Whats the best trail you have hiked in the southeast region?
Looking for an area to hike for a 2-3 day trip in the coming week. Would prefer a trail that is not going to be cover up with folks.
Thanks - TM
The Cohutta/Big Fog wilderness, N GA / S TN. Lots of trails, you can create your own route going as far as you want from day-to-day. Largest designated wilderness area east of the Mississippi.
Pinhoti...mileage?
30-40 miles. I have done the Pinhoti. I was thinking a little further norther. Maybe TN/NC area. I have done some hiking in Pisgah as well.
North Fork Mountain Trail in WVA hands down. And you'll have the place to yourself, I promise. Best to have a high clearance vehicle.
https://www.hikingupward.com/mnf/northforkmountain/
Be Prepared
Well actually, if you do the whole thing at once a car will be fine. If you want to hit a trailhead in the middle to stash water best to have something more.
Be Prepared
The Foothills Trail is under-rated. I would also consider the Black Creek Trail in Southern Mississippi.
Let's head for the roundhouse; they can't corner us there!
FHT is a nice trail with lots of waterfalls. Solid 3-4 day 77 mile trip...easy shuttle and logistics
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I don't know much about trails in Tbe SE in general... but I've been doing 2-3 day hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for decades and can make several suggestions depending upon your interests.
An example loop I'll toss out is to park at either the Abrams Falls or Gregory Ridge Trailhead. Start your hike with a walk down to Abrams Falls. If you start at Gregory Ridge, it's a 3 mile road walk to the Abrams Falls Trailhead. You can expect to see lots of people at the falls (my personal favorite falls in the whole park). But you will soon find solitude went you continue hiking past the falls. After about a mile, you turn left onto the Hanna Mtn trail staring with a ford of Abrams Creek. There are two campsite along Hanna Mtb to choose to stay at your 1st night. The 2nd day, continue along Hanna Mtn trail and you will eventually cross the currently closed Parsons Branch road and the trail changes to Gregory Bald trail. 4 miles later you will arrive at your camp spot for the second night, #13, my favorite in the whole park. Once you've set up camp, grab your dinner and stove and hike the 1/3 mile trail to Gregory Bald for dinner. Most visitors to Gregory Bald are either day hikers that are usually at the bald around lunch, or hikers staying at #13 who already crossed the bald and are unlikely to return for dinner. While not always the case, I enjoyed several dinners alone at the bald. The last day, cross the bald and pickup Gregory Ridge Trail to finish the loop.
Last edited by HooKooDooKu; 10-21-2017 at 18:07.
Which section of the foothills trail would you recommend?Originally Posted by Last Call
Whats the best 30-35 mile section of that trail if you had to choose?
Whats the best trail you have hiked in the southeast region?
I would say you have to define your definition of "best"
Overall, for sheer uninterrupted trail, wilderness, chance of seeing bears, and some really good views, Id give the nod to AT thru GSMNP.
I saw the least people on the Ozark Highlands Trail. Except thanksgiving break when you might see scout troops, its pretty sparse Nov-mar, prime time.
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 10-21-2017 at 20:20.
The Savage Gulf Rim Trail and the Fiery Gizzard are both great. Beautiful overlooks on the rim loop. Collins loop is also very scenic.
Roan Highlands section of the A.T.
Loop hike the Linville Gorge...some great views and rock formations
Foothills Trail
If you're looking for a less traveled trail, check out the Bartram Trail. Last time out, some yrs ago, didn't see anyone for 3 days.
The problem there is that if you only have three days, there's no great choices.
You have to decide if you want to either do a short out and back, a loop where the AT is only a small part of the loop, or pay for an expensive shuttle.
Now if you don't have to be exclusive to the AT, perhaps the best way to follow this suggestion would be to park at Cosby front country camp ground and get a shuttle to New Found Gap. It won't be a cheap shuttle, buy it will be a lot less than someone wanting a shuttle from Fontana Dam or Davenport Gap to New Found Gap. Many of the shuttle companies home base is between Gatlinburg and Cosby area, so the initial pickup is just a drive down 321 to get you from Cosby.
Newfound Gap to Cosby is definitely doable in 3 days. The biggest issue is how to start, because you have to combine the shuttle with your 1st day's hike. But the 1st shelter is only a little more than 3 miles from the trailhead, and the second one is about 11 miles from the trailhead. But if you can get an early enough start to get to the 2nd shelter, it should be easy enough to make it to Cosby Knob shelter the 2nd night, giving you enough time the third day to hike out to Mt Cammerer lookout tower before doubling back to exit at Cosby campground.
I should have been more specific in my original post. I am not looking to hike any part of the AT. I have done a good bit of hiking in the the southeast but there are always sections of trails that I forget about or have never thought about. I am taking 6 guys on a backpacking trip the first weekend in November. I was planning on doing a 32 mile stretch in the Big South Fork but I wanted to have a backup trail in case of bad weather. Things I am interested in are views, interesting geological features and plenty of water. Not so much tons of water crossings but just ample water for drinking. Also I prefer to avoid areas that do not allow fires.
Thanks for all the input so far!
Yeah I have done both of these trails and they are great. The Savage gulf can get crowded at times.
Art Loeb Trail near Brevard NC is 30 miles. Fantastic trail.
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