Three Trails off Heintooga Road-Round Bottom Road

My latest hike in the Smokies took me to three trails spread out along several miles on the Heintooga-Round Bottom Road.  Access to this road is from a spur road off the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile 458, only 11 miles from the southern terminus of the BRP.  Signs on the parkway show Balsam Mountain Campground and picnic area.  This road is paved and has two-way traffic to the campground and picnic area. After several miles you reach the GSMNP entrance.   This part of the park has an elevation of around 5,000 feet.

The first trail is the 2.6 mile Flat Creek Trail that roughly parallels the winding road to the picnic area.  Our group decided to hike this in two directions to save driving back and forth in a car shuttle.  The trail was well graded and had only one stream crossing and stepping over a few side streams.  Summer flowers are in bloom now and with the dense canopy, ferns we more the order of the day.  We did see an area of fly poison blooming along the trail.

We reached the picnic area and in a few minutes the group hiking in the other direction drove into the picnic area parking lot.  We loaded up our gear in the cars and entered the gravel, one-way Heintooga-Round Bottom Road.

Photo: RomanticAsheville.com

As the sign indicates this road winds down the mountain toward Cherokee.  At the end of the 14 mile one-way section, it joins Straight Fork Road that enters the Cherokee Reservation and eventually the town of Cherokee.

Our next trail, Spruce Mountain, was a few miles down the road.  The trail is only 1.2 miles and ascends about 800 feet to Spruce Mountain and backcountry Campsite 42 at the end of the trail.  

You would intentionally want to stay at Campsite 42, since it is at the end of an isolated trail that does not connect with any other trail.  At one time, the Polls Gap Trail intersected with Spruce Mountain near the campsite, but the Park Service closed that trail several years ago.  A volunteer was hiking in to the campsite to clean and maintain it. He told us only 50 people use the campsite each year.  He described a night at the campsite as "spooky quiet" especially when the wind is not blowing.

After the short in-and-out trek up and down Spruce Mountain it was back in the cars and a few more miles down the road to the next trail, Palmer Creek.  This trail is 3.3 miles and connects with Pretty Hollow Trail and the Cataloochee area of the park.  Since we were hiking in from Heintooga Road, we did this as an in-and-out hike.

One of two bridges across side creeks of Palmer Creek. A third crossing had no bridge.

From Heintooga Road the trail was steadily downhill most of the way, losing about 1,500 feet. With recent rain, the trail was muddy and slick in some places.  Horses are permitted on tis trail, so there was some erosion evident as well.  Palmer Creek was heard and then visible for the last two miles. There were three crossings of side creeks, one had evidence of one having a bridge, but it was gone.  Rather than rock hop, I changed into water shoes and waded across.  Ditto on the way back, too.

Once at the Pretty Hollow Trail junction and a short lunch break, it was "about face" for the hike back to the cars on Heintooga Road.  This was mostly uphill, gaining back the 1,500 feet of elevation lost hiking in.  It was pleasant hike, but by early afternoon the heat an humidity began to build.

After reaching the cars, I decided to drive home, foregoing another hike off the one-way road.  It seemed a long way in to Cherokee and then the rest of the way home.  There will be at least one more trip down Heintooga Road to access the Balsam Mountain Trail.

I hiked a total of 11.4 miles on all new trails for me, but since 4.4 of those miles were part of in-and-out hiking, I gained 7 miles on the map.  That put me over 435 miles of the 800 miles of trails.  I have completed 60 trails in their entirety.

A break from GSMNP hiking for a couple weeks while on another adventure.  Back to the Smokies trails later in the month.

Two Hikes in Two Parks

This week I had the opportunity to hike Wednesday and Friday. Wednesday was a hike in the Smokies like most Wednesday hikes are. Friday I scouted a Carolina Mountain Club hike in Grandfather Mountain State Park with two friends.  So, one hike in a national park and one in an NC state park.

Indian Creek - Martins Gap - Deep Creek Trails
The Deep Creek section of the GSMNP is popular for its tubing and for trailheads leading to many trails in the park. Deep Creek Trail is one of the longest trails in the park, with one end near Clingmans Dome and the other end some 14 miles away at the Deep Creek campground near Bryson City.  Several other trails begin and end in this part of the park and connect together to form a network of trails. Hiking all the trails in the Smokies means hiking over the lower part of Deep Creek Trail and others to access a needed trial.  Such was the case Wednesday. I had two trails left in the area, Indain Creek (3.7 miles) and Martins Gap (3.0 miles).  To make a loop out of the hike and to get some Deep Creek Trail miles for another hiker, we hiked 15 miles on a very warm and humid day.

The lower end of the Indian Creek Trail, the Loop Trail, and the lower part of Deep Creek Trail make a popular loop from Deep Creek Campground that passes by three waterfalls in less than 3 miles.  The Indian Creek follows an old roadbed and rises about 500 feet over the 3.7 miles.  The portion of the trail above the waterfall loop is less used.  Like many old roads in the Smokies, the trail ends with a circle/turnaround at the Martins Gap Trail junction.

Martins Gap lies halfway on the on the three-mile trail of the same name. It is the high point on the trail at the junction with the Sunkota Ridge Trail.  Martins Gap Trail is primarily a connector trail linking several trails.  After 1.5 miles up we began the 1.5 mile descent to the Deep Gap Trail junction at campsite 57.  We decided to cover a short section of the Deep Creek Trail up to the junction with Pole Road Creek Trail. Even though we were to go south to the end of Deep Creek Trail, getting this short section of 0.7 mile will save having to do it at another time, or worse, leaving an unhiked section hanging out in the middle of a long trail.  An impressive CCC-constructed bridge spans Deep Creek at the Pole Road Creek/Deep Creek junction.

When the CCC built a bridge, they built it to last.

The rest of the hike followed the Deep Creek Trail a little under 8 miles to the Deep Creek campground.  The trail follows Deep Creek; sometimes at creek level, sometimes climbing well above it.  This meant some climbing as the day continued to heat up.  The hardest part of the hike was the last mile. As I mentioned, Deep Creek is a popular tubing area, so as we hiked the last mile we could see and hear happy tubers in the cool water.  If only I had arranged for someone to meet me with a tube and carry my pack to the parking area while I tubed the last mile! Oh well.

Bottom line on the hike
Total miles: 15
New trail miles: 6.7
Smokies trail miles to date: 428.6
Total miles hiked to date: 506.4

The Profile Trail up Grandfather Mountain

Friday gave me an opportunity to hike the Profile Trail in Grandfather Mountain State Park with two CMC hiking friends, Randy and Rich.  We were scouting the hike for Randy who will be leading the hike on July 8.  I have driven by the Profile Trail access road off NC Hwy. 105 many times, but never hiked the trail.  Being a state park, hikers are required to get a permit at the trailhead.  It is an easy process, totally self service.

The Profile Trail is only 3 miles, ascending about 2,000 feet. It is another 0.4 miles on the Grandfather Trail to Calloway Peak, the high point of Grandfather Mountain, just shy of 6,000 feet.  The trail began following a creek, then began a gentle ascent for about 1 mile.  A view of the Foscoe valley and Hwy. 105 opened up.  We noticed quite a bit of road noise the first half of the hike due to the proximity of the highway.  We stopped briefly at a well tended and clean campsite them began climbing more steeply to the Profile View.

The Grandfather profile seen from the trail.

I am used to seeing the profile of the Grandfather from Hwy 105, the one that in your mind's eye is the reclining face of the old man slumbering away. Larger that life, it seems to take up the whole side of the mountain.  The profile from the trail is one cliff face; I can see the Grandfather here too.

The last mile of the Profile Trail is very rocky and steep.  Foot placement is important, and even more so on the way back down.  Once on the ridge, the Profile Trail meets the Grandfather Trail.  The trail sign showed 0.4 miles to Calloway Peak and 1.9 miles to the parking lot at the Swinging Bridge.  We took the short way to the peak and nearby Watauga View.  It was delightfully cool at 5,900 feet and a stiff breeze met us on the northwest side.

Watauga View - can you see the obscenity in the picture? Yes, I mean the high rise on Sugar Mountain.

View along the ridge.

After lunch on sunny Calloway Peak we returned the same way back, picking our way carefully down the steep trail.  There are many interesting rock formations on the trail, some like the picture below with hanging fern gardens.

Thanks to Randy and Rich for a pleasant day hiking on Grandfather Mountain.  The trail was in good shape, thanks to the state park; and getting away from the over 90 temperatures "down the mountain" felt good.  

Getting Our Feet Wet on Forney Creek

The Forney Creek Trail follows its namesake for most of its 11.4 miles.  Forney Creek is one of several major creeks that rise on the flanks of Clingmans Dome and other high mountains along the "spine of the Great Smoky Mountains" along the NC/TN border.  Springs and drainages feed into the main stem of these streams, and as they tumble down the mountains, they gain momentum and volume of water.  On the North Carolina side, many of these streams flow into Lake Fontana, often having their own embayments where the mouths of these streams have been inundated by the lake.

Our hike began at the Clingmans Dome parking lot o the Forney Ridge Trail. This high elevation trail follows Forney Ridge, but we only hiked the first mile to get to the start of Forney Creek Trail.  Going a little farther along the ridge will take you to Andrews Bald, a popular destination for day hikers from the Clingmans Dome area.

The start of the trail at high elevation near Clingmans Dome.

At first the trail dropped sharply through the spruce forest crossing some seeps and small streams that are the headwaters of Forney Creek.  Before long, the sound of rushing water could be heard in the distance and the trail began become less steep as it followed a logging railroad grade.  This made our overall descent easier.

Cascades on the upper part of Forney Creek 

Natural water slide at Camp 68.

Iconic Great Smoky Mountan stream: lot of rocks and green moss.

 There are no bridges on the upper 7 miles of Forney Creek, except for a few footlogs over tributaries. Unlike most footlogs in the Smokies, these have no handrails, so slow and easy get you across.  There are seven major crossings of Forney Creek on this section, some rock hops and at least four required wading through knee-deep water.  On most the current was swift, but manageable.

Retaining wall along a section of the old railroad grade that serves as the trail. 

One of several wet crossings.

As the elevation dropped as the day went on, the temperatures warmed quickly. Each stream crossing gave us a chance to refresh our feet in the cool water.  There were no major problems on the crossings as we stepped carefully and used our poles. The trickiest crossing involved climbing over trees washed down the stream and some large rocks against the far bank.

Another crossing.

After a last crossing, we put our boots on again and followed the Lakeshore Trail to the tunnel that marks the "Road to Nowhere" that was begun on the North Shore of Lake Fontana but never finished by the U.S. government.  At the Lakeshore Trail parking area a bus met us to take us back to Clingmans Dome and our cars parked there.  While the bus ride adds an hour-and-a half to the day, it allows one to get in a long hike without having to arrange other transportation or set up a lengthy car shuttle.

Our hike covered 15.5 miles, and I netted about 9 new trail miles.  Now that I have over 420 miles of the 800+ miles of trails in the Smokies, I am getting more "frequent hiker miles" or bonus miles by having to hike over some trails to reach new trails or to finish a hike.

One last picture from the day.

Summer Hiking in the Smokies

It is June, and that means the beginning of summer hiking in the Smokies.  Each season has advantages and a few disadvantages when it comes to spending time on the trails.  Summer usually means higher humidity and temperatures, a full green canopy overhead, and in some places a profusion of grasses and briars encroaching on the trail.  It is a time to seek out the higher elevations for cooler temperatures or find a cool stream for cooling off.

Filtered sunlight on the Sunkota Ridge Trail

  Summer hiking also brings with it the threat of thunderstorms. The forecast of 50 -70% chance of thunderstorms all week means you might get rained on, but then maybe not.  While it was cloudy all day at home, we had sunny blue skies overhead until afternoon.  On my drive to the Smokies I had this view to the west from the Blue Ridge parkway south of Soco Gap.

Early morning valley clouds 

We hiked a respectable 16 miles Wednesday with over 3,300 feet in elevation gain; 2,200 in the first four miles. Now that I am over halfway on hiking all the trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I am finding myself hiking over trails already done to reach new trails.  Such was the case Wednesday.  The 8.7 mile Sunkota Ridge Trail was the only new trail for me.  The approach trails to Sunkota I had hiked before, as well as the trails leading to the parking lot at Deep Creek.  These "frequent hiker miles" add to the total miles it takes to complete the 900 Miler challenge.

Sunkota Ridge Trail Sign - my "new" trail of the day.

As the name implies, the Sunkota Ridge Trail follow the Sunkota Ridge from Thomas Divide to within a couple miles of Deep Creek.  It undulates along a ridge that is between Thomas Divide and Noland Divide.  Think of these divides as ridges extending laterally from the main spine of high mountains that largely follows the NC/TN state line through the park.  The divides separate drainages that carry streams down on each side of the state line.  Sunkota is derived from the Cherokee word for apple trees, which according to one source once grew in the area.  The ridge varied in width, but in several areas the ridge was fairly narrow.  The views from the ridge were scarce due to the leaf canopy, but a winter hike would yield great views along the ridge.

The Spring wildflowers are giving way to the summer bloomers.  We saw a several flowering plants, especially mountain laurel.  A few of the early summer blooms along the trail.

Mountain Laurel

Columbine - all of these seemed to be looking down.

Flame azalea

Spiderwort (I think).

The hike ended at Deep Creek, a popular park entrance and area near Bryson City. Tubing on the lower mile of Deep Creek is very popular, however due to the thunderstorms in the area and being early in the season, we saw only a few tubers.  The area has a few waterfalls within a short loop that is popular and easy to hike.  We passed two of these falls, Indian Creek Falls and Toms Branch Falls.

Indian Creek Falls

This hike was facilitated by logistics arranged by the Margaret Stevenson Wednesday Hikers.  It is one of several "one way" hikes from US 441 and Clingmans Dome Road down to the Deep Creek and Lakeview Drive areas.  The hike leader arranged for some additional hikers to meet us at Deep Creek and shuttle those of us who hiked one way from Highway 441 back to our cars.  Without this we would have had to set up a time-consuming car shuttle or key swap.  Thanks to Amy for setting it up and for Dennis and Jenny for driving.

We had a good day on the trails and stayed dry the entire hike.  Thunder rumbled all around us, but any light rain was kept off us by the summer tree canopy.

Next week: A "bus hike" - Forney Ridge and Forney Creek from Clingmans Dome to Lakeview Drive.

College Mission Trip to Prescott, Arizona

Our Mission Team: Matt Roberts, Janice Pierce, Steve Pierce, Katie Orndoff, Rachel McMahan, Caleb Ellis, Emily Hogan, Adam Morgan, Lydia Orange, Aaron Whittemore, Tim Parker, Set Free Center Director.

Seven college students and three chaperones from First Baptist Church of Marion recently traveled to Prescott, Arizona to work at the Set Free Center, a new ministry in downtown Prescott.  We were connected with Tim Parker, the director of the Center through Jon Bundy, the grandson of FBC Marion members Bob and Joanne Smathers.  A conversation with Bob and Joanne led to a conversation with Jon which led to a conversation with Tim.  Through the family connections and conversations, God was at work bringing us together.  In a matter of weeks, our trip came together with lodging, meals, and a week's work at the Set Free Center being arranged.

The Set Free Center is a Christ-centered, downtown mission that helps people overcome addictions, whether it is drugs, alcohol, or emotional.  The Center occupies a large second floor area over businesses along busy Cortez Street in Prescott.  While not fully open yet, it is already establishing itself downtown through word-of-mouth and referrals and the support of a few churches in Prescott. Once the Set Free Center is open it will offer counseling services, a coffee shop, gym, and serve as a a hub for Celebrate Recovery, a Christ based 12-step program where men and women come together to share how Christ has changed their lives and is continuing to help change their beliefs, actions and ultimately their outcomes.

Emily and Lydia at the cabin.

Our "home" while in Prescott was the Verner Cabin set among the pine trees at Camp Pinerock. Three bedrooms, a kitchen and living area accommodated our group.  The camp provided a rural setting convenient to our worksite downtown.  The college students divided preparing dinner each night, lunches were made each morning before leaving for work, after a simple breakfast of cereal and fruit.  The dinner menu included spaghetti served with salad, hamburger steak and sides, and one evening, "breakfast for dinner." Evening devotions were held after dinner.


Our work at the Set Free Center was part demolition, part rehabbing flooring materials, and part installation of floors and walls.  Everyone had opportunities to get "down and dirty" working with materials from the over-100 year old building.  Sub-flooring in what will be a new bathroom had to come out so new plumbing could go in.

Adam, Aaron, and Caleb ripping up sub-flooring. Emily is sweeping up the ever-present dust.

Floor up and ready to be plumbed.

The area that will be the coffee bar has a four foot wall separating it from the rest of the space that makes up the Set Free Center.  Old pallet boards were reclaimed to panel these dividers.  Our group cut and nailed the boards to make a rustic wall.  The boards were then sealed with fire-retardant sealer.

Aaron, Matt, Katie, and Rachel selecting boards.

Putting up the boards.

Almost finished!

Tongue and groove flooring had been taken up in parts of the building and the plan was to reuse it in other parts of the floor.  Each piece of the 2.5 inch flooring had many years of paint, dirt and crud that needed to be scraped and sanded so it could be used.  Everyone spent several hours scraping the tongue and groove pieces and sanding the surface.  Lots of dust was generated in this process.

Emily and Lydia sanding.

Janice and Steve scraping.

Katie, Lydia, and Rachel scraping and sanding.

Yet another project was prepping a section of the floor in the main part of the room for the reclaimed tongue and groove flooring.  A center strip the length of the room was cleaned and sub-floored, ready for the flooring to be pieced in.  At three places along the strip a cross was installed.  The crosses will later be painted to stand out.

One of three crosses set in the new floor section.

Getting instruction from Guy, a volunteer contractor, on installing the flooring.

Adam and Caleb installing the floor. 

New floor section runs the length of the main room.

Finishing the floor with Rachel and Katie.

The gym will be a great addition to the Set Free Center.  When we arrived, there were only a few pieces of equipment in the gym.  Weights and equipment were brought to the center, carried up the stairs, and installed in the gym.  No telling how many pounds of weights and equipment were carried up those stairs!

Some of the weights carried up the steps.

All the weights went up these steps.

Pumping iron in the new gym.

One evening we went back to the Set Free Center for a Celebrate Recovery dinner and meeting.  There were at least 50 people there sharing a chili dinner and hearing encouraging words from Pastor Tim.  For many of us it was a first time attending a recovery meeting.  I was impressed by the positive message and the encouragement and support the participants had for one another.

It was a rewarding week and our college students worked hard. All mastered the use of various power tools.  Much was accomplished, but most of all new relationships were made.  We look forward to seeing how God uses the Set Free Center to free people from addiction and give them new lives in Christ.  Our students had positive attitudes all week, and they represented First Baptist Church in an exemplary manner.  Tim came up to me several times during the week to comment on what a great group of young people we have and to thank us for coming.  We were the first out-of-state team to work at the Set Free Center.

You can follow the work of the Set Free Center at their website and their Facebook Page.

Next blog: Our R&R at the Grand Canyon.