Cataloochee Divide Tail

Ttailhead at Cove Creek Gap

Many things draw hikers to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Trails to prominent peaks with expansive views, trails along streams punctuated by waterfalls, groves of old growth trees, and historic cabins and houses that remind us of the people who settled the area before the park was established.  I enjoy seeing all these, but probably my favorite draw to the trails in the Smokies are the ridge or divide trails.  Several trails follow long ridges that divide the park into distinct areas or mark the boundary between the park and the "outside world."  These divide trails offer up and down ridge hiking and views on one or both sides of the trail.

On a cool and at first overcast morning, two of us began hiking the Cataloochee Divide Trail from Cove Creek Gap to Double Gap - 6.4 miles according to the trailhead sign.  This divide runs along the park's eastern/southeastern border, separating Jonathan Valley (outside the park) on the south and Cataloochee Valley (inside the park) to the north.  We began a steady climb from the gap and were soon rewarded with views on both sides of the trail.  As we looked out over Jonathan Valley we could see farms, roads, and the infrastructure of rural Haywood County.  In the distance we could see Mt. Pisgah, Cold Mountain, Craggy Dome, Mt. Mitchell and the Black Mountains.  By contrast, on the right we looked across Cataloochee Valley to Mt. Sterling Ridge and further on, Balsam Mountain Ridge.  Several peaks over 6,000 feet lie along this ridge, including Big Cataloochee Mountain.  These high ridges are crowned by dark spruce trees, an indication of their high elevation.

View southeast: Mt. Pisgah is the rounded peak at center on the horizon, Cold Mountain is visible in the distance on the right (just behind the branch).

View Northwest: Mt. Sterling Ridge across Cataloochee Valley.  

Not visible in the pictures are the WLOS TV transmission tower on Mt. Pisgah and the Mt. Sterling lookout tower.  We were able to make out these towers from the ridge.

Because the divide follows the park boundary, houses on private land were seen from the trail.  A fence, built by the CCC in the 1930s, marks the park boundary.  The carport of one house was only a few yards from the trail.

Cataloochee Divide Trail along the fence marking the GSMNP boundary.

An old trail sign just outside the park boundary.

Near Double Gap, the trail skirts a private resort, The Swag.  First, there is Gooseberry Knob, a groomed area with chairs and a gazebo with an impressive view, then the resort buildings and parking lot.  As the name implies the resort lies in a swag between Hemphill Bald and Purchase Knob. 

Gooseberry Knob - part of The Swag resort - waiting for folks to sit and soak up the sun . . . 

. . . and soak up the view.

A mile further is Double Gap and the end of the Cataloochee Divide Trail, but not the end of the Cataloochee Divide.  The Hemphill Bald Trail follows the divide for another four miles or so.  A short steep climb brought us to Hemphill Bald (5,540') and a scenic lunch spot complete with a stone picnic table with a locator map for all the mountains across the vista.  The area is part of Cataloochee Ranch.

Fred Flintstone's picnic table, complete with a peak locator map.

Lunch view #1: A little snow and some skiers at Cataloochee Ski Area.

Lunch view #2: The Plott Balsams - Left is Plott Balsam, center is Mt. Lyn Lowry, right is Waterock Knob; three peaks over 6,000 feet.

After lunch we returned on the same trail to the trail junction with McKee Branch Trail. Going left would take us down to Cataloochee Valley, but we went right to the property of the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center at Purchase Knob.  A large home and over 500 acres of land was donated to the GSMNP by the Gilmore and McNeil families.  The house was renovated to serve as the science center.  It is an impressive facility that hosts visiting scientists and provides education programs for teachers and students.

The Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center.

Also on the grounds is the historic Ferguson Cabin. Built in the 1870s, the cabin is the highest-elevation historic cabin in the Smokies.  Inside the cabin is a placard giving the history of the Ferguson family and the cabin. An interesting side note: funding for the renovation of the cabin was provided by Aurora Foods, Inc. - makers of Log Cabin syrup. How appropriate!

Ferguson Cabin

The gate at the entrance to the Science Center was locked, so our car was about a mile's walk down the a gravel road. It was downhill, so not too bad a way to end the hike.  We ended up hiking 12.3 miles and an elevation gain of 2,740 feet.  A good hike with fabulous views.  This hike is on my "Do Again List" and would make a good CMC hike next fall.

One last picture.  The forest often has unusual and interesting trees.  What do you see in this photo?

It may not show up well in this photo, but to me, it is a reindeer with the Grinch's face.  If you don't see it in the photo, go see it in person on the Cataloochee Divide Trail.

Sugarland Mountain Trail

There are trails of all lengths and descriptions in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Each has its own characteristics depending on elevation, water features, and the area of the park it is located.  For me, there is something special about hiking the longer trails in the park from end-to-end.  Such was the case with Monday's hike, the Sugarland Mountain Trail.  One end of the trail branches off the Appalachian Trail near Mt. Collins, accessed from the Clingmans Dome Road. The other end of the trail is on Little River Road a few miles west of the Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlanburg.

As the signs at each end of the trail show, there is not complete agreement on the length of the trail.

Sugarland Mountain Trail sign at the top where it joins the AT. Note the distance to Fighting Creek Gap on Little River Road is 12.1 miles.

Sugarland Mountain Trail sign at the bottom on Little River Road.  It shows 12.0 miles to the AT.

So, I don't know where the extra 0.1 of a mile is. Either way you hike it, you get from Little River Road to the AT!

Like many of the longer trails in the park, the Sugarland Mountian Trail has several distinct characteristics due to the elevation change.  Where the trail begins at the AT, the elevation is 5,900 feet; on Little River Road, the elevation is 2,300 feet.  The trail passes from a spruce-fir forest, then rhododendron and mountain laurel, deciduous hardwoods of poplar, maple and oak, and a mixed forest of pine and hardwoods.  The other great feature of this trail is for several miles it follows a fairly narrow ridge that affords great views of the surrounding mountains.

The heavy snow that fell over a week ago on the high mountains in the Smokies was still evident when we began hiking on the AT and upper Sugarlands.  It was not too slick, and we were able to get decent footing on the trail.

The Appalachian Trail near Mt. Collins.

Sugarland Mountain Trail near the AT.

Sunshine and snow.

Not far down the trail we were able to see the observation tower with its spiral ramp on 6,643 foot Clingmans Dome, the highest peak in the Smokies.  It looked small due to the distance away.  Other views included Mt. LeConte and the long spine of mountains that forms the NC/TN border and carries the Appalachian Trail.

Mt. LeConte from Sugarlands Mountain Trail

At lower elevations we entered an oak-poplar-maple forest.  This Fall has seen a heavy mast crop, and there were lots of acorns on the trail.  At our lunch spot we noticed a cache of acorns in a niche of a tree.  Not sure if a squirrel collected them, or a clever hiker who wanted to provide a conversation starter for passers-by.

A squirrel's cache for winter?

There were several large boulder fields and rocks along the trail.  Plants in the Smokies are able to root in the most unlikely places.  A rhododendron grabbed a tenuous foothold in a rock crevice.

Will it bloom next summer?

As we reached lower elevations the last of this season's color was evident.  Some maples still show yellow and reds, but the oaks seemed to be predominant with their muted red, yellow and brown leaves hanging on.

At the end of some hikes you are more than ready to reach your car.  Today, however, the hike ended before I was ready.  It was such a beautiful day, and the trail had everything that makes for a great hike in the Smokies, that an additional mile or two would have been welcome.  Not to worry though, there are several trails in this area, so I will be visiting this part of the park again, and several miles of the Sugarland Mountain Trail will be hiked.  Many thanks to the Margaret Stevenson Hikers who coordinated this hike and for arranging the key swap to avoid having to shuttle cars.

Little Cataloochee and Long Bunk Trails

The Cook Cabin c. 1856

The Cataloochee area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known for its many elk and for several historic structures that are maintained by the National Park Service.  The main valley at Cataloochee was settled in the 1830s, however the more isolated Little Cataloochee Valley was settled a generation later beginning in 1854.  Farming and cattle raising were how families earned a living.

This hike was a key swap hike, so two of us hiked from the Cataloochee end and two others hiked from Mt. Sterling Gap end.  We drove each others cars, so my car would be where we ended the hike.  The most important part of a key swap is to meet the hikers coming from the other direction and swap car keys.

To reach Little Cataloochee, we began hiking along Palmer Creek on the Pretty Hollow Trail.  After 0.8 mile we turned off on the Little Cataloochee Trail, climbing up the divide to  Davidson Gap and then descending into Little Cataloochee Valley.  It was evident this valley supported several farms.  Trees all the same size had taken over what was at one time cleared land, and stone walls were seen not far off the trail.

Stone wall near the trail.

About three miles in we came to the Little Cataloochee Church, which back in the day would have been one of the centers of the settlement.

Little Cataloochee Church, 1889

Near the Cook Cabin (see photo at the top of this post) a sizable stone foundation could be seen.  We guessed it was all that was left of a house or barn, but the Hiking Trails of the Smokies guide book identifies it as the remains of an apple house.  Apples were widely grown in Little Cataloochee.

Remains of an apple house.

Farther up the trail we came to the Hannah Cabin, built in 1864.  If you look closely on the porch in the second picture, you will see a hiking companion who joined us here.

Unlike the Cook Cabin, the Hannah Cabin has no windows.

Our hiking companion on the porch.

The Catalochee area of the park is not too far from the park boundary, so during hunting season it is not unusual to see a bear hunter's dog with a radio collar on the trails.  Hunting is not allowed in the national park, but I guess the dogs don't read the "Welcome to GSMNP" signs!  The dog followed us to the junction with the Long Bunk Trail, where we met up with our fellow hikers (and swapped keys) and decided to have lunch.  This became a challenge because as soon as the food came out the dog was all over us - he was hungry!  We stood and ate a few bites as he jumped from one of us to another looking for a handout.  He did pose for a picture.

He stood still for a picture. Almost looks like a statue.

Before ascending the Long Bunk Trail to the Mt. Sterling Trail and our waiting car, we had to hike the last mile of the Little Cataloochee Trail out to the trailhead on NC Hwy 284.  Most people would not hike this mile out to the road unless they had a car parked there.  But when you are hiking ALL the trails in the Smokies, these little pieces of the trails need to be covered.  So we hiked 1 mile out and 1 mile back to complete all 5.1 miles of the Little Cataloochee Trail.  

It rained the first hour of the hike, and the rest of the day we were hiking under overcast skies.  As we climbed higher toward the Mt. Sterling Trail, the fog seemed to descend on us.  While not raining, droplets of water collected and fell on us from the leaves of the trees.  We kept waiting for the sun the forecast promised, but we never saw it.  As we hiked on the temperature dropped and the wind picked up.  When we got to the car at 3:15 it was 45 degrees in a stiff wind.  

While we had no sun and overcast skies, the colors were still bright.  Red, orange, and yellow maples were bright despite the grey skies.  Some leaf-peeping pictures end this post.  The day netted me 10 more new trail miles and my total trail miles has hit 295 - almost 300 miles of the 800+ under my belt!

Two Fall Hikes this Week

This week has been one of the best for Fall hiking - cool crisp mornings and mild days under cerulean skies.  I was able to get in two hikes this week: Wednesday along a section of the Lakeshore Trail, and Friday along Thomas Divide.  The fall colors are nearing their peak at lower elevations, and higher elevations are past peak.

Trail Junction sign at Proctor on Hazel Creek

Wednesday's hike began and ended with a boat ride across Lake Fontana from the Village Marina to the north shore and trailheads a section of the Lakeshore Trail.  We hiked a 12.5 mile section of the trail from Pilkey Creek to Eagle Creek.  The Lakeshore Trail covers more than 30 miles of the north shore of Lake Fontana from Fontana Dam to the tunnel at the end of Lakeview Drive near Bryson City.  Before Fontana Dam impounded the lake, the region was dotted with farms and thriving with lumber mills.  The people were relocated as the rising waters of the lake inundated roads and isolated the area.  Parts of the Lakeshore Trail follow old highway 288 that ran through the region.  Along the trail are remnants of the settlements; stone chimneys, rock walls, a few structures, and abandoned cars.

Our hike took us up and down several ridges that extend into the lake.  The sourwood trees were on display, their bright red leaves shining in the sunlight.

Our hike ended at Campsite 90 near Eagle Creek and the trail junction with the Eagle Creek Trail.  This trail ascends 8.7 miles up to the Appalachian Trial near Spence Field - another hike for another day.  We crossed an impressive old steel bridge across the creek and waited for the boat to pick us up and carry us across the lake to the marina and our cars.

Sturdy bridge across Eagle Creek

Eagle Creek from the Bridge.

Friday, on an equally clear Fall day, three of us hiked on three trails off Highway 441 on the NC side of the park: Kanati Fork Trail, Thomas Divide Trail, and Newton Bald Trail.  Kanati Fork climbs 2,100 feet over 2.9 miles from the Oconoluftee River to Thomas Divide.  It is steep, but well graded.  While we only had a few glimpses of Kanati Fork, we were rewarded with some nice fall colors.

We reached Thomas Divide and followed the ridge for over 4 miles.  We had glimpses of mountain ridges to the north and southwest through the trees.  This trail was the highlight of the day.

Thomas Divide Trail

While on the trail, Rich and I took a moment to celebrate World Polio Day.  Both Rich and I are Rotarians, and Rotary International has an emphasis to end polio worldwide through its End Polio Now campaign.  Polio is all but eliminated, only endemic in a few countries.  Rotary uses the phrase "We are this close" to remind us how close we are to finally eliminating polio.  Here, Rich and I are showing how close we are.

"We are this close" to ending polio.

The Newton Bald Trail was a gradual descent back down to Highway 441 near Smokemont Campground.  As we lost elevation the colors intensified with orange maples, yellow poplars, and red sourwood.

Both days of hiking added 23 miles to the Smokies trail map.  I now have 285 miles completed of the 800+ miles of trails.  Also, I have hiked 47 new trail miles in October, that with my sponsors has raised $164.00 for End Polio Now.

Hiking Around Deep Creek

I spent the last three days hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  The plan was to camp at Deep Creek near Bryson City and hike the trails in that part of the park.  Because of the forecast for storms and heavy rain, I ended up staying in a cabin in the campground - a guarantee that no matter how wet I got on the trail, I would have a dry place to sleep.  The forecast was correct, it rained heavily Monday and Tuesday nights as well as during the day Monday and Tuesday.

The rain did not deter our planned hikes.  Monday we completed two loop hikes. The first loop was near the tunnel at the end of Lakeview Drive, known to some as "The Road to Nowhere."  This was the road that was to give access to the North Shore of Fontana Lake, but after many delays and only a few miles and one tunnel constructed, the project was abandoned.

Sign on Lakeview Drive near Bryson City making a statement about the abandoned road project.

The unpaved end of the tunnel. Lakeview Drive stops just short of the other end of the tunnel.

We hiked the short two-mile Goldmine Loop Trail and the Tunnel Bypass Trail from the end of Lakeview Drive.  One end of the 35-mile Lakeshore Trail begins at this tunnel and the other end is near Fontana Dam.  Another hike for another time!

The second loop hike began at the Deep Creek parking area and took us by three waterfalls.  The first is Juney Whank Falls, a 40 foot cascade just 3 tenths of a mile from the parking area.  The name Juney Whank is either from a Cherokee phrase meaning "place where the bear passes" (we didn't see a bear) or refers to Mr. Junaluska "Juney" Whank, who is said to be buried near the falls (no sighting of him either).

Juney Whank Falls from the bridge on the trail;

Just a short distance up the Deep Creek Trail Tom Branch Falls can be seen across Deep Creek. The 75 foot cascade is a little more impressive and quite scenic since it is viewed it from across the creek.

Tom Branch Falls

The third waterfall on this loop is Indian Creek Falls appropriately on the Indian Creek Trail just past the intersection with the Deep Creek Trail.  While only 25 feet high, the falls cascade across a broad slab of bedrock, making it fairly impressive.

Indian Creek Falls

We completed a loop by connecting with the Loop Trail back to the Deep Creek Trail and on to the parking area.  I took an alternate trail, the Deep Creek Horse Trail only because I needed to hike the two-mile trail for the Smokies 900 map. Most people would not opt to hike on a trail that solely exists for horses to reach the Deep Creek Trail without going through a parking area and the heavily traveled portion of the Deep Creek Trail.

After a night of hard rain and a wet start to the day, we delayed hiking the next morning for an hour.  Although cloudy and cool, at least no rain was falling.  We began hiking up Thomas Divide, and as the sign shows,  the trail went up for 5.6 miles.

After 1:00 the cloudy skies gave way to rain, not too bad at first, but then the bottom dropped out. For the next 2 hours we plodded up (again) Indian Creek Motor Road Trail back to Thomas Divide and then Stone Pile Gap Trail.  By then the rain ended and we began to see some sun peeking through the clouds.  Another 2 miles and we were back at our cars and ready to get wet clothes and packs off. 

On a rainy week a cabin beats a tent any time.

All night the rain drummed on the roof.  I was getting my mind ready for a day of rainy hiking, but after 8:00 the clouds began lifting and when we started out at 9:30 the sun was out.  All day we had blue sky, bright sun, and crisp Fall-like air.  Like the day before, the morning was mostly a long climb  up Deeplow Gap Trail and Mingus Creek Trail to Newton Bald.  Although it got cooler as we climbed, our effort kept us warmed up.  We stopped for lunch at the high elevation for the day - about 5000 feet - and really felt the cool air and fresh breeze.  Everyone was putting on another layer or two.

The rest of the day was over ridges and down to our cars along another section of Thomas Divide Trail and Deeplow Gap Trail.  We came upon Little Creek Falls a couple miles from our cars; a scenic cascade to wind up the hike.

Little Creek Falls

Over the three days we hiked more than 33 miles, and I logged 26.5 new trail miles toward the Smokies 900.  We were lucky we only had a few hours of hiking in the rain and had such a beautiful day on our last hike.  

I am all smiles since I have over 266 hiking miles marked on my trail map!