Hiking the Appalachian Trail through the Great Smoky Mountains--Things you will WANT to know! Part One: Fontana to Newfound Gap

The Appalachian Trail through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park sends shivers of dread through the minds of some thru-hikers as they sit at the Fontana Hilton and map out the days ahead. But it doesn't have to! By this time in your thru hike, you are stronger, mentally and physically. You are NOT one of the 45-50% who have already dropped off the trail, and you can SO do this! This stretch of the AT offers exquisite views, opportunities to commune a bit differently with your fellow hikers, the potential sightings of various wildlife you may not have yet encountered, and depending on the time of year, some of the most delicate and beautiful trail companions you will happen upon anywhere along your journey as you lower your gaze to the trail itself to make it up that next climb. Just don't forget to look a little to either side of the trail for the wildflowers that often grace its boundaries.

This post will not address things such as permits and regulations of the Smokies. Those can be found here. Instead, let's go through what to expect from the trail itself, what NOT to miss, and a bit about the specific shelters along the way. My hope is to help you plan this part of your trek with a little more insight than can be gathered from the AT Guide, to help you enjoy and experience the Smokies in all their grandeur, not to simply make it through them and get them behind you. You may never be back to this astonishingly beautiful place, and my hope is that you will savor your time here.

The Trail, Its Sights, and Its Shelters (from South to North)

Fontana Dam to Mollie's Ridge
The AT through the Smokies is impossible to get to from anywhere in the Park without a significant climb, and that certainly holds true for those who will enter the Smokies along the AT from Fontana Dam. The first three and a half miles is a slog up a 2000' elevation gain, but a relic-from-the-past metal fire tower rewards you for your efforts. Shuckstack Fire Tower, up a path to your right a scant 1/10 of a mile off the AT, provides the brave-at-heart with incredible views of the Nantahala range from which you have just come, looking down onto Fontana Lake with breathtaking fervor. Warning: Shuckstack "shimmies" in the winds that are prevalent on this ridge, but, take heart, it does not fall! It was designed to give a little in the winds that are seemingly always blowing here. The bottom section of the switchback stairs you will use to scale this tower is missing one handrail, but once you come to the first landing, both handrails are intact the rest of the way up.

If you are unable to make yourself climb the entire 80-ft height of the tower, you will benefit from just going up to the second landing. Even at this landing the vistas will take your breath away, and you may find yourself pressed to continue climbing. Another warning about Shuckstack: do NOT leave your packs unattended at the bottom of the tower. Either leave someone at the bottom, or take packs with you to the first landing. Do not tempt any wandering bears with the goodies you have stowed in your pack to get you through to the first resupply opportunity in Gatlinburg. Our bears are smart! I've never encountered a bear there, but I have heard about packs left at the bottom being raided. Once you return to the AT from the tower, you will find large boulders on which I've seen many thru-hikers resting and taking a snack or lunch break before continuing on up the ridgeline.


The next section of trail takes out and up past the only tent-friendly campsite along the AT in the Smokies, Backcountry Campsite #113, or the Birch Spring Gap campsite. As is true of other sites close to a road, this site is used frequently by not-so-serious hikers and is often misused, trashed, and therefore, often closed due to bear activity. If you are hiking through the Smokies in the summer, this site is almost always closed.


The first shelter you will come to from the South is Mollie's Ridge, which sits at approximately 4600' and 10.1 miles from the Park boundary. This picture of the Mollie's Ridge shelter shows the tarps that are put up by the Park Service in the winter to protect hikers from the elements which can become severe. Inside, there are two levels of wood flooring on which hikers can lay out sleeping pads and bags. As you can see, there is a covered cooking/eating area outside the sleeping quarters. Please do NOT take food into the sleeping area so that bears are not tempted to enter because of the residual scent of the goodies they smell. Do all your food prep and eating outside under the cover if weather dictates it, or sitting on the logs by the fire if weather is good. This shelter has a nice, flat area where tents can be pitched if, and only if, the shelter is full. Ridgerunners do monitor the trail through the Smokies to make sure rules are followed and hikers are safe, and I have met a ridgerunner at Mollie's before. Ridgerunners are very nice folks full of insights and information about the area and good to have around in the event of a problem or emergency. You will also find bear cables at each of the shelters in the Smokies which make hanging your food and other items which give off scent easily at a high perch away from bears, raccoons, etc. One hint though: hang your WHOLE pack, leaving it open so mice don't chew through it to get to whatever goodies you might have inside. If possible, put your food into an Ursack or similar non-porous bag which eliminates odors so that mice are not attracted to your food. Also, every shelter is situated along a water source, and Mollie's is no exception with a good water source just a bit down a side trail from the shelter. There is, however, no privy at Mollie's.

Thru-hikers often complain about having to sleep in the shelters in the Smokies, but I can attest that some of the most fun I've had hiking has been meeting and socializing with other hikers in the shelters along the AT. Keep an open mind, have earplugs available, try to enjoy it, and pat yourself on the back for doing what it takes to keep the most visited National Park from being trampled to death under the overuse of tenting in undesignated areas. Short-term hikers are never allowed to camp outside of a shelter, so many do not carry tents at all. That is why thru-hikers are asked to make room for overnight hikers if the shelter fills up late in the day.

Mollie's Ridge to Spence Field
One of the main problems thru-hikers run into in the Smokies is that the shelters are not placed at
ideal distances from one another. By this time in your hike, you've increased mileage per day to 12 to 15 probably. Within less than 3.5 miles you will come to Russell Field shelter, pictured to the right. Most NOBO thru-hikers do not end up staying here, but if you left Mollie's early it does make for a nice stop for breakfast. Again, there is no privy at this shelter, but usually you will find a shovel and a sign to the bathroom area.

In only a little less than 3 more miles, you will come to the intersection with Eagle Creek trail and only .1 mile down Eagle Creek is a shelter with a privy and a nice water source except in the driest of summer situations. If that source does dry up, you can hike further down Eagle Creek trail approximately .7 miles to the first crossing of Eagle Creek itself which will never go dry. It is a tough climb back up to the shelter if you find yourself in that situation. However, in months of extreme drought, which do happen up here some years, that is an option.

Spence Field shelter is a favorite destination for short-term hikers who will stay here to climb up to Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mountain on their second day. However, they have had a pretty tough 5-miles of significant elevation gain to get here, so their schedules often closely mimic those of thru-hikers with a bedtime of the typical hiker midnight.

Spence Field itself lies .1 miles north on the AT from the intersection with Eagle Creek Trail, and is what is left of a much larger bald area once used by the early homesteaders of the Cades Cove area to graze cattle. Today, it is characterized by short serviceberry trees and long, luxuriant grasses swaying amiably in the breeze. Views here are wonderful and I suggest you take just a moment to soak them up if you are lucky enough to be here on a clear day.

This is the time for an important decision. The toughest climb in the Smokies lies ahead of you--up and over Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mountain. This climb, to me, is more difficult than the final ascent of Clingman's Dome. You must now decide whether to hike from here to Derrick's Knob or wait until tomorrow and start fresh. The choice is yours.

Spence Field to Silers Bald

The trail across Thunderhead Mountain is ripe with spectacular vistas to give that adrenaline rush that can help you up that next incline, provided of course that you are blessed to be here on a bluebird sky kind of day. If not, Thunderhead Mountain is not a place to be caught in a storm. They don't call it Thunderhead Mountain for no reason. (In all honesty, I think it gets its name from the Thunderhead sandstone of which the mountain is made.) Weather here is unpredictable and can turn vicious in a short period of time. Just keep that in mind, and if hiking in summer, I recommend you do that section early in the day before thunderstorms have time to build in the heat.


The real "Rocky Top, Tennessee"(made famous by the song played repeatedly on football Saturdays by the Pride of the Southland Marching Band of the University of Tennessee) is an outcropping of rock on Thunderhead Mountain. This particular rock has engravings made by the herders who once grazed their herds they had gathered from as far away as Maryville, Tennessee on these mountain peaks during the summer months of the late 1800s to early 1900s. Stop at that rock and enjoy the view, but also take a moment to ponder the history of this place as you read the etchings.

Once you drop off of Thunderhead Mountain, you enter a forested area which rolls up and down repeatedly while slowly rising back up to Derrick Knob Shelter, another wonderful place to stay the night or just stop and rest. There is a freely flowing water source again, just a short distance down a path from the shelter, but you will find no privy here. If you started at Spence Field shelter, you can probably make the next shelter at Silers Bald, about 5.5 miles north, with little problem. Those miles that separate Derrick Knob from Silers Bald are, as far as the Smokies goes, a rolling, fairly gentle climb with the exception of one short stretch up and then back down Cold Spring Knob.

Silers Bald shelter is pretty typical with one important exception: I do not like its water source even in wet months. The times I've stayed there it seems you are drinking rainwater runoff, as opposed to a springlike source of water found at most of the other shelters. In the hot and dry months of summer, the water source can dry up to little more than a drip. The better water source lies ahead at the next shelter at Double Springs Gap.

Silers Bald to Newfound Gap
Only about 1.5 miles north of Silers Bald you will come to Double Springs Gap Shelter, an absolute delight in summer when the coneflowers and bee balm in the field between the shelter and the privy bloom prolifically. This is a lovely spot to stay or just to take lunch or a snack break. Enjoy your time here because from here to Clingman's Dome, the highest spot on the Appalachian Trail in any state, it is nothing but UP! A tough 2.8 miles separates you from the views which await you at Clingman's Dome, so eat something here that will give you the energy for the final difficult climb.

As you ascend the Dome, if you want to actually go up on the iconic spiral-shaped tower, you will have to look for a short side trail to the paved path. The overlook is only a short walk on the paved path from there. Go up on the paved path to get to the tower. The AT itself goes along underneath the tower and you might miss it altogether if you aren't careful. If it's a clear day, you will probably hear voices from the throngs who visit here daily and will definitely want to go up onto the overlook. If the weather isn't clear, you might as well walk on because you will be IN the clouds at this elevation. If you wish to get off the trail at Clingman's Dome to hitch a ride into Gatlinburg, look for the signs to the Parking Lot. On a fair weather day between April 1 and November 30, you should be able to catch a ride easily, but the road closes in the winter and you will have to hike on to Newfound Gap in order to hitchhike to Gatlinburg between December 1 and March 31, sometimes even a few days one way or the other of those dates if the weather is bad.

During the 7.9 miles between Clingman's Dome and Newfound Gap, there will be some ups and downs, but overall, you will be losing total elevation of about 1600 feet. This is a stretch of trail that proceeds primarily through forest with very few vistas, especially once you leave the flanks of Clingman's Dome. At one point along the trail, you will pass over a fence, on a switchbacked metal walkway, and into an "exclosure" built to keep wild hogs out of this pristine field of protected wildflowers.  Wild non-native hogs can do irreparable damage to the biodiversity of the Park, and this section has been protected from their furrowing, digging, and devouring of the native wildflower populations found here. If you happen through this area in April or May, you will be blessed by millions of spring beauties, trout lilies, and other minute ephemeral lovelies. Count your blessings if you are here at the perfect time. Near the Newfound Gap end of this section, you will come to a stone wall which can also be lined with wildflowers later in the year, but this time the flower is jewelweed or touch-me-not. When you see that old wall, you will know you are nearing Newfound Gap.

There is one final option for a shelter stay before arriving at Newfound Gap, but it is .5 miles off of the AT. Sugarland Mountain Trail intersects with the AT 3.3 miles north of Clingman's Dome Tower. As of this writing, Sugarland Mountain Trail is open from the AT to the Mt. Collins shelter, but is closed beyond it due to the wildfires that devastated the slopes on and around Chimney Tops. But if you are not planning to get off the trail at Newfound Gap, this is a nice place to stay for the night.

Newfound Gap is another easy place to procure a ride to Gatlinburg as long as there has not been snow (the road closes at the first sign of snow because it becomes treacherous very quickly). Locals who frequent this road are used to seeing thru-hikers in spring and summer and many are happy to provide you a ride just to listen to the stories you have to tell. Many thru-hikers choose to leave the trail here to resupply and eat town food for a day or so. I will say that the hitch to Gatlinburg is easier to come by than the hitch back up to Newfound Gap or Clingman's Dome if you got off there. You may have to arrange a shuttle to get you back to the trail.

If you have found this information helpful, come back soon for Part Two: From Newfound Gap to Davenport Gap and read about my very favorite parts of the trail system within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In my opinion, the BEST of the AT in the Smokies still lies ahead!


***One thing I would be remiss if I failed to discuss would be the highly-variable winter weather that can slam into the Smokies at a moments' notice and later in the spring and earlier in the fall than one might think. Please be aware of the weather before entering the Smokies, but if you find yourself in the Smokies with weather presenting hazards that you cannot overcome, you might benefit from the trail map that you can find here. If things get rough and Newfound Gap Road is closed, this map will allow you to find a way down out of the highest elevations onto trails that can lead to roads where you can get help or at least find respite from the highest winds and coldest temperatures. Another good website to consult while you still have signal before entering the Smokies is here where you will find road and facility closures. Have a plan B if you are coming through this Park at a time of year when weather can take a nasty turn very quickly. This last site will also tell you which shelters are closed due to bear activity if you happen to traverse this Park in summer.

Curses! Foiled Again!

There's a stretch of the Appalachian Trail that has become my nemesis of late. I should have completed it last year with Jennifer and Kirsten on our backpacking trip that is traditionally scheduled just as soon as we get out of school each year. That trip was to have been from Clingman's Dome to Fontana Dam done over the course of three days. But last year, I was injured just a couple weeks before the trip, and my knee just wouldn't go on a strenuous hike yet. The girls went ahead at my insistance; I even dropped them off at the trailhead. But I missed it. So this past weekend, Jennifer had graciously agreed to do the stretch of the Appalachian Trail between Rocky Top and Derrick Knob with me as a one-night trip. I was excited to go up and over Thunderhead Mountain!

We left early Friday morning to drop one car at Middle Prong trailhead and then drive the other car up to the large parking lot at Cades Cove Campground. We had debated going up Lead Cove to Bote Mountain and accessing the AT that way, but we decided that since we were leaving early, Anthony Creek Trail would be a nicer walk since it would be alongside water some of the way and put us out on Bote Mountain with less of that trail to travel. We did realize that this path would be a bit longer, but decided it would be a good trade off. Bote Mountain is not one of my favorite trails, especially in the summer. Heat and gnats are constant companions on that trail.




When we arrived at the parking lot at Cades Cove, we had planned on just walking over to the back of the picnic area from whence Anthony Creek trail departs the Cove. Just as we were getting ready to take off though, a school bus about half full of middle school aged children pulled up and an adult got off to fill up some water bottles. Hey, what could it hurt to ask, right? I walked over to the bus driver and asked if he'd give two backpackers a ride to the back of the picnic area and he was more than happy to oblige! We climbed aboard the bus, appreciative of the lift. When we pulled up at the trailhead, a doe was picking her way through the woods just behind the trail sign, so the kids got to see a deer they wouldn't have seen if they hadn't given us a lift. It worked out great for everyone and they were very excited to see a deer that close.


Anthony Creek is a really nice trail! It crosses over its namesake several times, sometimes on large bridges and sometimes on footlogs, but it never requires a wet crossing. Most of the lower couple of miles is within view and/or earshot of the creek which always makes for a pleasant hike.



Even when we were not near the creek, the trail was lined with beautiful mushrooms and wildflowers in bloom. Bee balm is in bloom lots of places in the Park, but there were many other summer wildflowers blooming, most of which I cannot identify.

We had left early that morning, in part to beat the heat, which we did for the most part. As we reached Bote Mountain Trail, the humidity was beginning to build and become uncomfortable, but by then, we were almost done for the day. With only 1.7 miles to do on Bote Mountain, we made good progress up that steep and rocky stretch and before we knew it we were at the intersection with the Appalachian Trial and finally up on a ridgeline which is where I love to be--MOST of the time!  This day was absolutely gorgeous with only a few puffy white clouds in the sky as we passed through what remains of Spence Field.


This former pasture where stock were grazed in the days before the park became the park is now not being maintained as a bald, so it is in the natural process of returning to woods. This in-between stage is lovely in many respects. In places the field is still fairly open and there are glimpses of what must have once been spectacular views. In other places, tall grasses grow in large clumps under the protective arms of some type of tree that I do not know the name of. If any of my readers knows what they are, I'd love to know. Please put it in the comments below.

For our destination on this first day, the remainder of the hike was very short as we made our way down to Eagle Creek Trail and the .2 mile stint down to the Spence Field Shelter.  It was only about 1:00 p.m. as we dropped our packs and visited with the two young men who had been resting there when we arrived--one a member of the Army (on leave) and the other his nephew. They left after a little bit going on further up the trail.

Shortly after they left, another pair of men came through, stopping for lunch. They brought with them a real surprise! Chicken of the Woods!

The older of the two men sat at the shelter table, got out a couple of large chunks of the wild mushroom, and began to educate us on how to look for it and how to cook it.

He carried with him some olive oil in a packet he purchased from www.minimus.biz. I had never heard of this site, but they do offer many products in very small size packaging, so it might be of use in the future. I usually just stop at Subway and pick up some olive oil packets when I need them for backpacking.

He prepared the shrooms in his camp stove and then graciously offered some to us, so we had to try them. He told me they would taste like a combination between chicken and scrambled eggs.  I guess he was right, but I'd rather have either chicken OR eggs instead! But you only live once, right?






Spence Field shelter is a great place to spend a night. Because of its elevation, it provided us with a nice respite from the heat and humidity in the Tennessee Valley. The shelter is roomier than most, especially in the design of the sleeping area. In this shelter, the upper bunk is higher than is typical, so we actually chose to set up on the bottom bunk area with plenty of headroom and no need to climb the stairs. There's also a strong running water source which is encouraged to pass into and through a pipe which makes it easy to fill water filter bags. I was also surprised to learn that there was a privy there! What a nice surprise indeed!


With all of the extra time we had on our hands that afternoon, I spent some of it going through the shelter register where thru-hikers and others had made notes of their journeys.  One that I found was really cute, so I took a picture to share it with you here:

Seems like thru-hikers may be safe, but weekenders really need to be sure to hang our food!

The fact that we had done this leg of the hike on the first day meant that we would only have about 15 miles to do on our second day.  Having arrived at the shelter early in the day meant that we would be fully recovered from our climb up to the AT (which is never easy no matter which trail you do it on). We decided that we would get up early in the morning, pack up and head out before having breakfast so that we could make it across Thunderhead before the heat of the day. There was also a forecast of storms for later in the day, so in doing it this way, we would have time to get to Derrick Knob before the heat built up and thunderstorms could materialize. At least, that was the plan.

In reality, when we awoke on Saturday morning, I knew our plan was suspect. We were totally surrounded by fog. As we got up and began to pack, a cool wind rustled through the leaves of the trees which envelope the shelter. We were afraid that wind was blowing in weather which would not bode well for us crossing that exposed ridgeline to Derrick Knob. We were out of the shelter by 8:00 a.m. We made a quick trip back across Spence Field and made the climb to Rocky Top hoping that the weather would break and the skies would clear.

The REAL Rocky Top!

So far there was no rain, so I was hopeful that the fog would burn off and we might get some nice views as we crossed over Thunderhead Mountain. We sat at Rocky Top to eat a protein bar to give us energy to make it up and over. I had taken about three bites when the first round of thunder roared. I immediately lost my appetite, put the remains of my Clif Protein Bar away, then reached down to shoulder the pack and hike on. Just as we got past Rocky Top, which would have been the beginning of new miles for me, more thunder rolled, this time closer. I knew in my heart that the thing to do was to play it safe and turn around. My understanding was that much of what lay ahead was exposed to the elements which, I've heard, are much magnified from weather that might be happening below. I walked only a short distance when I turned to Jennifer and told her I thought we might should go back down the way we had come up.  After a little discussion, she wanted me to make the decision since it was new miles for me. We finally agreed to play it safe. I was crushed!




Once we had made the decision, we made quick work of the trip back to cover on Bote Mountain Trail. We kept talking about what a good time we had had at the shelter, and how even though we were disappointed, we were glad that we had made the trip. And all that is true! I am very glad we made the trip to Spence that night and had enjoyed the company of several other hikers at the shelter. But I cannot help but be disappointed that I still have not accomplished that stretch of trail. All I could think of while hiking down the trails back to the car waiting for us at Cades Cove was the Snoopy and the Red Baron song. "Curses, Red Baron! Foiled again!"

New Year's Day Hike to Rocky Top

We had decided on a different hike for New Year's Day--a hike that would get us new miles, but without Jennifer being with us which we weren't thrilled with. However, I awoke with a nagging feeling that the two water crossings on the trail we had picked might not be smart on a day as cold as this one, especially since they were 6+ miles from the car and we've had a lot of rain and snow lately. So at 5:30 a.m., we decided to change our course and hike up to the Appalachian Trial to Rocky Top, something that had been on my Bucket List for a long time. Oh, I cannot express how glad I am that we did that! 

We parked the car at the trailhead for Lead Cove and began the climb up to one of the most spectacular views in the park. I had missed this view last summer when I was unable, because of my knee, to go on the Appalachian Trail multi-day backpacking trip. But today, I would finally stand on Rocky Top!!!

We actually got to the trailhead before daylight and hiked for a very short period of time with our headlamps on. By the time daylight had fully established itself, there was evidence of the snows that had occurred in the Park on previous days--just enough to be pretty.  Lead Cove eventually intersected with Bote Mountain Trail and I began ascending on a trail that I had not-so-fond memories of from a previous summertime hike. Bote Mountain is a killer in hot weather for multiple reasons.  I remember no views due to leaf cover on the trees, gnats and other biting bugs due to the heat, and lots of sweating due to the steep incline. Bote Mountain is also a rocky trail which makes all of that more difficult to deal with.  None of these aspects were true on a New Year's Day hike though, except for the fact that the elevation change was still just as tough.  There were nice views on both Lead Cove and Bote Mountain during the dead of winter and sweating was minimal although the quads and glutes still burned due to the incline. That last mile of Bote Mountain as you know it's reaching up for the Appalachian Trail is still a tough bit of trail! 

Once we reached the AT, I actually thought the climb was over, but oh boy, was I wrong!  There is some significant "roll" as the AT moves south toward Thunderhead Mountain.  And during every step of the down hill stretches, you knew you would have to turn around and climb all that distance again before reaching the goal for the day. This is a tough hike! 

 As we struggled to reach Rocky Top, on that final ascent, Kirsten, who had been on the summer AT trip that I had missed, told me NOT to turn around yet. Once I reached the "sweet spot" and she said it was time, I turned around to the MOST glorious site of my life! I almost cried, it was so breathtakingly beautiful! This was one of those spiritual moments that I get sometimes in my mountains--the view of the surrounding mountains and valleys simply proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is a Mighty Creator at work in the world and in our lives.  









 I can think of no better way to have spent the first day of 2015. Here's to a great year!

How did you start your New Year in the mountains? What hikes do you have on your "bucket list"?  Please leave a comment below to tell us about your most special times (past, present, or future) on the trail.