From what i understand, there is no resupply within the Great Smokey Mountains NP. Really? No park stores or anything? And…if I were to go to Gaitlinburg to resupply…are there any known shuttles there or is it really easy to hitch a ride? I also read that re-supply at Fontana Dam pretty much sucks. I imagine this would make it difficult to stock up enough there to make it through the smokies. Any comments? Thanks!
C-Giddy
You can take a chance on getting a hitch from a tourist at Newfound Gap (nothing there except a car park). It worked for me (I think the English accent probably helped quite a bit). There’s a cab company in Gatlinburg and I think the Outfitters run folks back and forth. To save the hassle this time round, i’m gonna carry the 6 days of food to get me through to Davenport Gap to resupply at Mountain Mama’s. Gatlinburg is one big disneyland style place, good if you like endless souvenier shops and fudge but not good if you have a tight budget.
Or you could hitch east into Cherokee(?) Good luck !!
Ross :cheers
Ross
You can resupply in Fontana… from what I hear it’s okay. It will get you through. You can also stay at the Hike Inn, which is a few miles down the road in Fontana. There’s a payphone at the Dam and they will come pick you up. They will also drive you to Robinsville which is a nearby town. There they have several large supermarkets and restaurants. You can stock up very well there. I believe the shuttle service is included in your hotel price. But, you may wanna check that out.
At Newfound Gap there is tons of automobile traffic. It’s super-easy to hitch a ride into town. A couple of months ago I gave a thru-hiker a ride into town and back. Most tourists just wanna hear your trail stories and are very willing to give you a lift. In Gatlinberg there’s a large supermarket where you can stock up. There’s also a $1 shuttle that takes you around Gatlinberg. It’ll pick you up right outside the park. Who knows… it may just be me who gives you that ride.
guru
First, I would not attempt to resupply from the store at Fontana. They have a very limited stock of food and there are many times they are almost cleaned out. Do a mail drop here, you won’t be sorry that you did.
The hitch in and out of Gatlinburg is pretty easy. Lots of traffic on the road, unless there’s a major snowstorm. I hitched in and out 3 different times and never had more than a 15 mintue wait.
Finally, when you leave the park, I would suggest bypassing Mountain Momma’s and going to the Standing Bear Hostel. Curtis has a great place, much friendlier than Mt. Momma’s and he’s setup for hikers, not smokers.
Moose
Yeah, I heard about that place in 2001. I think they’d just started. I’d prefer not to stay at Mountain Mama’s again. It was like paying to stay in a shelter, and a pink one at that. Do they sell food at Standing Bear? If they do, I’d much prefer that option.
Ross
Ross
CG, some of my buddies will be up at New Found Gap about the time you go thru, serving up burgers and such to thruhikers. Look for them. If they aren’t there the weekend you go thru, anybody would work. But my friends are Papa Smurf and Flame, they hiked in 2002 I think. they have a great journal for hillbillies from TN. They can even spell. LOL
burn
Curtis carries standard resupply stuff, a steak dinner that you can cook for yourself on the grill (or have a hiking partner cook it…thanks, Dutch! :)…), as well as microwave food that you can eat there. Prices weren’t too bad. They work on the honor system…you tally up everything you’ve purchased and pay before you leave. They also will shuttle you into town for a pizza and beer run. I took a nearo day there last year, and loved it. Lots of hikers hanging out or passing through…a really great time!
Woods Dragon
Fontana is a little pricey in the store, but a fine place, and the people there are super cool to hikers. From the P.O. to the laundry which are all together anyway, everyone is really helpful and nice. The Fontana Hotel is a cheapy deal, so enjoy it while you can because you dont get that cheap a place again till New Hampshire.
Gatlinburg is a tough hitch out…getting to Gatlinburg is easy…but beware…it is a strange world after the hike…like Disney on acid…and I mean the brown kind.:boy
Lion King
I would agree with Moose about Mtn. Mamma’s. Bunch of rude smoking rednecks is who they are. When you walk in that place it smells worse than a Waffle House. The people running the place are completely rude and act as if you’re putting them out of their way.
guru
Burn, we will be there March 26-28 serving burgers, fruit, homemade cookies, fuel, ziplocks, rides to and from Gatlinburg and what ever else we can think of. This year Sunrise, Sunset, Big Red, Queen Deva and several others will be with us. Flame and I look forward to seeing the new class of '04.
Standing Bear also makes trips to the market. Make sure you have at least 5 days of food when you leave Fontana. March and April always have lots of snow. Last year there were several snow over 12" at Clingmons Dome and they close the road off the mountain. Last year we could not get up the mountain on Sunday to help the hikers because of the snow. If it is real bad (a couple of feet) the rangers go looking for thru-hikers and weekend hikers.
Papa Smurf
Burn, we will be there March 26-28 serving burgers, fruit, homemade cookies, fuel, ziplocks, rides to and from Gatlinburg and what ever else we can think of. This year Sunrise, Sunset, Big Red, Queen Deva and several others will be with us. Flame and I look forward to seeing the new class of '04.
Standing Bear also makes trips to the market. Make sure you have at least 5 days of food when you leave Fontana. March and April always have lots of snow. Last year there were several snow over 12" at Clingmons Dome and they close the road off the mountain. Last year we could not get up the mountain on Sunday to help the hikers because of the snow. If it is real bad (a couple of feet) the rangers go looking for thru-hikers and weekend hikers.
Papa Smurf
Papa Smurf I would ask you to hold a burger for me but I am not leaving until the 15th and I don’t think I can make it that far. Thanks to you guys anyway. I am going to have one of three maildrops at fontana for what it’s worth.
pops1
I also recommend Standing Bear Farm; great place, great folks, and you can easily get what you need there to get you to nearby Hot Springs.
BaltimoreJack
I went into Gatlinburg from Newfound Gap to resupply. I juts approached a few of the people in the car park there and asked for a lift, pretty easy really. Going out of town I just hitched… no difficulty.
If you go to Gatlinburg and want to stay over the cheapest place to stay used to be the Grand Prix motel ($22 for me for a single). It’s just around the corner from the outfitter (The Happy Hiker), which is just inside the town as you come in from Newfound Gap. Have a great hike!!!
Downunda
I would guess it was about insulting the fine people at Mtn Mamas…call me crazy, but they are straight forward folks who do what thjey can for people, and more, even if they dont have to. And besides, there are a lot of hikers who smoke…the trail aint LA, or any other place where things are like where they may be where you are from…accpet and embrace the differances because the simple fact is this…the things that make being a traveler great are the things that you encounter that seperate your experiances from all you have seen as of yet.
Be it ‘rednecks’ smokers or whatever…folks are great, let them be who they arew without judgements or insults…learn to live and learn from folks, and allow each person to do the same.:boy
LION KING
LK, I would agree with your statement. Live and let live is what I say. On the other hand this forum is made up from opinions and experiences we’ve all had. So, I walk into MM’s and I was treated rudely that is my experience with the place. From the conversation I had with the woman who runs the place, she made it clear she didn’t want to be put out of her way. That place reaked of cigarettes, and so be it. I have nothing against smokers. It’s just like I have noting against donuts. But when you see a lazy cop stuffing his face with them, then at the same time acts rudly towards you it just makes it worse. My point was why stay at MM’s when you can go down the street and find a much nicer and friendlier hostel (i.e. standing bear). Agian, hike your own hike… yada yada… nothing wrong with the country folk either hell, I live in the south. But there is a difference between being country and a hillbilly. Also, they have bible verses painted all over the place… kinda creepy. Slightly interesting how they don’t have any about kindness and treating others.
guru
diversity is the key…the reason so many of my experiences fly to the top of the chart is because I have had some serious hard times with others.
I think generalizing and using the term hillbillys as a cut down is a mistake. After all, 90% of Americans are just one generation away from dirt floors. I would stay with rude and disgruntal, or insulting. I say hillbilly all the time, but when I say it, I mean it as the highest compliment. When I was in drug rehab, I used to talk about the little people. They thought that was an odd thing and part of my disorder. I thought that was the funniest thing I had ever heard. I was just using the term little people, because the humblest guy I ever met used the term “little people” to mean people in his life who were leaps and bounds ahead of the pack.
Funny how that weird episode in drug rehab is actually a good memory now. Oh well, what do I know. and who got me saying that any ways, Virginian?
Burn