I day hiked up Sam Knob a few years ago, and I liked the area so much that I am planning to spend some overnights in the area in the end of June. I知 pretty much a newbie to overnighting (after many years of hiatus), and I have all new gear that I am testing out before making some hikes in Washington (Northern Cascades, Olympic and Mount Rainier) later this summer. I plan on keeping a slow pace, keeping the distances per day at about five miles or so, and taking my time to stop for lots of pictures and to enjoy the ride. Looking for some insight on my plan and the area.

Likely to get a late start on the first day, I値l depart from the parking lot off of Black Balsam Road/FS 816, and I値l hike on the Sam Knob Trail (#617) down to Flat Laurel Creek (overnight #1). From there, I値l take the Flat Laurel Creek Trail (#346), the Little Sam Trail (#347), the Mountains to the Sea Trail (#440), overlap with the Art Loeb Trail (#146), and then follow the continued MST to the headwaters of the Yellowstone Prong, where I plan to overnight (overnight #2). This brings up my first questions.

First, to know when I have arrived at my stop point for the day, I understand that there is a bridge, possibly made of cement, that crosses the headwaters of the Yellowstone Prong where it meets the trail, and that the headwaters pass under this bridge. Is this true? Second, are there good places to make camp around there? Third, can I count on this as a water source in the end of June?

After I leave that site, I値l head from the MST to the Graveyard Ridge Trail (#356), the Graveyard Ridge Connector (#356A), and I値l camp out (overnight #3) around Graveyard Fields, checking out the falls in the area along the Yellowstone Prong. Any good suggestions for camp sites there?

After Graveyard Fields, I値l loop back to my starting point, stopping again at the Yellowstone Prong headwaters area (overnight #4), but I plan to vary the return by taking the MST on the other side of Graveyard Ridge, and I値l exit to the parking lot by taking the Flat Laurel Creek Trail instead of going back up the Sam Knob Trail, unless I have time and get inspired to check out Sam Knob Summit again. However, since I haven稚 seen it before, if I am on schedule, a bigger priority would be to check out Black Balsam Knob.

My last question concerns the condition of the trail along my route. I hear that things are not well marked, and that the trail can be overgrown, making things confusing. If anyone can pass along some information and advice about this, that would be very helpful.