Next section hike

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#1

hello all. need more advise…My next section hike I want to be from winding stair gap thur the smokies. How long should it take… I am a big man but have worked out for the last 3 months and dropped 40 lbs. legs are strong and can do at least 10 to 15 miles per day. how long should it take? I am thinking a day and a half to NOC. the a couple of days to fontana but how long should it take to get thru the smokies… I t should be around April May time frame. possibly as late as the first week of June but hope not

huff & puff

#2

the smokies are about 70 miles across (by trail), so at 10-15 miles per day you’re talking 5-7 with no breaks. It’s a fairly easy section of the trail- once you’ve done the climb up to the mountains you stay high most of the time, so you shouldn’t have a problem maintaining your usual speed. good resupply point about halfway thru them is Gatlinburg (from newfound gap)- kitsch central :wink: there is also a road you could hitch out of on the north end of the smokies- davenport gap I think.

Remy

#3

I found the hardest part of the Smokies were from Fontana - Newfound Gap. This was completed in 3 days. I would suggest you go into Gatlinburg to rest and resupply, then pick back up. From Newfound Gap - Davenport Gap I found it to be much easier. This was done in 3 days as well.

There are sections from Fontana - Newfound Gap that I would describe as very difficult, atleast for myself. All of this will depend on the condition you’re in, pack weight, etc.

I found it welcoming to hop down into Gatlinburg to rest and resupply, while others just keep on hiking without stopping.

guru

#4

A rough estimate based on your hiking mileage and my experience hiking from Winding Stair Gap to Newfound Gap; a big 2 days or reasonable 2 1/2 days from Winding Stair to the NOC; another 2 1/2 from the NOC to Fontana; then a big 3 from Fontana to Newfound Gap. My wife and I found the hike from Fontana to Newfound the most difficult of these three sections because it seemed uphill most of the way. We have also heard, but not yet experienced, that the second half of the Smokies is not a difficult as the first.
Hope you have a great hike, PaPa Larry

PaPa Larry

#5

your time until Fontana sounds pretty accurate. But a word of warning, the decent into the NOC is a terrible knee-killer if you happen to have any knee problems.

your estimates until Fontana sound just about right, and you might even end up a half-day faster. 2.5 hard days from Fontana to Newfound Gap is a good estimate, too. it’s definitely up up up, and not having any significant downhills can make it a challenge.

if you’re thinking about getting into Gatlinburg you can be sure it’s probably the easiest hitch in and out on the whole Trail. and it might be a better option then any resupply in Fontana Village, which you might find to be a harder hitch to get since there’s not a ton of tourists around there that early time of year, at least not late April, anyway.

Fontana to Newfound is definitely up up up, and it’ll be a hard 2.5 days, but you could do it. but yeah, past that you’re sailing, it’s a real nice trail north of Newfound Gap and not anything too difficult.

when you get to the Smokies I hope the spring beauties are blooming when you go through, it was really beautiful.

0101

#6

In early June 2003 I section hiked from Fontana Dam to Erwin TN, starting right at the dam. I took 5 days to get from Fontana to Standing Bear Farm, a few miles north of the park. It rained alot, very foggy too. I did not go into Gatlinburg. Overnighted at Russell Field, Double Spring Gap, Icewater Springs, Tri-Corner Knob (shelters), and then at Standing Bear. This was right at the beginning of my section hike - out of the car and into the park on the north end of the dam. I was not in a hurry and had supplies for 6 or 7 days, but the hike went faster than I expected. So, I think 5 to 7 days is a good plan - take your time if you have it. Keep in mind that you are supposed to stay in shelters if there’s room (I think there is a park rule to that effect) and that may help determine how far you hike any given day as you could have a shorter or longer day than you prefer just to end up at a shelter. You can read my account of those 5 days here on TJ in my 2003 journal if you’re curious. Hope this helps.

CBiscuit