GSMNP (Smokies) Itinerary SOBO

[ChinMusic]

A small group of us (45-50 yr-olds) are wanting to do a SOBO through the GSMNP on the AT in late April, early May. I have not hiked in the Smokies before. We have planned a relatively non aggressive 7-day hike. Physically we have recently hiked Amicalola to Springer (November, 4 days) and Damascus to Dennis Cove Rd (January, 4 days) without much issue, to give you some idea. I hike kinda slow but I get there.

Here is the tentative plan:

1. Tues Apr 28 - Davenport Gap to Cosby Knob Shelter 8M
2. Wed Apr 29 - Cosby Knob Shelter to Tri-Corner Shelter 8M
3. Thur Apr 30 - Tri-Corner Shelter to Icewater Spring Shelter 12M
4. Fri May 1 - Icewater Spring Shelter to Doublespring Gap Shelter 14M
5. Sat May 2 - Doublespring to Derrick Knob Shelter 7M
6. Sun May 3 - Derrick Knob shelter to Mollies Ridge Shelter 12M
7. Mon May 4 - Mollies Ridge to Fontana 11M

Comments about the itinerary, about the shelters listed, or any short side trails, or anything else are appreciated. Would we see many NOBOs during that time? I suspect most would most already be past.

[SmokyMtn Hiker]

I SOBO the Smokies this past October, I took 6 days. Your two hardest days of climbing will be day 4 Icewater to Doublespring and day 6 Derrick Knob to Mollies Ridge. The 8 miles from Newfound Gap to Clingmans Dome has a few good climbs that seem to never end and there is he!! of a climb about 1.5 north of Thunderhead Mtn. that is short but seemed straight up. Hope you have fun and there should be plenty of water that time of year which was mostly dry on my trip south of Spence Field

[Ashepabst]

the side trips to Mt Cammerer Firetower (.6 one way) and Charlies Bunion (not sure... but real close if i remember correctly) are worth the detour.

here's a good site with info on the shelters, w/ pics of most: http://www.cs.utk.edu/~dunigan/gsmnp/camp.php.
...unless you don't want to spoil the surprise. (the shelters are at the bottom of the list.)

[SmokyMtn Hiker]

the side trips to Mt Cammerer Firetower (.6 one way) and Charlies Bunion (not sure... but real close if i remember correctly) are worth the detour.

here's a good site with info on the shelters, w/ pics of most: http://www.cs.utk.edu/~dunigan/gsmnp/camp.php.
...unless you don't want to spoil the surprise. (the shelters are at the bottom of the list.)

The side trip to Shuckstack Tower is also worth the trip and yes Charles Bunion is just off the trail to the west. The shelters you have listed to hopefully stay at are all renovated with the covered front area and no chain link fence to look at.

[Frick Frack]

Looks good! That was our exact itinerary when my brother-in-law & I hiked our 1st section of the AT. More recently the GSMNP was my wife's favorite section on our sobo. The Double Spring Gap Shelter is one of the nicest shelters I have stayed in. It will be beautiful. Have a great time.

[ChinMusic]

I SOBO the Smokies this past October, I took 6 days. Your two hardest days of climbing will be day 4 Icewater to Doublespring and day 6 Derrick Knob to Mollies Ridge. The 8 miles from Newfound Gap to Clingmans Dome has a few good climbs that seem to never end and there is he!! of a climb about 1.5 north of Thunderhead Mtn. that is short but seemed straight up. Hope you have fun and there should be plenty of water that time of year which was mostly dry on my trip south of Spence Field

Regarding day 4: We are meeting with a couple others at Newfound Gap on that day (they are hiking the Gap to Fontana). We might blow past Icewater on day 3 and have them pick us up at Newfound Gap, head into town for a meal, hotel, and then start day 4 at Newfound Gap. Just an option. Makes day 3 a 15-miler.

[sbennett]

I think you've got right. Really, the only alternative is to pull a 14 mile day on Day 2 (from Cosby Knob to Peck's) and the same the next day (Peck's to Mt. Collins), and then relax the rest of the hike. I think a 14 mile day from Cosby to Peck's might be easier than a 14 mile day from Icewater to Doublespring Gap with the added benefit of not having to stay at the Doublespring Gap Shelter (which looked really bad the last time I saw it). Going to Mt. Collins from Peck's wouldn't be too bad b/c you're only doing half the climb up Clingman's Dome. Then go Mt. Collin's to Derrick Knob the next day, then to Spence Field or Russell Field the next day, then finally to campsite 113 or Fontana.

Just an idea. I like your plan and this was the only alternative I could think of to avoid staying at Doublespring and allowing you a shorter hike from Derrick Knob to wherever you stop (the 6 mile section to Derrick Knob is known for being rugged).

Hope you have a good hike!

[snowhoe]

If you start at new found to double spring I think its all up hill cant really remember. You guys will defentely be pretty tired. I think that you can do it. You guys seem to be up to the challenge

[Ramble~On]

Doing that section at that time will be a very social thing at the shelters!
They'll be packed and then some. All shelters in the park require reservations unless you're hiking in and beyond 50 miles on either side of the park. - You still need a backcountry permit though and space in the shelter likely won't be yours for the taking if you get there ahead of those with permits.
-- As mentioned the side trips are very worth it and if you can swing it a stroll down the Boulevard Trail to Myrtle Point ( maybe stay at Mount Le Conte shelter) is well worth the effort.
Most of the NOBO thruhikers will already be past the park by then but there may still be a number of April 1st starters and those after them coming through plus the huge number of spring folks who flock up there at that time each year...and for good reason, it's a great hike- enjoy.

[ChinMusic]

Doing that section at that time will be a very social thing at the shelters!
They'll be packed and then some. All shelters in the park require reservations unless you're hiking in and beyond 50 miles on either side of the park.

We know about the reservation part. Haven't called in yet. Wanted to post first and get input. We won't be "faking" the 50-mile thing and will be playing it straight. None of us like shelters either but we know the rules. Hopefully the shelters will be full when we get there....tent time.

Thanks for all the input so far guys. I greatly appreciate it.

[Ramble~On]

Hopefully the shelters will be full when we get there....tent time.

Exactly. I understand the park's stance, I understand the hiker's stance and I understand the park visitors who venture too far from their cars, the spring breakers..etc. I don't understand why our government doesn't see that in many cases our public lands are being heavily used and perhaps create more of them and better fund those existing.......uh oh ...I'm rambling on. Semi solitude may be found in a tent...but ya still gotta camp close to the shelter.

[Ox97GaMe]

A couple of comments....

First, the pick pack of thru hikers will be hitting the Smokies generally between April 1 and May 1. There will still be large packs of them even into mid May. Most will be shooting to get to Damascus for Trail Days around May 15. Hot Springs has their town festival the weekend of April 27th this year, which may pull a lot of the thru hikers out of the park before you get there the last week, or you could be right in the middle of them.

Second, the Smokies always get at least one snowstorm in the month of April. Some years it is early in the month, some years it is late, and some years it is both. This will stack up hikers in shelters as well as delay your trip. Have a good SMNP trail map with you just in case. This will help you in deciding which alternate route you might need to take off the mountain if weather turns bad.

Lastly, your itinerary looks pretty good, but 2 of your longer days are over the most difficult sections. There are 3 areas that will be the major challenges when hiking south. They are:
a) the 4.5 mile climb out of Davenport gap to Cammerer Fire Tower. This is your first day, fully loaded, and getting your trail legs established. WELCOME to the park. Dont get discouraged. This is also your short day per the schedule and the trail from the firetower to the shelter will seem pretty tame after that initial climb.

b) The 6 miles from Newfound Gap to Clingman's Dome is a gradual climbing roller coaster of 100-200 ft ups and downs. You will gain over 1000 ft of 'actual' elevation per the elevation markers at both locations, but the reality is that you will climb approx 2000 and descend about 1000 over this distance. PUDS, PUDS, PUDS....

c) The 6 miles from Derrick Shelter to Spence field has the second worse climb. The climb over Thunderhead isnt as bad as that first day's climb, but it will get your attention when combined with the constant up and down of the morning. But.. on a good day, the view over to Shuckstack and back to Clingman's and LeConte is priceless.


** depending on how you feel about steep downhills, the final 3 miles from Shuckstack to Fontana Dam may also get your attention. It will be the mirror image of what you climbed up the first day.

have a great hike.

[SmokyMtn Hiker]

Regarding day 4: We are meeting with a couple others at Newfound Gap on that day (they are hiking the Gap to Fontana). We might blow past Icewater on day 3 and have them pick us up at Newfound Gap, head into town for a meal, hotel, and then start day 4 at Newfound Gap. Just an option. Makes day 3 a 15-miler.

That wouldn't be bad at all considering the 3 miles from Icewater to Newfound is pretty much all down hill. Then you would be refreshed more the next day when leaving Newfound after a nights sleep in a hotel bed.

[Ox97GaMe]

One final note.. IF you have to bail due to bad weather, you will NOT want to take either of the following trails down to the Lake Fontana area. The river crossings can be dangerous in cold weather and impassible during/after heavy rains.
a) Forney Creek Trail. This has approximately a dozen river crossings. Ive seen debris in trees 20 feet above 'normal' water levels on this trail.
b) Eagle Creek Trail. This has approximately 20 river crossings. Several of these crossings are waist deep during 'normal' water levels.

Remember to stay safe.

[ChinMusic]

I have a good map with all the side trails. I have GPS with the 24K map too.

I have an AT&T cell phone. What areas might I have coverage to call the wife if there is a sched plan? She will be doing her thing in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge etc. Kinda a separate vacation thing as she can't hike.

I assume that my 30* bag will do for that time of year. I have a 0* but think it would be overkill. I'll prob just put the 0* in the car should the weather forecast be unseasonable. In a tent I know I'm good to 25 in my 30, not sure about shelter sleeping.

[xnav]

I'm a 58 year old average hiker. Here was my itinerary for the GSMNP:
Davenport Gap to Cosby Knob - 29 Dec 08
Cosby Knob to Pecks Corner - 30 Dec 08
Pecks Corner to Icewater Spring - 31 Dec 08
Icewater Spring to Double Spring - 1 Jan 09
Double Spring to Spence Field - 2 Jan 09
Spence Field to Fontana - 3 Jan 09.
I did not take any side trips except for Charlie's Bunion. Weather was brutal so I was just trying to make it thru the park as fast as I could. If I were going to hike during your time period I would probably take my time and see as many of the side attractions as I could. On the two days weather was good the park offered fantastic views.

[SmokyMtn Hiker]

I have a good map with all the side trails. I have GPS with the 24K map too.

I have an AT&T cell phone. What areas might I have coverage to call the wife if there is a sched plan? She will be doing her thing in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge etc. Kinda a separate vacation thing as she can't hike.

I assume that my 30* bag will do for that time of year. I have a 0* but think it would be overkill. I'll prob just put the 0* in the car should the weather forecast be unseasonable. In a tent I know I'm good to 25 in my 30, not sure about shelter sleeping.

I have Verizon and I had a signal at every shelter I stayed at except Silers Bald, I also only turned it on of the evening to conserve battery power in case of an emergency.

[sliderule]

...we know the rules. Hopefully the shelters will be full when we get there....tent time.

Thanks for all the input so far guys. I greatly appreciate it.

According to the rules, only thruhikers are permitted to "tent."

[ChinMusic]

According to the rules, only thruhikers are permitted to "tent."

Dang it, didn't know that part. I wonder why. If the shelter is full, it is full. If a thru or section hiker tents, what is the difference?

[kytrailman]

Chin-- stealth if you have to-- I do in the park all of the time and it is fine.