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  1. #1
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    Default Hike the Smokies in May!

    Looking for partners to hike from Fontana Dam to Hot Springs (107 miles), starting on May 16. Trip is expected to take 8 to 10 days. There are currently 3 hikers in the group (2 gals and 1 guy all over 50). We are planning to meet in Gatlinburg on the 15th or 16. That could change depending on individual travel plans. Hike is open to all hikers, regardless of age, gender, race, creed, hiking experience, political affiliation, or musical tastes. Our goal is simply to enjoy the trail and make new friends along the way. If interested, e-mail me at [email protected]. I will be leaving from the Baltimore area so if there's anyone in central MD or southern PA who needs a ride, just let me know.

  2. #2
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    Sounds like a fun trip, especially in May, but it's not clear that you've researched adequately. Every person in your group will have to have reservations at the specific shelters you'll be using on your hike, doable with three people, but likely to be a problem if the group grows. And no, park rules won't allow you to put up a tent unless you're a thru-hiker, and you don't meet their definition.

    https://smokiespermits.nps.gov/

  3. #3
    GSMNP 900 Miler
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    Quote Originally Posted by illabelle View Post
    ..Every person in your group will have to have reservations at the specific shelters you'll be using on your hike...
    Just to clarify, Only the group leader needs to make the reservations for the group.
    But illabelle is correct in that the larger the group the more difficult it will be to make the required reservations. You're also limited to a maximum group size of 8. Even if you're group is broken up across multiple permits, everyone with the exact same itinerary is going to be considered one group.

    However, the longer your stay in GSMNP, the higher priority you get for the later days of your trip because you are allowed to start making reservations for your entire trip 30 days from the start of your first night in GSMNP. So someone with a 5 day itinerary starting on the 16th will get priority over someone with a 4 day itinerary starting on the 17th. So if you try to get your permit the first day it becomes available, it should be possible to get a permit for the whole group (assuming there are not other groups trying to start on the same date or earlier).

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu View Post
    Just to clarify, Only the group leader needs to make the reservations for the group.
    But illabelle is correct in that the larger the group the more difficult it will be to make the required reservations. You're also limited to a maximum group size of 8. Even if you're group is broken up across multiple permits, everyone with the exact same itinerary is going to be considered one group.

    However, the longer your stay in GSMNP, the higher priority you get for the later days of your trip because you are allowed to start making reservations for your entire trip 30 days from the start of your first night in GSMNP. So someone with a 5 day itinerary starting on the 16th will get priority over someone with a 4 day itinerary starting on the 17th. So if you try to get your permit the first day it becomes available, it should be possible to get a permit for the whole group (assuming there are not other groups trying to start on the same date or earlier).
    Interesting. I didn't know about the group priority thing.
    "The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
    But I have promises to keep,
    And miles to go before I sleep,
    And miles to go before I sleep."

  5. #5
    Registered User The Cleaner's Avatar
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    Default Hike the Smokies in May!

    I'd expect crowded shelters with large numbers of thur hikers expected.
    Sleep on the ground, rise with the sun and hike with the wind....

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by JumpMaster Blaster View Post
    Interesting. I didn't know about the group priority thing.
    If I understand correctly, it's not a priority for groups, it's a priority based on how long your trip is. As HKDK said,
    you are allowed to start making reservations for your entire trip 30 days from the start of your first night in GSMNP. So someone with a 5 day itinerary starting on the 16th will get priority over someone with a 4 day itinerary starting on the 17th.
    So let's say you're trying to register on the 17th for 4 days (days 17, 18, 19, 20 of the next month), but I registered on the 16th for five days (days 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 of the next month), and I grabbed the last spots, so now you can't make reservations. I had a slight advantage over you because I planned to start one day earlier. I think people used to do this on the old system, even if they had no intention of being there on the 16th.

  7. #7

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    If you can't get shelter reservations on the AT, or even if you could, but don't care for the "thru crowd", consider hiking off the AT with the many lesser used side trails. All the side trails have tent campsites, always easier to get reservations for, instead of shelters if you like tenting. Not sure how much extra mileage you'd get, but following Benton McKaye on the NC side is the most obvious alternative and it may be ?? 10-20 miles more than the AT.

    Wish I could join you, but I've got a 10 day section in VA in April lined up already.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Cleaner View Post
    I'd expect crowded shelters with large numbers of thur hikers expected.
    Why would there be a lot of thru hikers at mile 160 on May 16? I would have thought they were long gone

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