Lumber Ridge and Meigs Mtn. trails....

   And campsite #20. Wow! what a great overnight hike. The Mysterious One, and I left the Lumber Ridge trailhead at Tremont after waiting out some of the more intense rain and thunderstorms that were going on last Monday the 15th. We were not pressed for daylight so waiting was ok and and we were hiking up Lumber Ridge trail in a light rain around 2pm.

The rain stopped shortly after we began so we were losing the rain gear pretty quick.
Hiking up Lumber Ridge from this direction, begins, and continues as an incline for approx. 3mls. The trail bobbing in and out with the texture of the mtn. until reaching Buckhorn Gap and the intersection of Meigs Mtn. and Meigs Creek trails. at 4.1 mls.
From the gap we took the Meigs Mtn. trail about another 4mls to campsite #20.
We were blessed with blooming rhododendrons and other wild flowers along the route.
This route is a beautiful walk along the side of the mountain any time of year. Once on this trail the loss and gain of elevation is relatively minimal and is usually very quiet. With large trees, wild flowers and wildlife around to experience as you walk.
Campsite #20 used to be a group site and is an open site with little privacy, but easy access to several running streams as sources for water.

Mt. Sterling via Mt. Sterling Gap/Trail

Wow! It's been too long between real hikes in the Appalachian Mtns.! Now I have walked around the house which sits on the edge of some of the bigger foothills of the Appalachian range but not really in the big mountains!
Dave, the hiker guy from Nashville, and I set out on this rainy day for a short, intense hike up the Mt. Sterling Trail from Mt. Sterling Gap, a couple of weeks ago. And we maintained the route though we had to extend it by approx. 4.4 mls because the road was closed at the park boundary which was 2.2 mls. from the trailhead.
This route is difficult in the elevation gained over the short distance covered; Dave, the hiker guy from Nashville, can provide the specific numbers, but it's like 800'/mile traveling in from the trailhead at Mt. Sterling Gap, and is
sometimes a rough and rocky trail.

If someone is needing or wanting to access campsite #38, quickly, it's the route.
However this trail should be approached with some degree of cautious awareness in that it is steep, without much let-up once it starts the incline to it's intersection with the Mt. Sterling ridge and the Benton MacKaye trail.
There were a few vistas even in the heavy foliage of the early summer and water was available along the climb up, though from slow running drainages crossing the trail.
And I assume at the watering hole at #38 but as I was working my way towards that water source (.5 from #38) I saw a bear heading that direction and just decided I'd get some on the way down.
A couple of years ago the Mysterious One and I were sitting on some rocks at the watering hole for site #38, and had a bear just come wandering up for water. We made a quick and safe exit.
Back to the present,  great hike, rain stopped shortly after we began the climb up, and Dave, the hiker guy from Nashville, and I completed the day without injury.

Updated Road Closures Due to snow/ice for Feb 20th

US Hwy 441/Newfound Gap Rd from Gatlinburg TN to Cherokee NC is temporarily closed due to snow/ice. Foothills Parkway West, New Section, also closed temporarily due to snow.

Snow and Ice means Roads Closed in the Smokies

US Hwy 441 Newfound Gap Road between Gatlinburg, TN and Cherokee, NC is closed due to ice/snow. Park Service will advise when reopened. For current information follow the GSMNP link below.

https://twitter.com/SmokiesRoadsNPS

Great Smoky Mountains NP, Announces Temporary Cataloochee Area Road Closures

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that the main access road into the Cataloochee area, Cove Creek Road, will be closed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation to conduct road repairs from February 10 through May 20.

 

The county roadway will be closed to stabilize a hillside just outside the park. The secondary access road into the area, Highway 284, will also be closed in the park throughout the duration of the construction project. Both roadways will be closed to all vehicles, cyclists, and horseback riders.

Backcountry trails and campgrounds will remain open throughout the closure, but there will be no access to trailhead parking beyond the Big Creek area. Hikers and horseback riders should plan to start their itineraries from the Big Creek area or other areas across the park. The Cataloochee Campground, Group Camp, Horse Camp, and all services are expected to be operational by Memorial Day weekend.

 

For more information about the Cove Creek Road repair, please visit the North Carolina Department of Transportation website at

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-01-24-cove-creek-closed-cataloochee.aspx. For more information about road closures, please follow SmokiesRoadsNPS on twitter or visit the park website at www.nps.gov/grsm.