January BMT Thru-hike

[RyanK817]

So some friends and I are looking at doing a thru of the BMT sometime during January. I have never been on the BMT, but I was at Springer last week and everything was covered in snow and it was in the low 20's. Do you guys think hiking the whole BMT this time of year is a good experience? I'm not familiar with the terrain and weather, and I didn't know if conditions get unreasonably bad in cold and (potentially) snowy conditions. Anyone been out there a lot during this time of year? Thanks!

[10-K]

It would probably be better than the AT, especially in the Smokies.

[Bati]

The fords at Slickrock and the 2 at Noland would be extremely bad if it's both cold and you have high water. If the water level is low, you'll need to be prepared with a quick change of socks and shoes. Better yet, consider blue-blazing around them if the water is up (see other threads for info).

Unlike the AT, the BMT is not well blazed. It's difficult to follow/find the AT down South when there's significant snow on the ground, but it can be done if you know how to read a map and reduce your mileage accordingly (translation: have extra food in case you need it- the nearest store is not nearby). Finding the rare blaze on the BMT if there's enough snow to cover over the path would be nearly impossible in places as they can be a mile apart. However, the trail is a short enough time commitment that you can probably just bail (or go hike the AT through the park) if you do encounter a lot of snow. And frankly, we seem to get more snow in March than in January.

As for cold temperatures, the BMT spends more time at lower elevations in SMNP, so you'll probably sleep warmer at night than you would on the AT.

As with any trip, make sure someone knows you're out there. The BMT does not have many shelters, so your ability to leave entries in the shelter logs is limited (the park removed these and used them to search for hikers when a bad storm came through), and there is no "network of hostels" who will be calling and trying to trace missing hikers so those safety mechanisms are gone. Also, if you do get a bad storm, the chances of being able to avoid the worst of it by staying in a shelter are reduced as there are so few of them and the campsites are not cleared for possible falling trees.

But the odds are that you'll have great weather and have a great hike, so go- just be prepared with plan B in case you do encounter bad fords, and plan C in case you encounter bad weather.

Enjoy!

[moytoy]

I wouldn't even consider doing the BMT in Jan without a Trail Guide. Go to bmtguide.com.

[10-K]

The first 90 or so miles of the BMT are blazed better than the AT....

.... Well, I don't know if "better" is the right word - but you won't lack for seeing blazes for the first few days.

[The Solemates]

not a problem. winter hiking is the best hiking in the south. just be safe and smart.

[azb]

Just be prepared. It can be 65 degrees one day and you'll be in a blizzard the next. Most times it hovers around the mid 30s and just rains a lot.

Az

[SGT Rock]

I've done it in January. Some things to consider:

Days are shorter, so you have to hike a steady pace during the hours of daylight to make mileage.

Many services are going to be closed on the BMT.

You will be walking past a few great campsites on creeks with good swimming holes, but it will be too cold to get in and enjoy them.

[Mountain Mike]

What about fords? Which ones would you have to Blue Blaze around?

[SGT Rock]

It depends. The two fords you most have to worry about are Noland Creek and Slickrock Creek. There isn't an "approved" blue blaze, so any route you pick based on direction, weather, length, whatever - would be fine. I've forded Noland when it was up, but didn't feel too in danger, just a little cold. I've not forded Slick Rock when it was up, but it really has to rain a lot for it to get up. I have forded it in cold weather and not had an issue because of the cold.

As to bypasses for the trails, blue-blazing around Slickrock would be a long route, especially if you had to back-track. I would rather take a extra day or two of food and have a nice camp on the side of the creek waiting for it to abate. There are a few good campsites on either side of the ford depending on sobo or nobo.

Noland Creek has more options, most obvious to me is to take Spring House Branch Trail out of campsite 64, and then take Forney Ridge Trail up to Clingman's Dome. After that, take Noland Divide back to the BMT. That said, I've not been scared yet by Noland Creek to the point I wouldn't ford it.

[SGT Rock]

For the sake of writing down at least once, I think if you were to have to bypass Slickrock Creek you would probably have a long re-route, and backtracking to do this would suck, especially if you were NOBO and made it all the way to the creek before you found out you needed to turn around. I'll write this out for a NOBO, you will have to look at a map and turn it around to figure out for SOBO.

You have two options on where to leave the BMT. The first would be at Cold Spring Gap (MP 165.6), from there you would go east on Trail 54 (Bob Bald Trail) to Bob Bald - 1.3 miles. If you miss this turn off, then the next would be at Cherry Log Gap (MP 168.4) where you would take Trail 54A (Bob Bald Connector Trail) to Bob Bald - 1.2 miles.

Once on Bob Bald, continue on Bob Bald trail 0.8 miles to Stratton Bald where you get on Trail 53 (Haoe Lead Trail) for 5.6 miles to the intersection with Deep Creek Trail, then follow Deep Creek Trail 3.9 to Saddle Tree Gap.

At Saddle Tree Gap, get on Trail 56 (Hangover Lead Trail) and follow it 5.4 miles to Yellowhammer Gap where you get back on the BMT/Ike Branch Trail (MP 181.7).

So it would be about 2.1 + 5.6 + 3.9 + 5.4 = 17.0 miles and bypass about 13.3 miles of the BMT. But if you had to backtrack NOBO it would add about 12.5 miles of backtracking to get back to Cherry Log Gap.

I'll also state that I took those mileages out of a book, I haven't walked them in decades, so I don't know how accurate the miles are, or what sort of shape those trails are in.

[generoll]

couldn't you go down the Slickrock Creek Trail from Naked Ground? I think there's a trail that parallels the creek on the NC side.

[SGT Rock]

Seems that if the creek was too high to ford, that trail would be underwater.

[generoll]

on the upper sections of the trail? I once did a loop hike several years ago in February and to avoid the numerous crossings of Slickrock Creek we took the Nichols Cove Trail to the campsite by the creek below Big Fat. That trail wasn't real well maintained then and may be worse now, but it was an option. I've never hiked the upper sections of the Slickrock Creek Trail, but it was my impression that it did not cross the creek above that campground.

Of course you'd have to make that decision well before you got to Slickrock Creek and go over Bobs Bald instead of staying on the BMT.

[SGT Rock]

It has been years, but I seem to recall crossing the creek somewhere below the upper falls but before you would have gotten to Stiff Knee.

[generoll]

ditto on the years part. I'm not sure if we're talking the same trails, but I'm thinking going across Bobs Bald to Naked Ground and then down Slickrock Creek Trail to the campsite at Big Fat Branch and then taking Nichols Cove to the junction with Slickrock about where it hooks up with Stiff Knee and the trail to Yellowhammer. Then up to Yellowhammer and out via Ike Branch. Water available, but dry feet the whole way. Dunno how the mileage compares and I do know that Nichols Cove Trail didn't seem to get a lot of use in spots, but I did hike it specifically to avoid all the stream crossings on Slickrock.

I had planned on a loop hike from Big Fat parking area up to Hangover and then around to Naked Ground and then down Slickrock to the trail back up to Big Fat. I don't see the trail now that I'd planned to use to connect from Hangover to Naked Ground, but I'm pretty sure there was one. In any case the road was gated when we got to it so we changed our route and went in there by the 129 bridge instead. One of the kids I was taking fell into the creek on our last crossing above Lower Falls (February) so we stopped there by the connector to Yellowhammer and built a fire and camped for the night. We had been doing boots off fords ( I usually took my pants off when doing this, but we had a young lady along) and I really didn't want anymore creek crossings.

Maybe we could do an overnighter in this area sometime and do a check on my memory. If you can hike Slow.

[Bearpaw]

The first 90 or so miles of the BMT are blazed better than the AT....

.... Well, I don't know if "better" is the right word - but you won't lack for seeing blazes for the first few days.

Is Big Frog Wilderness blazed now? It's been six years since I hiked it, but it was the first long section without blazes, starting at the GA-TN border around mile 80 and going for a little over 10 miles. Still reasonably easy to follow, except for one creek crossing where the trail picked up at a 45 degree angle to the trail and about 100 yards from the south side. Took a few minutes to sort that one out.

[generoll]

Skids and Kanga recently hiked the section from Double Spring to Thunder Rock. Shoot them and email.

[SGT Rock]

Is Big Frog Wilderness blazed now? It's been six years since I hiked it, but it was the first long section without blazes, starting at the GA-TN border around mile 80 and going for a little over 10 miles. Still reasonably easy to follow, except for one creek crossing where the trail picked up at a 45 degree angle to the trail and about 100 yards from the south side. Took a few minutes to sort that one out.

No "official" blazes.

ditto on the years part. I'm not sure if we're talking the same trails, but I'm thinking going across Bobs Bald to Naked Ground and then down Slickrock Creek Trail to the campsite at Big Fat Branch and then taking Nichols Cove to the junction with Slickrock about where it hooks up with Stiff Knee and the trail to Yellowhammer. Then up to Yellowhammer and out via Ike Branch. Water available, but dry feet the whole way. Dunno how the mileage compares and I do know that Nichols Cove Trail didn't seem to get a lot of use in spots, but I did hike it specifically to avoid all the stream crossings on Slickrock.

I had planned on a loop hike from Big Fat parking area up to Hangover and then around to Naked Ground and then down Slickrock to the trail back up to Big Fat. I don't see the trail now that I'd planned to use to connect from Hangover to Naked Ground, but I'm pretty sure there was one. In any case the road was gated when we got to it so we changed our route and went in there by the 129 bridge instead. One of the kids I was taking fell into the creek on our last crossing above Lower Falls (February) so we stopped there by the connector to Yellowhammer and built a fire and camped for the night. We had been doing boots off fords ( I usually took my pants off when doing this, but we had a young lady along) and I really didn't want anymore creek crossings.

Maybe we could do an overnighter in this area sometime and do a check on my memory. If you can hike Slow.

I can hike slow.

[SGT Rock]

If you want to do a loop checking out both routes Gene, I calculated it at about 31 miles including a couple of side trips and a fudge facor for beer math. 3 days and 2 nights sound good.