the spot a mud pit. A couple blowdowns also took up valuable tenting sites. I found a decent mud-free spot right on the bank of the river. By the time I got to the campsite, the rain had mostly stopped. A couple sprinkles fell while I prepared my food. The tent fly was still soaked from the rain last night since I didn't get a chance to dry it out. The inside was at least dry as well as the rest of my gear. It was pretty chilly. It did begin to clear by 8PM, but the temperature was forecast to drop into the 30s. The weather was supposed to be nicer the next several days.
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| Camping along South Fork Jack's River |
Day 4South Fork Jack's Creek Campsite to Thunder Rock Campground
22.6 Miles
I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. I was surprised that my tent was pretty dry. With the cool temperature and creek only a few feet from my tent, I expected dew, not a dryer tent. By morning my tent was completely dry. I left a few wet items out overnight and they were all dry too.
My day began hiking in the shade of the surrounding higher terrain and it was a cold start. My thermometer on my watch showed only 38F. I began the day wearing gloves. Even starting with a climb, it took a little bit to warm up. I was happy when the sun finally rose above the ridge for the day.
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North end of the Pinhoti Trail where it
meets the BMT, perhaps a thru hike in the future |
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| Crossing Bear Branch on a log |
The trail was pretty easy for much of the morning. For several miles, the trail followed a nice grade up an old road. Even with bright sunshine, the day never warmed up too much. Traveling through the treeless forest over 3,000' left the tail exposed to a steady wind. I don't think the temperature rose much higher than 55-60.
I didn't consistently see backpackers so far on this trip, so I was surprised when I ran into a duo thru hiking the BMT southbound. We exchanged trail info. I found out that my next resupply point, Webb Brothers Store was not a great choice to buy my food on the fly. I was told it had very few foods that hikers typically buy and the prices were quite steep.
I stopped for lunch at the Tennessee/Georgia state line for lunch. The trail climbs up Big Frog Mountain to over 4,000' for the first time. The other hikers told me it was steep, so I was happy for the break before the climb. While I took I my break, I assessed my food for the next couple days. I didn't have enough to get me beyond Webb Brothers. Before my hike I called Webb Brothers. They confirmed they had the food I was looking for. Since I had service, I thought I'd call again to see if their selection was adequate. This time the woman on the phone didn't sound as hopeful.
In the FarOut comments, there was a number for a local that could possibly provide a shuttle to the next town with a store. I decided to give her (Alicia) a call to arrange a possible ride the next day. Alicia went one step further than a ride. She had to go into town today. She told me to call her back with a food list and she would pick it up and have it waiting for me at Webb Brothers when I arrived the next day. The people at Webb Brothers knew her and I could leave my money for the groceries there. I was glad to sort that out.
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| Goodbye Georgia, hello Tennessee |
After sorting my resupply out, I entered Tennessee and the Big Frog Wilderness. As promised by the southbounders, the climb up Big Frog Mountain was probably the steepest mile of trail so far, gaining about 1,000' in a mile. After reaching the 4,000' mark, the climb tapered off as the trail made its way through an open forest. I was surprised to run into a day hiker here. The area is pretty remote and not too close to a road.
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Licklog Trail, I also climbed Licklog
Mountain on my second day |
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| Open woods approaching Big Frog Mountain |
The trail tops out at 4,210', the highest point so far on the BMT. The summit of Big Frog is wooded and there are only partial views through the leafless trees. Leaving the summit area, the trail followed the crest of a fairly narrow ridge. The wind was pretty rough along the ridge. Soon the trail began to descend with more manageable wind. The trail traveled through some pretty dense tunnels of laurel.
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| Laurel tunnel on Big Frog |
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| Old burn |
The remainder of the day went by pretty quickly. From the high point on Big Frog, the trail descends nearly 3,000' as it makes its way to the Ocoee River in almost ten miles. There are several nice creeks along the descent. I was happy to lose the elevation. The wind let up as I dropped and temperature warmed up a little bit.
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| West Fork of Rough Creek |
I normally don't like to pay to camp, but my plan was to stay at Thunder Rock Campground on the Ocoee River. This Forest Service campground is fairly cheap at $12. My main reason for staying was the hot showers. I hadn't showered since the night before I left home. I hadn't showered for at least five days and had hiked about 94 miles since then. Since it was Saturday night, I was a little worried the campground might be full. I arrived around 5PM and spoke to the campground host. I was happy to find out there were still several spots open.
I set up my tent and then got a shower first thing. The shower was nice and hot with strong pressure. After my shower I ate dinner. A large group site in the campground had a group of students from Coastal Carolina University on a rafting trip. They had the only site with electric. They let me charge my phone while I was there. A few of them asked questions about backpacking. One of the students gave me three apples. I always enjoy fresh fruit on the trail. After my phone was charged, I returned to my tent.
My campsite was next to a site with a van but nobody there. Shortly after, a group of river rats arrived at the site. They asked if I was hungry and offered me some of the steak they made. The steak was cut into thin strips and dipped into a Brazilian spice mixture. I don't know what the spices were, but it was delicious. A hot shower, fresh fruit, and now meat, it was turning into a nice evening. After talking with the kayakers, they invited me to another campsite with a large group of river rats that had a fire. It turned out to be a nice evening talking with the group. They gave me the last of steak that was left over at the end of the night. There were about 8-10 people there and I feel bad I can't remember their names since they were all introduced very quickly. I doubt they will ever see this, but I'd like to thank the river rats at Thunder Rock Campground again for inviting me to the fire circle and especially for the steak. I had a nice evening and appreciate the hospitality.
Day 5
Thunder Rock Campground to Hiwassee River Campsite
21.6 Miles
Waking up at Thunder Rock Campground was my coldest night on the entire trip. My thermometer dropped to 33F. I enjoyed washing my hands in hot water with a hot air dryer on the chilly morning before leaving the campground. It was cold enough that I actually started the morning with long pants and my gloves. I crossed the Ocoee River on a bridge and crossed the highway before heading back into the forest.
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| Ocoee River |
Despite the cold start, I managed to hike on the sunny side of the ridge fairly early. I ditched my long pants and gloves earlier than I expected. The trail enters the Little Frog Wilderness. Unlike the Big Frog Wilderness that climbs over 4,200', the Little Frog Wilderness stays below 3,000. The trail through the Little Frog must have not seen maintenance in a while. Lots of blowdowns littered the trail through here. Some were fairly hard to negotiate. Other than the blowdowns, the rest of the trail was not too difficult. While I have seen wild hog damage along the trail quite often up until this point, this stretch seemed to have a lot of ground dug up by the hogs. I still haven't seen any hogs though.
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| Entering Little Frog Wilderness |
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| View in the Little Frog Wilderness |
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| Azalea |
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| Passing through a clearing |
After passing through the Little Frog Wilderness the trail begins a steady descent to Lost Creek, below 1,000' in elevation. The BMT travels along Lost Creek for about three miles on a relatively flat section where the trail ultimately drops to below 800' in elevation. There are several crossings of smaller creeks that flow into Lost Creek. Lost Creek is a scenic stream with several cascades and small gorges along its course. There were quite a few blowdowns on the trail along the creek.
When you initially reach Lost Creek, you pass a free Forest Service campground with bathrooms. Not far past the Forest Service campground is a large campsite right on the bank of the creek. When I reached this campsite I intended to stop for a break and a snack. When I arrived, a large group of Scouts were camped there. Even though I stayed away from the group, one of the leaders, dressed in camo gave me a little attitude and wanted to make sure I had no intention of staying there. It was only 1PM and I didn't have any intention on staying there. To be honest, the group was loud and all of them were throwing rocks in the water. If I didn't need water and wasn't so hungry, I probably wouldn't of stopped there at all. I ate a couple Snickers and chugged some water, but didn't stay longer than I had to.
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| Lost Creek |
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| Cascade on Lost Creek |
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| Continuing along Lost Creek |
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| The trail following the bank of Lost Creek |
After leaving Lost Creek, the BMT follows a short road walk as it makes its way toward the Hiwassee River. I soon reached the Webb Brothers store. As promised, Alicia had dropped off my resupply at the store. Thank you Alicia for helping me out. As the southbounders had told me the day before, the resupply would have been tough shopping at Webb Brothers. The store had Ramen, but not the normal packets that can be broken down and pack easy. I didn't see any mac and cheese or Knorr Sides. Besides a decent selection of candy bars, they had canned meats and various kinds of chips. I would have struggled to get to my next resupply had I shopped there. At the very least, I wouldn't have enjoyed eating for a few days.
While I was there, I loaded up on empty calories. They didn't have hot food. I got a bland premade sandwich, peanut butter cups, a small bag of Doritos, and an ice cream bar. Since there wasn't any grab and go food besides the premade sandwiches, I finished my calorie binge with a large bag of barbecue chips. I wanted chocolate milk, but they didn't have any. I settled for a small Yoo Hoo. I ate about 3/4s of the bag of chips. I took the rest with me to eat at my campsite. While it wasn't exactly what I wanted to eat, I left Webb Brothers full and helped recover my calorie deficit.
At Webb Brothers, the trail crosses the Hiwassee River on a road bridge. At 765', this is the lowest point on the entire BMT. The trail follows a road for another 3/4 of a mile before heading back on a trail along the river. Along this road walk, I found a one hundred dollar bill much to my enjoyment.
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| Crossing the Hiwassee River |
Back in the woods, I passed several groups out enjoying the nice Sunday afternoon hiking along the river. Leaving Webb Brothers, I only had about three miles to hike to reach my campsite along the river. Even with an extended stop at the store to sort my resupply and eat, I still reached my campsite around 5PM after hiking 21 miles.
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| Rock outcropping along the Hiwassee |
The campsite was pretty nice. It sat right by the river with a nice soft spot on a bed of pine needles to set up my tent. With several hours to relax before dark, I soaked my feet in the river and washed off the trail grime from my legs. I finished the rest of my chips. Mostly, I enjoyed sitting and looking at the scenery. The river and surrounding hills were pretty. I even saw a bald eagle fly over a couple times. While I was relaxing, I took a closer look at my one hundred dollar bill. It looked real, but I quickly realized it was fake movie prop money with several places indicating that it wasn't legal tender and saying movie prop several places. Oh well. As I settled into my tent for the night, I heard quite a few peepers.
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Looking downstream at the Hiwassee by
my campsite |
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| Upstream |
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| Cliffs across the river |
Day 6
Hiwassee River Campsite to Sandy Gap
25.6 Miles
Unlike the past couple mornings, last night was fairly warm. The day was supposed to reach the mid 80s. On paper, the trail looks fairly benign as it travels along the Hiwassee River. At times it is relatively easy terrain. However, numerous cliff bands and outcroppings rise above the river. Despite the modest elevations, the trail through here is rather tough. It climbs ands descends punchy hills as necessary to make its way around the various rock outcroppings. Unlike the past couple days that were fairly dry, the day started off quite humid. The warm morning with humid conditions, combined with added weight from a fresh resupply, this section of trail was much tougher than I expected.
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| Snail |
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| Fire Pink |
Despite the surprisingly rugged terrain, the area was pretty. Since I was in lower elevations, plenty of flowers were blooming. I enjoyed hiking near by the rock outcroppings. I passed numerous little creeks, several with sections of cascades.
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| Lots of cliffs along the Hiwassee |
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| Adams Needle? |
When the trail climbed, I caught the occasional view of the Hiwassee River. The trail even passed by a small cave in one of the outcroppings. Several other rock outcroppings had large overhangs that would have been big enough take some cover from a shower. Even though I passed through this section before noon, I took advantage of the numerous creeks, drinking quite a bit of cold water as I hiked along on the humid morning.
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View of the Hiwassee from a
rock outcropping |
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| Yellow trillium |
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The dark soil on the left is dug
up from wild hogs |
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| Dwarf blue flag iris |
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| Small cascade |
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| Notice how small the trees are |
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| Cave along the trail |
The trail eventually moves away from the Hiwassee River and makes its way to Coker Creek. I planned on stopping at Coker Creek for lunch and a longer break. According to FarOut, Coker Creek was the last listed water for 13 miles. The trail climbed quite a bit after Coker Creek. I wanted to eat, camel up on water, and carry enough water to make it 13 miles on the hottest day I have experienced since last summer. The hiking up to Coker Creek went by slowly. I hike pretty fast and typically get close to 12 miles by noon a lot of days. By the time I reached Coker Creek at 1130, I only hiked about 8.
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| Lots of creeks flowing near the Hiwassee |
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View looking downstream of the river from
a rock outcropping |
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| Looking upstream |
When I reached Coker Creek, there was a young trio of locals camping. They seemed interested in my trip and gave me a granola bar and a camp stool to sit on. I talked to them for a while as I ate my lunch and filtered some water. I'm guessing they were in their early 20s. It was nice to get some simple trail magic from the group. Before I left Coker Creek, I soaked my shirt in the creek and splashed down some too cool off. With the day already pretty warm and humid and miles of climbing ahead, I wanted to wear a damp shirt to help stay cool.
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| Coker Creek |
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| Bridge over Coker Creek |
Even though the trail climbed consistently for the rest of the afternoon, the terrain was pretty tame. Most of the time the trail followed an old forest roads with easier grades. The trail had a few brief descents, but for the most part, it climbed gradually for about 12 miles.
At one point I heard something noisy coming from behind. It almost sounded like a mountain bike. I stopped and turned around. A medium size tree fell to the ground, maybe 50 yards behind me. The noise I initially heard was the tree starting to fall and hitting surrounding branches. It was a fairly calm day, so I don't know why it fell then. But, yes, if a tree falls in the woods- it does make a sound.
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| Peels Top |
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| Hazy view |
I crossed paths with a pair of women section hiking. I was happy when they told me about a couple of unmapped springs flowing straight from the ground before the 13 miles that FarOut indicated. I had about three liters of water for the 13 mile stretch. It was definitely hot and humid. The closest temperature reading showed 84F. I was probably not taking in as much water as I should have. After I learned about the water, I drank more freely.
I tried to make it to the water before stopping for an afternoon break, but I was too hungry. I ended up stopping just short of the spring near the summit of Peels Top. Now over 2,000 feet higher than Coker Creek, it was slightly cooler. I found a place to sit in the shade and take a fairly long break. I drank most of my remaining water.
Not long after dropping from Peels Top, I passed a couple of seeps. They didn't look like I could get water from them. After crossing a ridge, I soon heard water. Water flowed across the trail. A few feet off the side of the trail, a gushing spring came right from the earth in a crack in the rocks. Even though I drank nearly three liters of water in the last 10 miles or so, the hot and humid day took its toll. I enjoyed the cold water. I ended up drinking about two liters before I got moving again.
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| Spring |
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| White trillium |
I'm glad I took advantage of the nice spring. The next marked water source at Tate Gap was nothing to be desired. I didn't look that hard since I just tanked up and had a full liter with me, but the water at Tate Gap would have been difficult to scoop up. It did flow down to the shell of a long abandoned house with possibly a pool, but I'm happy that I didn't have to bother with the water at Tate Gap.
After Tate Gap, the BMT climbs to over 3,600' on Cantrell Top. This is the highest since descending Big Frog Mountain, more than 50 miles ago. Moving beyond Cantrell Top, the trail hikes along a crest right on the border with Tennessee on the left side of the trail and North Carolina on the right. The summit of Cantrell Top is wooded, but there was a nice view not too far after passing the high point.
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Tennessee on the left
North Carolina on the right |
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| Lots of irises blooming along the trail |
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| View along the ridge |
While hiking along a ridge after Cantrell Top, I heard rustling leaves. Initially I didn't see anything. Then I realized the source of the rustling. A team of wild hogs were rooting in the leaves. At first I only saw lots of piglets. They varied a little in size, but generally looked no bigger than a cat. Soon I saw two sows come up and push the little ones to scurry over the ridge away from me. In total there were probably about two dozen, only two adults and the rest were piglets. The sows were probably the size of a 50 pound dog in height, but rounder. After seeing hog damage everyday; this was my first wild hog sighting, not only on this trip, but ever.
Not too long after the hog sighting, I dropped into Sandy Gap. I planned on camping either at the gap or near the water source, about .2 miles from the gap on a side trail. Sandy Gap sits at the dead end of Forest Service Road 50. It was clear that this was used as a drive in camping spot. Lots of litter and broken glass were strewn about. I didn't expect anyone on a Monday night, but I didn't really like the area. It was also quite windy in the clearing.
I decided to camp near the little creek along the side trail. It definitely wasn't the best campsite of the BMT that I stayed at. I essentially camped just off the side of the trail. It was at least flat and not too bumpy. It was also sheltered from the wind. The water source was pretty underwhelming as well. The only way to easily collect water was by using a leaf as a spout. It wasn't the worst, but it was also slow and tedious. I did enjoy hearing barred owls quite a few times through the night, including their caterwauling call that I always find amusing. Even though it was still pretty clear at 8PM, there was a 60% chance of rain overnight.
I ended up hiking 25.6 miles. This ended up being my longest day on the BMT. With the rough terrain between the Hiwassee and Coker Creek combined with the hottest day I have experienced since last summer, it was also quite exhausting. Carrying three liters of water at times with weight of a fairly fresh resupply added to the difficulty.
Day 7
Sandy Gap to Sycamore Falls Campsite
19.3 Miles
I woke up to light rain around 4AM. The rain lasted until around 630AM. When I got up it looked quite dreary and the wind was pretty gusty. I don't think it got much cooler than 60 overnight though. With a shorter day planned and the dreary morning, I didn't get moving until 830, my latest start other than my first day. The last few sprinkles passed over not long after I started hiking. The wind didn't let up, but it slowly cleared through the morning. By 1130AM, there was more sun than clouds.
Unlike yesterday, I hiked along water for most of the day. I hiked along a few more higher mountains, topping out over 4,000' on Rocky Top. At some point in the morning I passed the halfway point of the trail. It was much cooler than yesterday and the wind was pretty strong along the higher elevations.
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| Open forest |
Leaving Rocky Top, the trail begins a descent of nearly 2,000' as it makes its way along Brookshire Creek. Brookshire Creek is a rugged mountain stream with lots of cascades and turbulent water. Laurels lined much of the creek though, making it tough to access the water most of the time. The trail follows close to Brookshire Creek for more than three miles, crossing over it at least three times. The first crossing is a pretty easy rock hop. The second crossing it a challenging rock hop that would have been a ford if the water was any higher. The last crossing requires getting your feet wet. I passed through many blowdowns along this stretch of trail, some of them pretty tough to negotiate.
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| Cascade in the laurel on Brookshire Creek |
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| A fun mess of a blowdown to get through |
I had lunch at the final crossing of Brookshire Creek. The trail crosses immediately above a small waterfall and the area is surrounded by laurel. Since I had to ford, I took the time to wash my legs off and soak my feet a little bit. Even though it was cool, I was sheltered from the wind and the sun was pretty warm.
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The trail fords Brookshire Creek
above the waterfall |
After leaving Brookshire Creek, the BMT continued along water for another couple of miles as it followed the Bald River and its small tributaries. I enjoyed more falls and cascade in this stretch. At one point I could hear a pretty loud section of water. I wanted to see what sounded like a good-sized water fall. I had to bushwhack through dense laurel, but I reached the waterfall. It was the nicest one I saw all day. I couldn't find a name for the waterfall, but it was pretty.
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It was a short but rough bushwhack to this
waterfall through thick laurel on the Bald River |
After leaving Brookshire Creek, the trail climbed steadily for about three miles, gaining about 1,200'. The trail topped out a little over 3,500' on the side of Sugar Mountain before dropping down to 2,000' at the Tellico River, just two miles later. A picnic area along the Tellico River made a nice spot for my afternoon break.
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| Tellico River |
After my break at the river, the BMT follows close to Sycamore Creek. Sycamore Creek is another pretty mountain stream with lots of cascades and scenic sections. The trail follows an old road through here and was one of the rockiest stretches of the entire BMT.
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| The trail followed Sycamore Creek for a while |
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| Rocky trail |
My destination for the night was a campsite at Sycamore Falls. I liked the idea of camping near a waterfall, even though the description in FarOut didn't really make it sound too impressive. The falls itself was not a shear drop, It was more of a slide or flume. Because of the steep banks and laurel around the creek, it was hard to get a wide view or photo of the falls.
The campsite itself was nothing to be desired. The area was extremely rocky. I found a relatively rock-free area for my body to lay, but I had a hard time getting a taut tent pitch with the rocks. My tent was not the most symmetrical setup. It wasn't supposed to rain though so I wasn't too worried.
Other than my final day on trail that was only a partial day, this was my shortest mileage day on the BMT at 19.3 miles. The campsite was my highest up to this point, sitting at more than 3,600'. I had a lot of elevation gain planned the next day, and wanted to put a dent in the climb. It was quite windy at the campsite. The forecast was calling for the temperatures to dip into the 30s. With the windy conditions and cool forecast, I was a little worried how cold the morning would be at 3,600'. The day was already fairly cool and windy. I climbed about 1,600' over my last four miles of the day and worked up a sweat that chilled me when I stopped hiking. I bundled up with my puffy, fleece, and hat while I relaxed at the campsite before I hit the tent for the night.
Day 8
Sycamore Falls Campsite to Beech Gap
US 129 to Fontana Dam Shelter
21.3 Miles
Despite waking up in the middle of the night sweaty, the temperature dropped to at least 38F. Even though my campsite was pretty shaded, I didn't feel to bad while breaking camp. I hit the trail around 730AM, anticipating a lot elevation gain for the day.
Even though I was climbing from the start, I was quite cold. The wind never really let up overnight, and seemed to be getting stronger as I climbed. I couldn't get out of the shadow of Haw Knob and Little Haw Knob, so I was stuck in the shade. I topped out just below 5,000' in elevation near Whigg Meadow, on the shoulder of Little Haw Knob. Most of the route followed dirt roads, so at least the hiking wasn't too tough.
Even after dropping from Little Haw Knob, the trail stayed above 4,000'. I dropped down to the Cherohala Skyway, a scenic mountain road similar to Skyline Drive, at Mud Gap. The trail paralleled the Skyway for about three miles, never dropping below 4,200'. Although I could catch an occasional glimpse of the road, it remained mostly out of sight. The BMT follows a mix of forest, old road, and meadow. The trail passes a gravestone of someone killed by a Confederate guerilla group called the Kirkland Bushwhackers.
Now at the risk of sounding crazy, at one point while crossing a meadow, I saw two very large birds. I know what turkeys look like and these were not turkeys. I have also seen emus up close and I swear they were emus. They were maybe 100 yards away and looked to be maybe my height. They took off running when spotting me, even stumbling a little in the vegetation. I searched online after I got home. I couldn't find any info about escaped emus in this part of North Carolina or Tennessee, but I did find several stories in the two states regarding escaped emus in recent years. Think what you will, but I promise, I don't take drugs and I was well rested and fresh enough to not be hallucinating early in the day.
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| Grave along the trail |
Soon enough, I reached the Cherohala Skyway again at Unicoi Crest. Unicoi Crest is a scenic pull off along the road. The BMT crosses the Skyway here and goes through the pull off before heading back into the woods. I crossed the parking lot and as I get back on the trail, I was greeted by flagging tape across the trail and a sign indicating the trail was closed due to wildfire activity.
I occasionally check updates online about the trail and hadn't heard anything about an active fire along the BMT. Other fires that were burning in the region had been under control after heavy rains the previous weekend. Even in the past several days, some showers have moved through. There was a Forest Service number to call. Alas, I had no service to call or check online.
Not sure immediately what to do, I flagged down the first car that passed. Traffic was pretty sparse, so I'm glad the first person that came by said he was a local. He didn't know anything of a current fire. He thought it may have been from a fire last fall that burned in the area. It was a clear day and I didn't see smoke, so I thought maybe that was the case.
I went past the tape. Just .3 miles passed Unicoi Crest, I reached Beech Gap at another junction. There was another sign and a forest closure order dated April 15, 2025. It was now a little after 10AM on April 16th. This fire was currently burning and just started. I returned to the road and flagged down the next vehicle to try to get some information. The next vehicle was an older couple visiting the area. They had been in the Joyce Kilmer Wilderness yesterday as the fire began to burn and they started to close the forest trails. Heading the opposite direction I needed to go, they gave me a road map of the area and told me how to get around the fire.
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| Not what I wanted to see |
Back at the Unicoi Crest I flagged another vehicle that was pulling into the overlook. Asked them a few questions about the area and explained my situation. They offered to get me to the next junction. The duo was a father and daughter from the Pittsburgh area on a long road trip through the south. The were traveling the Cherohala Skyway before heading to another scenic drive called the Tail of the Dragon. It turns out they were headed the full distance to where I needed to go and gave me a ride about 33 miles to get around the fire.
As we moved down the Skyway, you could start to see a wide area of smoke burning on the mountain, including a plume pretty high on the mountains near the BMT. Unfortunately, I had to bypass 14 miles of the BMT to stay out of the fire closure area. I got back to the BMT on the other side of the fire closure by the Tapoco Lodge. I'm sorry if I got your names wrong, but I think it was Joe and Gina that gave me the ride around the fire closure. I'd like to thank the two of you for getting me around the fire and hopefully I didn't inconvenience your family trip too much. I'm always surprised to see the kindness of others when I'm on the trail.
The fire, known as the Haoe Lead Fire began from a lightning strike about four days before I got there. It wasn't too serious until winds and dry days provided the conditions to spread. While only about 500 acres when I was in the area, it quickly spread to over 3,000 in the following days. The night I got off the trail, about five days later, the weather changed and the area received about 1.5 inches of rain. This helped get the fire under control. The trail remained closed for several weeks after I ended my hike for the Forest Services to assess and clear any dangers left behind by the fire.
After the confusion and regrouping, I was back on the trail beyond the closure between 12 and 1230PM. My new plan was to hike to Fontana Dam Village to resupply, have some dinner, and make my reservations for campsites in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
The trail quickly climbed from the Tapoco Lodge. I soon reached a series of clearings that gave a pretty good view toward the smoke from the fire. I'm not exactly sure where the BMT traveled on the ridge, but it looked like I would have been hiking in smoke had I continued along the trail.
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| The fire from the Cherohala Skyway |
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Smoke visible after climbing from the
road at the Tapoco Lodge |
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| Smoke visible on the left beyond the ridge |
Between Tapoco Lodge and Fontana Dam, I hiked about 10 miles. I don't know if my mood was a little skewed by the mornings stress or if the trail was really not enjoyable. This stretch of trail was one of my least favorites on the entire BMT. The trail climbed steeply from the road. The trail was rather brushy much of the way. Most of the route was deceptively steep, gaining about 3,000 feet in the first seven miles. It seemed like PUDs going over each little bump on the ridge on some quite steep sections. As cool as I was most of the morning, this section of trail was quite hot with no easy water access until the descent, the last three miles into Fontana Dam. The last three miles was fairly nice with wildflowers and several creeks, but the first seven out of Tapoco Lodge I really did not enjoy.
The BMT passes right past the edge of the Fontana Dam Village. Fontana Dam is more of a resort than an actual town. Within it is the main lodge, numerous rental properties, a restaurant, store, and even a post office. I had not been in Fontana Dam since I hiked the AT, 26 years prior, and I wasn't sure how to get to the store. I asked an employee and she ended up taking me to the store on a golf cart, which I appreciated.
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| Red trillium/ Stinking Benjamin |
Just a couple miles north of Fontana Dam, the BMT enters the Smokies. All campsites in the Smokies require a permit and you can only stay at designated campsites or shelters in the Park. I stopped by the office at Fontana Dam. They will print your National Park camping permits for you. The store sits right next to the office. I bought enough food to get me through the Smokies and the end of the trail, less than 100 miles away. As with most small stores, there was some sticker shock, I paid $4.75 for a box of macaroni and cheese. I don't know what Cliff Bars and Snickers cost since most things weren't priced, but it was expensive for the amount of food I bought.
Since my day was thrown out of whack from the fire detour, I didn't eat as much as I should have for the day. Since I decided to push onto Fontana Dam, I was more focused on food from the village than what I had in my pack. After I had my camping permit and resupply, I headed to the restaurant in the village. Pizza always seems to hit the spot when I'm on trail for a while and underfed. I easily polished off a whole pizza without hurting. It was actually better pizza than I expected. It didn't seem like a premade pie. It seemed like fresh dough and was a pretty good New York style pizza. And for as expensive as macaroni and cheese cost in the store, the pizza wasn't too unreasonably priced considering it was a proper large size.
I didn't leave Fontana Dam Village until about 615PM. I still had four miles to hike to the Fontana Shelter. The trail isn't too difficult between the village and the shelter and light lingers until at least 830 or 845PM. So I wasn't too concerned with not getting to the shelter at dark. Not long after leaving the village, the BMT joins the AT for a few miles to cross over the of Fontana Lake on the dam. I had a few nice views of the lake as I made my way to the shelter. I reached the shelter around 745PM.
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| Fontana Lake |
Fontana Lake Shelter is a little unusual among AT shelters. Because of its large size, it's dubbed the "Fontana Hilton." It sits on a perch overlooking Fontana Lake. A paved parking lot sits just above the shelter. The bathrooms have flush toilets, sinks, and a shower. By the shelter, hikers can charge there electronics at a charging station. There is also a bottle filling station.
At least two dozen AT hikers spent the night in the shelter or set up tents nearby. Myself, not so much a fan of sharing shelters with lots of other people, I chose to set up my tent nearby. I was the only BMT hiker. After setting up my tent, I enjoyed a hot shower. Afterwards, I joined a group of AT hikers that had a fire going in the fire ring in front of the shelter. Someone even had fixings for smores for everyone to eat. I enjoyed hanging out and swapping tales with the hikers. I stayed up until after 10PM
Day 9
Fontana Dam Shelter to Pilkey Creek Campsite
19.8 Miles
I got a somewhat later start than normal. I had one of my shorter days planned to my first campsite in the Smokies. The terrain didn't look particularly challenging, with relatively modest elevation change for the day. Leaving the shelter, the BMT follows a paved road shared with the AT for just under two miles to cross over Fontana Dam. The dam is the largest of its kind in the East and the trail crosses directly over it. Nice views of Fontana Lake help pass the time on the road walk. Just after crossing the dam, the trail enters Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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| Fontana Dam |
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| View across the lake from the dam |
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| Entering the Smokies |
Unlike the AT that crosses the Smokies along the crest of the range over higher ground, the BMT takes a longer route through the park that generally follows the southern, then eastern edge of the park. The BMT also follows other trails within the park. There aren't BMT markers along the trail in the park, although BMT directional arrows are on most signs at junctions.
For the first 35 miles in the park, the BMT followed the Lakeshore Trail. As the name implies, the trail parallels Fontana Lake. Even though the trail parallels the lake, the lake is mostly out of view and not accessible. Prior to the damming of the Little Tennessee River and formation of the lake, several communities and residences existed in the area prior to the 1940s. At times, the Lakeshore Trail utilizes old roads, allowing for fairly easy hiking.
Since the area was the location of settlements, homes, and old roads; there are some interesting sights along the trail. Probably most interesting are remnants of old cars from the 1930s and earlier. You pass the remnants of three or four old vehicles. There are several old foundations along the trail. At one point the only remains are an old chimney with no other remnants. I also saw other random metal artifacts.
The trail crosses numerous creeks and rivers not long after entering the Smokies. Most of the streams are quite pretty. It seemed like all the creeks that were large enough had bridges. These ranged from primitive log crossings to large metal bridges that seemed out of place in the backcountry.
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There were several old cars along
the Lakeshore Trail |
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| Rustic bridge on Lost Cove Creek |
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| Eagle Creek |
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Quite the bridge for not being near
any roads |
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Last remains of a long forgotten home
|
The trail passes a nicely preserved old home called the Calhoun House. This home was built in 1928 and part of an old farming and lumber town called Proctor that was mostly flooded when the river was dammed to form the lake. The Park Services has maintenance structures nearby and must have used this house at one point. It's in relatively good shape. The door was open and I had a look around. As expected there was a lot of graffiti. There wasn't much else inside. I took a break on the porch. Just across the creek, there's a sign telling the history of the area. I was told by some locals that if you know where to look, there are other structures from Proctor hidden in the forest.
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A well-preserved home from the settlement of Proctor
that predates the National Park |
Unlike the AT corridor, which travels higher terrain through the National Park, the BMT stuck to lower terrain. I saw lots of signs of wildlife. It seemed like the majority of the first day in the Smokies I was hiking through ground that was rooted up by hogs. Occasionally I passed hog traps along the trail set by the park service. I even saw three hogs at one point. The trio of hogs quickly ran away up a steep ridge when they saw me. I saw a small herd of deer as well as a lone deer. At one point I passed a deer jaw on the trail. I came across a garter snake sunning itself on the trail. While garter snakes aren't that exciting as far as snakes go, this one was one of- if not the largest garter snake I had ever seen. It was about 40-42" long and quite fat.
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| Deer jaw along the trail |
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| Large garter snake, at least 40" long |
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| Closeup of the garter snake |
Because of my campsite reservation, I hiked one of my shorter- full days of the trip. I finished the day around 4PM at Pilkey Creek Campsite, just shy of 20 miles on the day. It was probably good that I had a shorter day. Even though the terrain was fairly easy with no big climbs, my knees were bothering me. I'm not sure why. I enjoyed my long evening at the campsite. I splashed down in the creek and rinsed some of my clothes. Mostly I just enjoyed the peacefulness of the forest. Even though I saw a few people not long after I entered the Park, I hadn't seen anyone for my last 10-12 miles of the day. I had the campsite to myself.
Day 10
Pilkey Creek Campsite to Jerry Flats Campsite
22.8 Miles
Early in the morning, an hour or so before light, I woke up to rustling outside my tent. After hearing the sound now a few times, I quickly realized I had wild hogs rooting around the campsite. I clapped my hands and made a barking sound. The noise startled the hogs, causing them to scatter and run a few feet. I could hear that they didn't go very far and soon came back. I repeated the process again with similar results. The third time the hogs returned I didn't bother them. They didn't sound too close to my tent and seemed content digging in the leaves.
After a comfortable day yesterday, the next three days were supposed to climb into the 80s. I wasn't too concerned about today with relatively easy terrain and modest elevation gains. The following two days looked much tougher with substantial climbing.
Even though the BMT traveled along the Lakeshore Trail, I didn't really see the lake much yesterday. Today, the trail went much closer to the lake. I had several views of the lake and dropped pretty close to the shore a couple times.
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| An arm of Fontana Lake |
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| Distant mountains over Fontana Lake |
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| Fontana Lake |
The morning went by quickly. Even though it was noticeably warmer, the terrain seemed easier than yesterday. I stopped for a long lunch at Forney Creek. I settled in the shade under the bridge that crossed the creek. I soaked my feet while enjoying lunch at the nice mountain stream. I also soaked my shirt in the creek. It was a warm enough day that I didn't mind putting on a wet shirt to stay cool.
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| Azalea |
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| Forney Creek |
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| Forney Creek lunch spot |
After lunch, I continued along the final several miles of the Lakeshore Trail. As I approached the trailhead at the end of the Lakeshore Trail, I encountered a few groups of people. About 30 miles had passed since I saw anyone. The Lakeshore Trail ends at an interesting landmark. The trail travels through a 1,000' long tunnel
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| The trail goes through the tunnel |
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In the middle of the tunnel
|
After passing through the tunnel, I finally left the Lakeshore Trail. A brief road walk brought me to the next section of the BMT on the Noland Creek Trail. The Noland Creek Trail, as its name implies, follows its namesake creek. While the creek itself is a nice mountain stream, the trail was not what you hope for while hiking in a National Park. Essentially the Noland Creek Trail is a gravel road for about five miles. The good news was that the hiking went by fairly quickly. The bad news was the trail had little to no shade on a hot day approaching the 80s. At least water was plentiful following the creek.
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| Moths on the trail |
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| Noland Creek Trail |
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| Noland Creek |
It was a Friday, and I didn't expect to have another night to myself in the park. I reached my destination for the night, Jerry Flats Campsite around 5PM after hiking just shy of 23 miles. As I arrived, I saw a large encampment set up with numerous tent and tarps in the campsite as well as seven horses on the other side of the trail. At first I wasn't too thrilled.
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| Bridge over Noland Creek |
Any lack of enthusiasm with my company changed pretty quickly. I made brief small talk with a couple of the horsemen group and they were pretty friendly and seemed interested in my hike. As I was setting up my tent and cleaning up a little. One of them brought me some ham and a pork chop. He also invited me over to his group.
They ended up being a great bunch of guys and extremely friendly. There were five of them in total; Eddy, Kevin, Jeff, Ty, and Josh (I apologize if I didn't get the two younger guys names right) It turns out they were a group of volunteer horsemen clearing the trails of blowdowns and debris. As a trail user, I have great respect and appreciation for anyone that does trail maintenance.
Besides the obvious goodness of the group for their trail work, they were a fun and interesting group to hang around the campfire. They all had encyclopedic knowledge of the Smokies' trails and mountains. Their stories about the area were quite interesting. They were also pretty generous. Besides the ham and pork chop they gave me earlier; they also shared with me a freshly caught trout, a piece of steak, and a healthy portion of a pan apple pie. The group really went above and beyond with their friendliness and generosity. We even had a scare. At one point while we were enjoying the fire, a large tree fell just beyond where the horses were hitched. Falling near the horses, they were spooked, causing even more racket as they tried to scatter and a moment of confusing. Once again I received trail magic from a source where I wouldn't have expected it. I really enjoy seeing and experiencing the kindness of people when I'm on trail. I think being in the mountains or surrounded by nature brings out the best in people that you don't get see back in regular civilization.
For hikers passing through the Smokies, there's a good chance the trail maintenance was done by a horse riders. Two of the groups represented by these guys are the Volunteer Horsemen of the Smokies and the Backcountry Horsemen of NC. I'd like to give a huge thank you to these two groups for volunteering their time keeping the trails in the Smokies passable.
Day 11
Jerry Flats Campsite to Chasteen Creek Campsite
22.3 Miles
After a couple of fairly gentle days, I had a tougher day with quite a bit of elevation gain ahead of me. The day was supposed to climb well into the 80s as well. With more heat and humidity as well as two substantial climbs ahead. I got my earliest start so far. I headed out around 720AM after thanking the horsemen one last time for their generosity.
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| Horses at the campsite |
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| More horses at the campsite |
Soon after leaving the campsite, the trail requires several wet crossings of Noland Creek. I could actually get across the second of three crossings on a fallen log. About 50 yards after crossing on the log, I had to get my feet wet anyway. It would have been easier to ford the second crossing rather than use the log. I switched into my flip flops for the fords. I didn't want wet shoes first thing in the morning.
 |
| First of several fords of Noland Creek |
The BMT traveled along Noland Creek for at least eight miles. The trail gradually climbed along the creek. When the trail finally left Noland Creek, it was already over 3,000' in elevation. The trail began to climb more steeply away from the creek as it climbed to the crest of the Noland Divide at over 4,200' and the highest point in the Smokies so far on the BMT.
Despite gaining a decent amount of elevation, there were only partial views through the trees. At this elevation, the trees still didn't have their leaves. In a couple weeks, I'm guessing there would be even fewer views as the leaves start to sprout at elevation.
 |
| View approaching Noland Divide |
I ran into another BMT thru hiker as I made my way up Noland Divide. He was a 76 year old that thru hiked the AT back in 1979. It had been about a week since I had seen another BMT thru hiker.
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| Cascading creek |
After reaching the crest of Noland Divide, the trail descended about 2,000' in less than three miles. I had a brief flat section along Deep Creek. I stopped for lunch at the last campsite in the lower elevations near Deep Creek. It was getting pretty hot. I had a long climb ahead of me gaining nearly 3,000' in the seven miles.
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| Nice trail through the forest |
The trail began its climb toward Newton Bald. Climbing from Deep Creek, the trail was quite steep. The trail gained nearly 1,000' in the first mile. It was supposed to reach the mid 80s and I could feel the heat. The initial climb was uncomfortably hot with little shade. Fortunately the grade was much or gradual after that initial steep section.
Even though the trail topped out at just over 5,000' on Newton Bald, there really wasn't much to see. Despite the name, Newton Bald is fully wooded. Even with no leaves at the higher elevation, the dense trees didn't allow for any views. With little to no shade or breeze, it didn't seem much cooler at elevation. I stopped for a fairly long break near the height of the land. I found a small spot near the summit with a little shade. I checked the local weather reading and it was 87 degrees in the valley. Honestly it didn't feel any better at elevation. It was the hottest temperature I had been in at least seven months.
 |
| Passing through laurel |
From the height of the land, I had another long descent over the next five miles as the trail dropped nearly 3,000' as it approached Newfound Gap Road. Even though the temperature probably rose as I lost elevation, I felt a little cooler as gravity assisted me on the long downhill. It definitely fell cooler than the seven mile climb earlier.
A mile or two before I reached Newfound Gap Road, I encountered my first bear of the BMT. The smallish bear caught a glimpse of me and quickly began trotting into the woods away from the trail. It ran into a stretch with laurel and I only saw it for about 10 seconds.
The trail bottomed out just under 2,200' at the Oconaluftee River by Newfound Gap Road. The BMT follows a trail used by Smokemont Stables in the National Park. This trail bounces around with a little elevation change and is a little loose from the horse traffic. Hiking on rolling trail with looser tread, I started to notice the heat again.
Once on the horse trail, I only needed to hike about two miles to my campsite for the night at Chasteen Creek. I reached the campsite around 5PM after a 22 mile day. There was one couple there when I arrived. Another two pairs showed up before dark. Since Chasteen Creek Campsite sits only a little over a mile from the front country campground at Smokemont and Newfound Gap Road, it seems like a pretty popular destination.
Day 12Chasteen Creek Campsite to Mount Sterling Campsite
22.8 Miles
Even though this was my last full day on the BMT, I was a little worried about the day. When I made my reservations for campsites, I didn't pay attention to terrain. I only looked at mileage. My threre full days in the Smokies fell between 22-23 miles, including today. When I looked at the elevation profile after I reserved a spot at Mount Sterling, I realized I had a bigger day in store than I initially thought. Chasteen Creek to Mount Sterling is 22.8 miles, which is not that big of a deal. What I didn't realize, was over those 22.8 miles, the BMT climbed over 7,600 vertical feel. 7,600 vertical feet over 22.8 miles is certainly challenging but doable. I hiked nearly 1,300 miles in the past eight months and had pretty good trail legs. What worried me was the forecasted high reaching the mid to upper 80s and higher humidity combined with the big elevation gain. Spending the winter in West Virginia, I still wasn't acclimated to those temperatures in April.
My day got off to a really good start. As I finished packing, I saw an elk wander into the campsite. A second elk was not too far behind. I knew there were elk in the Smokies, but didn't expect to see them. They have only been reintroduced in the past 25 years or so and there are only about 200 total. Since seeing an elk was such a surprise, I stopped to watch them. They didn't seem very scared. The elk are concentrated in this section of the Park and don't seem uncomfortable around people. The one elk slowly wandered further away. The closer one casually ate grass while I watched with another couple at the campsite. The closer elk even wandered into a clearing as if it wanted to have its picture taken. As I left to finally hit the trail, the more photogenic elk lazily wandered down the trail.
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| First sighting of the elk |
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| I caught the photo with the elk chewing |
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| Coming into the clearing for a better picture |
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The elk was not bothered by people
and continued to eat |
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| One last good look at the elk |
A few minutes after leaving the campsite and elk, I took a short side trail. The trail led to a short waterfall called Chasteen Creek Cascade. I had a long day ahead of me, but I after hiking just over a half mile and was off to a good start. I thought I'd check out a waterfall too so my nice morning would continue.
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| Chasteen Creek Cascade |
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| Blue Phlox |
With a lot of climbing ahead of me for the day, the elevation gain began pretty quickly. I climbed my first of three big elevation gains in the first five miles of the day topping out at over 4,800' on Hughes Ridge. Although humid, the climb didn't seem to rough.
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| No shortage of pretty mountain creeks |
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| White Trillium |
From Hughes Ridge, the trail drops into a gap. The trail is quite pretty through here with a remote and wild feel. Several pretty, mountain streams with turbulent flows run close to the trail. The first was Hideaway Brook. With good flow, the brook was wild and raucous with lots of cascades. The trail fords Hideaway Brook. I was able to find my way across on rocks just upstream. If the water was any higher, I would of had a wet crossing.
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| Neat fungus |
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| Hideaway Brook at a ford |
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| Lots of small cascades in the Smokies |
The trail reaches a low point below Hughes Ridge at Enloe Creek. Enloe Creek is another beautiful and rugged mountain stream with lots of cascades and other features. There is even a campsite right along it. The trail crosses Enloe Creek on a large metal bridge that seems out of place in the backcountry. I was told an older bridge washed out in heavy rains and killed hikers in the 1990s leading to the Park Service to build the current, more robust bridge.
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| Bridge over Enloe Creek |
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| Enloe Creek |
From Enloe Creek, the trail climbs again as it makes its way up Hyatt Ridge. Even though the trail gains another 1,400' in a few miles, the climbing doesn't seem to difficult. My biggest challenge was losing the trail at a large blowdown cluster. Several trees fell with the trail disappearing in the mess. I initially went the wrong way as I passed the mess. When I couldn't find the trail after crawling through the branches, I had to backtrack. I realized the trail descended away from the trees rather than continuing in the flat forest.
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Start of a blowdown where I briefly lost
the trail. The root is at least 10' tall. |
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| Blowdown mess over the trail |
The trail topped out on Hyatt Ridge, just below 5,000'. The trail wasted no time and dropped about 1,800' over the next three miles as it made its way to Beech Gap. This was my last big drop for the day. Beech Gap sits at the Park boundary with dirt road access. Even though I was over 3,000' in elevation, it was quite warm. A decent sized creek flows under a bridge at Beech Gap. I took advantage of the shade under the bridge to take a break. I also soaked my feet, soaked my head, and splashed cold water on myself. I dunked my shirt in the creek to try and keep cool for the last big climb of the day.
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| Bright green vegetation |
The trail climbs about 2,000' from Beech Gap in a less than three miles. The trail never dropped back below 5,000' for the rest of the day. Even though the trail continued to climb, the elevation change was much more gradual. With the bulk of my elevation gain done for the day, I felt a sense of relief. I still had to hike close to seven miles to reach Mount Sterling, but less than a thousand feet of climbing remained to the summit.
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| Open woods |
It was a hot day, but I could feel the temperature change as I leveled off and traveled above 5,000' for the rest of the day. I occasionally passed through stands of balsams that provided sections of shade. There was even a shelter, the only shelter along the BMT in the Smokies. I took a break at the shelter to take advantage of the shade. While I enjoyed snacks at the shelter I read a paper left there talking about bear safety, complete with plenty of actual bear attacks and deaths in the Smokies in the last 25 years. I found the article interesting, but could see the content freaking out someone new to backpacking. Someone that hasn't spent much time camping probably doesn't want to read about two pages of bear attacks in the surrounding woods.
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| Spring Beauties |
During the last six to seven miles of my day, I passed three groups of BMT thru hikers- two solo and one pair. I only saw four or five along the first 275 miles of the trail. It was interesting that I saw four that just started the trail on my last 15 or so miles.
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| Passing through balsams approaching Mount Sterling |
Since the trail stayed above 5,100' for the last seven or so miles, that last part of the day went pretty quickly. Even the final little push up Mount Sterling seemed to go by quickly. Before I knew it I could see the fire tower on the summit of Mount Sterling. After climbing more than 7,600 vertical feet for the day over nearly 23 miles, I made my final climb and reached my destination for the day.
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| Easter dinner |
Even though I reached my campsite, I still wasn't quite finished hiking. I still had to get water for the evening. I knew the spring for the campsite was over the summit and downhill a little bit. The spring ended up sitting .4 miles away from the campsite and about 300' lower. After I hiking 22.8 miles to my campsite for the day, I had to add another .8 miles roundtrip to get water. With bonus miles, I ended up hiking at least 23.6 miles and climbing over 8,000 vertical feet.
The water source for the campsite was pretty lackluster. It's listed as a spring, but is really more of a seep. I could only gather water where a leaf acted as a funnel over a small lip with a slow trickle. Otherwise, it was just a wet spot with water barely trickling out of the ground. Even though I didn't think I needed it, I brought four liters of water to my campsite, just so I didn't have any reason to go back to the spring. I timed it and it took four minutes to fill one liter of water.
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| Looking west from Mount Sterling tower |
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| Looking south |
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| Looking east |
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| Looking toward Davenport Gap |
After I filled my water and returned to the campsite, I set up my tent. I'm told this campsite can be pretty popular since it sits at a higher elevation with a 360-degree view from its fire tower. I was surprised to have it to myself. It was after all Easter Sunday. I thought there might be people taking advantage of the Easter weekend to backpack in the park. I was glad I didn't have to compete for a camping spot. Most of the spots there were terrible with lots of roots or on a slope. Even with no one else there, I had to look around for a flat spot without roots. That ended up being just a few feet from the bear cables.
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| Fire tower on Mount Sterling |
After setting up my tent, I made my dinner. Nothing says Easter dinner like ramen. I was perfectly content with my ramen Easter dinner though. This was my last night in the mountains on the BMT and my "Last Supper." Plus after my dinner I had great entertainment planned- enjoying the 360-degree view from the Mount Sterling tower, which I had to myself. A nice breeze was blowing at the summit and it was pretty comfortable.
At 5,829', Mount Sterling has the distinction as the highest point on the entire BMT. The wooded summit doesn't have the best views. However, the fire tower on the summit rises well above the trees with unobstructed views in every direction. After dinner, I climbed the tower to enjoy the scenery. Even though it was hazy, I enjoyed the view for at least 45 minutes.
After spending time in the fire tower, I started to get chilly. Above the trees, the strong wind had a little nip to it. I left the tower to put on long pants and a fleece. Just after 8PM I headed back up the tower to enjoy the sunset. I caught the last ten minutes or so before the sunset. Even with a few clouds blocking the sun I enjoyed my view.
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| Approaching sunset |
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| Sun on the horizon |
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| Wider shot of the sunset |
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| Final moments of sun |
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| Finally set |
I enjoyed the skies a little longer after the sunset and then headed to bed. After a few warm nights, the evening seemed more comfortable with the higher elevation and steady breeze through the night. I enjoyed my last evening on the BMT.
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| Sky after the sunset |
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| Lingering pink in the sky |
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| I thought the clouds were pretty |
Day 13
Mount Sterling Campsite to Northern Terminus at Baxter Creek Trailhead
6.2 Miles
I got my earliest start on the BMT on my final morning. I was packed and ready to go before 7AM. Before I hit the trail though, I went up the fire tower one last time. I was a few minutes late for the sunrise, but wanted to take in the view one last time before leaving the summit.
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| Morning sun |
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| Looking west from the tower in the morning |
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| One last view from the fire tower |
Around 705PM I left the summit to hike the last 6.2 miles of the BMT. After around 8,000' of climbing yesterday, it was pretty much all downhill from here with hardly any climbing and over 4,100' of elevation loss to the end of the trail. On the north side of Mount Sterling, the trail passed through some sections of trail surrounded by dense moss.
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| Dense moss along the trail |
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| Hiking through a mossy corridor |
With the long downhill, I made quick time. After an hour of hiking, I rounded a bend where I saw some black movement ahead. It was a mother bear with two cubs. Unlike the bear I saw a couple days earlier, the bears didn't see me. I must have been upwind. I crept a few feet closer behind the cover of large tree and managed to get a few pictures. The trio didn't seem to notice I was standing only 50 or so yards away. The trail headed closer to the bears. Not wanting to scare them at close range, I clapped and barked so they would hopefully wander off. After making the noise, the mother trotted downhill away from the trail with the cubs close behind. Soon they were out of sight and I continued down the trail.
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| First glimpse of the bears |
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| Mother with two cubs |
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Zoomed in on the
mother bear |
Losing elevation quickly, I passed through different zones of the forest. I started in the balsam forest at higher elevation and was progressing into hardwoods at different stages of leaf cover. The forest floor became greener as I descended with more wildflowers. Near the trailhead, the leaves were a lot further along while higher up many of trees didn't even have buds yet.
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| Millipedes on a blowdown |
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| Hiking in laurel |
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| Lush forest as I lost elevation |
As I hiked closer to the trailhead, I started to see more creeks. At one point I hiked under a large outcropping above the trail. Within the last mile I started to see and here the rumble of Big Creek. The final mile stretch of the trail seems pretty flat as it nears the creek.
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| Trail through irises |
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| Irises |
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| Nice trail near the northern end |
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| Hiking along a cliff |
At 910AM I reached a bridge over Big Creek at the Baxter Creek Trailhead. A Benton MacKaye Trail blaze with a Northern Terminus sticker marks the end of the trail on a picket after crossing the bridge. The Northern Terminus marker may not be much, but it was the end of my journey.
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| The Northern Terminus |
I reached the end of the trail, but my hike was not quite finished. I still had to get back to my van at the Standing Bear Farm Hostel. Since the road into the Baxter Creek Trailhead still remains closed from Hurricane Helene, there aren't many people in this part of the park. I could have arranged a shuttle to pick me up at the ranger station down the road, but I didn't want the hassle. The hostel is just under four miles from the end of the BMT. The first three miles are generally flat, so I walked the four miles to the hostel. I was happy to get a shower at the hostel before I headed home.
Final Thoughts on the Benton MacKaye Trail
While I called this post "Thru Hiking the Benton MacKaye Trail," I guess I didn't technically thru hike the entire BMT. Because of the fire closure, I had to skip 14 miles of trail. At the time, there was no way around this. That section of trail was closed for a couple weeks after I finished the trail. Had there been no fire closure, I would have probably still finished the same day. Instead of 9AM, I would have likely finished the hike in the early evening. Either way, I hiked all of the BMT that was open and completed 275 miles of the trail.
Overall I enjoyed my hike on the BMT. The trail captures a lot of feel of the southern end of the AT without the crowds. Generally, the BMT could be described as wilder and more remote alternative to its more popular counterpart. A couple of days, I didn't see any other people at all. I only saw a handful of other BMT thru hikers. Even in Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the most visited in the US, I saw relatively few people over the Easter Holiday Weekend. On my AT thru hike, more than 25 years ago, most of the shelters were full during Easter week. The scenery and terrain is fairly similar on both trails through the Smokies. I would probably give the AT the edge for more views since it travels more consistently at higher elevations, including the crest of the Smokies.
I definitely saw a lot more wildlife o the BMT than I did on the southern end of my AT thru hike. I imagine this also comes with fewer people on the trail. I saw four bears, about 30 wild hogs, two elk, maybe a dozen deer, a bald eagle, and several turkeys. South of the Smokies, I saw pileated woodpeckers on a daily basis. I heard barred owls on several occasions at night.
Hiking in April, I lucked out with weather. The Southern Appalachians can be quite wet in spring. I only encountered a couple days of rain showers including some thunderstorms and a couple of showers overnight. I didn't even have steady rain for a complete day. It's not unusual to get stuck in rain for days here in the spring. Temperatures ranged from a cold night right around freezing to daytime highs in the upper 80s. Majority of the days were sunny with comfortable temperatures. Unfortunately the downside to the dry weather was the elevated fire risk, which ultimately had an impact on my hike.
Hiking in April also allowed me to enjoy some of the benefits of a spring hike. I hiked through several areas with spring flowers in bloom. I was able to see different stages of leaves emerging with the season. At lower elevations I saw full leaf cover with trees just leafing out at intermediate elevations. At the higher elevations the trees just started to bud and some sections didn't even have buds. I heard choruses of frogs on many nights. I even saw some lightning bugs when I reached the Smokies. And even though I hiked during a fairly dry stretch of weather, the water sources were still had a strong spring flow, including a handful of scenic waterfalls.
I would definitely recommend hiking the Benton MacKaye Trail. With elevations ranging from under 1,000' to nearly 6,000', the trail captures everything you would hope for in a hike in the Southern Appalachians. At just under 300 miles, its long enough to the experience thru hiker life without too much of a time commitment. If you already have hiked the AT and want to explore a quieter side of the Southern Appalachians, the BMT won't disappoint. You can also avoid the AT bubble through the Smokies using the BMT as an alternative. If the BMT isn't long enough, make a large loop and return to Springer via the AT. You can also connect to the Pinhoti Trail and extend your hike into Alabama. No matter how you choose to explore the BMT, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
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