USFS road 148 (3 miles) and 148A provide access to Brown Gap from I – 40 just east of the NC/TN state line (Harmon Den - exit 7). USFS 148A is a rather steep (gravel) road, leading 1.2 miles from USFS road 148 to Brown Gap.
The trail northbound from Brown Gap ascends steeply for 2.5 miles, then descends briefly to reach Max Patch Rd. (NC 1182) at 2.7 miles. The trail crosses Max Patch Road, then turns left and descends a bit through a rhododendron thicket and crosses a small stream. It then gradually ascends and at 3.1 miles, it leaves the woods and emerges onto an upper slope of Max Patch Mountain. Soon the trail turns left up the ridge on steps, ascending steeply then more gradually. It reaches the summit of Max Patch Mountain (4629 feet) at 3.5 miles.
The trail then descends and at 3.9 miles enters woods. At 4.4 miles, the trail passes through a "Rhododendron Tunnel" for .2 miles. At 4.8 miles, the trail passes through another "Rhododendron Tunnel". Then for several miles, the trail is frequently close to Roaring Fork, a pretty stream among the rhododendron and trees. At 8.5 miles, the trail reaches Roaring Fork Shelter, which is to the right of the trail on a short side trail. At 8.9 miles, the trail reaches Lemon Gap (3550 feet). To the left of the clearing is NC 1182 (which becomes TN 107). Between 3.7 and 7.4 miles, a number of trails or rough roads cross the AT, most of which go left to NC 1182. Some go to the right as well.
Max Patch Mountain is very striking, both to climb and to look at owing to the fact that it is an open, grassy bald. Also, the views from the summit ridge are phenomenal, including Mt. Mitchell to the East and the Smokies to the Southwest. Also, the rhododendron tunnels are very striking – both their width and their height is probably around 15 feet. I haven’t seen anything else quite like it anywhere else. I've also noticed that the trees in the North Carolina/Tennessee mountains are taller and straighter than the trees in the Virginia mountains. I assume this is because of the higher levels of rainfall they receive compared to western Virginia.
All in all, I consider Max Patch Mountain to be my second favorite section of the Appalachian Trail (out of what I've seen so far). It will be easy to return to Max Patch Mountain, since NC 1182 lies just below it to the northwest and numerous trails connect the AT to it not too far from the summit. I had a beautiful, sunny day to walk this section. That added to the appeal of the mountain. After the hike, my wife and I spent the night at Kanati Lodge nearby. We had a pleasant stay and visit with David Jeannette Kendall. The following day, we drove down into Hot Springs, North Carolina, then spent some time locating accesses to the AT (roads/trail crossings) from there to Sams Gap.
I left a vehicle at Indian Grave Gap, then returned by a shuttle to Uncle Johnny's Hostel. From there, the trail crosses the Chestoa Bridge over the Nolichucky River, and then part of an AT parking area there, and enters the woods. The trail parallels the river for about 1.2 miles, reaching the Nolichucky Gorge campground and turns away from the river at 1.3 miles. At 2.4 miles, the trail enters a hemlock and rhododendron forest. At 4.2 miles, the trail reaches Curley Maple Gap Shelter.
At the shelter I met a couple of thru hikers. We had an enjoyable time chatting as I prepared some of my hiking cards to leave at the shelter. The trail continues on and reaches Curly Maple Gap – 3080 feet – at 4.3 miles. It then follows a ridge, often as sidehill trail just a bit below the crest of the ridge. At 8.2 miles, the trail reaches the crest of a ridge. At this point, I met four young people who were hiking southbound for couple of days. I enjoyed chatting with them for a bit. They indicated that they had just been up on Roan Mountain and that the rhododendron was at its peak – two weeks earlier than usual.
The next morning I discovered/visited Beauty Spot, which is along USFS Road 230, a couple miles north of Indian Grave Gap. I then followed the paved road (NC 230?) from Indian Grave Gap down into North Carolina and worked my way around to Roan Mountain. I spent a couple of hours in the area, walking to Roan High Bluff and then through the gardens. The rhododendron blooms were beautiful and the new growth on the evergreen trees was very striking. It is a beautiful area to which I look forward to seeing again when I hike the AT through the area. However, it is very overused and quite frankly not as appealing an area as Wilburn Ridge and Rhododendron Gap in Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia.
The weather, both Saturday afternoon (during the AT hike) and Sunday mid-day at Roan Mountain, was characterized by fairly heavy overcast skies and some question as to whether rain was about to begin. Thankfully, there was never anything more seen or felt than an infrequent small drop of moisture throughout both time periods. And the (cloud) ceiling was quite high so the views were good.
Having positioned a vehicle at USFS 293 – "Bitter End", it was pushing 1:00 PM when I got to the AT crossing of Dennis Cove Road. It being about the time of the summer solstice, I knew I could count on daylight until about 9 PM. By the time I got on the trail, I think it was close to 2 PM. I knew that I had barely enough time to cover the section before dark. I moved quickly throughout the hike, i.e. especially minimizing the length of stops, with only about an hour available for (all of) them.
Leaving Dennis Cove Road, the trail immediately begins to ascend, climbing approximately 1500 feet in elevation, from 2500 to 4000 feet in the first 3 miles. It's a steady climb, with few breaks. There were a few views, but none particularly wide. I noted the trail intersection with the Coon Den Falls trail, but had to scurry on by…. I recall stopping at a grassy area, perhaps the one at 3.9 miles for quick snack. At 4.9 miles, the trail crosses the main crest of White Rocks Mountain.
At 6.0 mile, the trail reaches Moreland Gap and Moreland Gap shelter. This was the longest stop that I made – perhaps half an hour or so to eat and also to chat with a couple of other hikers who were there. We had some very pleasant interactions. That left me with 4.8 miles left to cover. When I got to the car at USFS 293, there was still at least 30 minutes of daylight left. And when I got there, I was very surprised – because I thought I had at least another three quarters of a mile to go. I still haven't figured out what was wrong with my calculations (perhaps I was walking faster than normal, I don't know), but I was thankful to complete the hike in daylight.
Having hiked mostly in the north (AT in PA, NJ and VT) over the previous two years, the mostly smooth, dirt trail in the South was very welcome, an immediate delight.
This was the second of three consecutive sections, hiked over a period of 2 1/3 days. Again, my start was delayed until early afternoon (see the section above). The trail leaves US 321 to the east on gravel Shook Branch Road. After a short distance, the woodland trail tread leaves the road and begins the 1740 foot ascent of Pond Mountain. This is another long, steady and very enjoyable climb. Friends had recommended doing the section southbound, indicating that the trail on the north side of the mountain is much smoother than the trail on the south side of the mountain. I found that to be the case – it was a very pleasant climb. The trail on the south side is characterized by a good bit of rock in the trail, especially rock steps. Using walking sticks to help lower myself from higher step to lower step…, was much more pleasant than climbing them would have been.
At .7 miles, the trail enters the Pond Mountain Wilderness. At 3.2 miles, the trail reaches a level area known as Pond Flats, along the western edge of a flat ridgetop. At 3.6 miles, the flats come to an end. Soon thereafter, the trail descends approximately 1700 feet over 2.6 miles, sometimes steeply and often on switchbacks. At 6.0 miles, the trail reaches the Hampton Blueline Trail, the former AT route and popular local access to Laurel Fork Falls.
At 6.8 miles, a blue blazed trail leads to the Laurel Fork Shelter, which is perched high above Laurel Fork on a steep slope. I particularly wanted to visit the shelter, so climbed the steep trail, then carefully worked my way back down to the AT (white blazes). At 7.3 miles, the trail skirts a cliff along the edge of Laurel Fork. At 7.5 miles, the trail reaches Laurel Fork Falls. Leaving the falls, the trail climbs steeply over rocks for .1 mile, reaching the High-water bypass trail (to the left) and the level, smooth AT to the right (old railroad grade), which reaches USFS 50, Dennis Cove Road at 8.7 miles. I completed the section as dusk was encroaching.
Laurel Fork Falls is a nice falls – with a reasonably high drop, perhaps as much as 100 feet. It's the kind of spot that makes for an ideal day hike, which would especially be the case when accessed from Dennis Cove Road. I particularly enjoyed the climb to Pond Flats – long, steady climbs make for very satisfying workouts, even more so than do the descents. I enjoyed a pleasant stop on Pond Flats to eat etc. While there, I received a call from my wife. It was good timing, while at a spot with good reception.
This section begins at the AT crossing on Wilbur Dam Road. This road passes Wilbur Dam on the way to the AT crossing, then continues to a view of Watauga Lake.
Heading south (from Wilbur Dam Road), the AT gains 240 feet in the first .5 mile, reaching a minor summit with a view of Watauga Lake. At 1.0 mile, the trail reaches the northern end of the paved dam-access road. At 1.3 miles, the road/trail reaches the northern end of Watauga Dam. The trail guide indicates that AT hikers are permitted to cross the dam, but other visitors may not.
At 1.5 miles, the trail reaches the southern end of the dam. At 1.6 miles, there is a walkway to the water inlet tower. Shortly thereafter, the trail leaves the pavement and becomes an undulating woodland trail. At 2.5 miles, there's a side trail leading to the Watauga Lake Shelter – which was closed when I passed through due to bear activity.
The trail between 1.6 and 3.9/4.3 miles, generally parallels the shore of Watauga Lake, often going up and down over "fingers" of land, then at other times being fairly level, with easy access to the lakeshore. I stopped briefly at one of these spots to enjoy the view of the lake while eating some much needed food.
At 3.9/4.3 miles, the trail crosses a footbridge over a small stream, then continues via trail and a short section of road to reach US 321 at 4.4 miles. The 2017 Data Book shows 4.4 miles from Wilber Dam Road to US 321, while the 2013 Trail Guide shows 4.1 miles. I'm not sure how to reconcile this difference – it's why I show the distance to the footbridge as 3.9/4.3. The Data Book and the Trail Guide both show 1.3 miles from Wilbur Dam Road to the north end of Watauga Dam.
This was the third of three sections hiked on this short trip. One of the main objects of the trip was to visit Mount Rogers Outfitters in Damascus, which was originally planned for Tuesday, June 20. However, it became necessary, on short notice, to reschedule that for Thursday, June 22. That was fortunate. The weather on Tuesday and Wednesday was sunny and dry all day, giving adequate time to do the longer sections (i.e. the two south of this one), even given a late start on both of those days (Tuesday and Wednesday).
The forecast for this day (Thursday), was for rain to begin by mid-to-late morning. Based on careful monitoring of NOAA weather radio, including the information it gave about how far north the rain had advanced at 7 AM, and how fast it seemed to be moving, it seemed likely that I could complete this two hour hike before the rain began. I quickly got ready, getting on the trail at 8 AM. I finished at or just after 10 AM. I loaded my gear into the car (previously positioned at 321), and headed for Elizabethton and breakfast. I had just barely gotten on the road when the first drops began to fall. Steady, and somewhat heavy rain set in rather quickly as I drove….
I found this section to be very interesting and enjoyable. The climb over the low ridge at the beginning of the section was characterized by lots of rhododendron, some of it even in bloom. The tread was generally easy and pleasant to walk. Then, it was particularly nice to walk along/in view of the lakeshore during the latter part of the section. Also, the angled rock strata to the left of the spillway below the dam are very interesting. And the views of the lake, with ridges around it are also very nice.
And, when I (finally) get there to hike the sections south of USFS 293, I will fairly quickly be going over Roan Mountain and the open sections to the north of Carver's Gap. I'm also looking forward to the climb from Hugh's Gap to Roan Mountain.
I began this section at 9 AM on a mostly sunny day. By 4 PM, clouds were filling the sky as a system that brought rain overnight moved in. However I was able to complete the hike completely free of any rain.
The guidebook indicates that the ridgeline of this mountain is narrow and that the slopes, especially on the east side are steep. I found that to be true, particularly in the southern portion of the section. The trail gains around 700 feet in the first mile, sometimes on the ridgeline, but often on switchbacks below the ridgeline, first on the west side then coming around to the east side. It appears that the first series of switchbacks, on the west side, were put in place to replace a section of trail that went straight up the ridgeline (very steeply). At 1.0 miles, the trail reaches the ridgeline and begins a 14-mile traverse along the narrow crest of Iron Mountain. At 2.4 miles, and again at 2.6 miles the trail crosses summits of approximately 3400 feet elevation. At 4.7 miles, the trail reaches the Vandeventer Shelter. This shelter is immediately adjacent to the trail and provides an outstanding viewpoint over Watauga Lake. At 6.1 miles, the trail leaves the Big Laurel Branch Wilderness, which it had been in since the beginning of the section. At 9.9 miles, the trail reaches Turkeypen Gap, at an elevation of 3970 feet. At 11.5 miles, the trail reaches Iron Mountain Shelter. This shelter is also immediately adjacent to the trail. While there, I met a young woman who had hiked about half of the trail in 2015, and was now back to complete the other half. At 13.3 miles, the trail passes over a high point at 4120 feet. At 14.3 miles, another high point at 3750 feet elevation is reached. At 14.8 miles, the trail leaves Iron Mountain and begins following Cross Mountain. At 16.1 miles, the end of the section is reached at TN 91.
At about 8.5 miles, the trail reaches 4000 feet. It continues to go up and down knobs, staying in the vicinity of 4000 feet until about 14 1/2 miles. The trail then descends fairly rapidly, but still with some small knobs/elevation gains until a bit beyond 15 miles. The last three quarter-mile of the section is fairly level going around hills and over boggy streams, and mostly among fairly nice stands of rhododendron.
This was not an easy section for me. I had been led to believe that the ridgecrest would be fairly level and the trail fairly smooth. Neither were true. While a few brief sections were like that - most of the time the trail was either ascending or descending one of the many small "knobs" that characterize the ridgeline. There was a lot of rhododendron - not by any means continuous along the whole summit - but the trail was in an out of it frequently. Also, the trail is rougher during those sections because of the roots lying along the surface of the ground, along with rocks that are more broken-up than along sections with fewer roots.
Part of my difficulty with the section was due to a food intolerance issue. I know better than to eat wheat/gluten within about 2 1/2 days ahead of making a hike. However, I had done so only about a day and a half in advance of this hike, and I could tell that it was having a significant effect on my energy level/speed, especially on the uphills. Nevertheless, I somehow managed to complete this section in seven hours and 45 min., slightly faster than my normal speed of 2 mi./h. I was amazed, but also thankful to complete the section that quickly. I was consistently behind that (two mile-per-hour) pace, until I reached the descent of the last couple of miles of the section. I was also grateful to finally complete this long (16.1 miles) section, that could not be broken into two sections (for hiking across two days) in any workable manner (no road crossings or short side trails to roads).
Views are beautiful, and can be had at many places along the ridgecrest. I was constantly aware of Watauga Lake below (on the east side) during the first 1/3 to 1/2 of this hike because of the glimpses of it through the trees. Also of note, there is a flat "staging area" just above Wilbur Dam Road - 100 feet or so from the road. The parking area on Cross Mountain/TN 91 is nice as well.
Heading south from US 421 at Low Gap (3,384 feet), the woods are rather thin for a couple of miles. At 1.3 miles, there is a nice view into Shady Valley to the northeast. At 2.6 miles, the trail passes over Locust Knob (4,020 feet). At 3.5 miles, Double Springs Shelter is reached, with water at a spring nearby. There is also a campsite, with a campfire circle, a short distance before reaching the shelter. Leaving the shelter, the trail turns sharply left. At 3.8 miles, it reaches the crest of Cross Mountain. The last .5 mile of the section is a wheelchair accessible wide gravel path through an open meadow with nice views. TN 91 (3450') and the end of the section is reached at 6.5 miles.
The first several miles of this section follow a well-defined ridge line. Shortly before the shelter, the mountaintop broadens and remains that way for the rest of the section.
I walked this section on a bright and clear, but hazy day. Temperatures at the 3000' plus elevation were pleasant. Overall, this is a pleasant section, mostly through woods (i.e. few views). Near the end of the section, I met a local hiker who has hiked the whole AT. He said this is his favorite section.
From McQueen's gap, the trail ascends the ridgeline along the main crest of Holston Mountain. At .3 mile, there is a small log shelter on the left. It is indeed very small - a sign indicates that this is an emergency shelter. At .4 miles, the trail reaches McQueen Knob (3885 feet). The trail then descends gradually along the wooded crest. At 1.4 miles, the trail reaches a gap, then ascends a knoll. At 1.9 miles the trail reaches Double Spring Gap. The trail then continues, ascending and descending until it reaches US 421 at 3.7 miles. Low gap is about 150 feet uphill from this point on the south side of US 421. Also on the south side of US 421 is a Tennessee Department of Transportation roadside Park with a picnic table.
I walked this section in the late afternoon/early evening. It was a pleasant walk. Other mountains could be seen through the trees, but there were no open views.
I walked this section on a nice warm sunny summer day. I began around 9 AM in downtown Damascus. After making a brief stop at Mount Rogers Outfitters, I proceeded to walk through the Damascus Town Park and under the arch at its far end. Turning right at that point, the trail briefly follows the Water/Rural Street and then enters the woods. The initial climb is somewhat steep, but pretty soon the trail is on the ridgeline and deep in the woods. The first 3.5 miles of the section are in Virginia, during which the trail is generally wide and well-maintained – very pleasant to hike. Then at 3.5 miles, the Tennessee line is reached and the trail narrows and is not as well maintained. At 4.6 miles, the Backbone Rock Trail is reached. This trail leads 2.3 miles to Tennessee 133 at Backbone Rock. I found this a pleasant place to stop, rest and eat a bit of lunch. The next 5.4 miles of trail, to Abingdon Gap Shelter, offers little in landmarks so I wasn't sure how fast I was moving. At length, I met four men who had been hiking the section for several days. We had a nice chat and I gave each of them one of my hiking cards. As we parted, I asked how far it was to the shelter. They said it was right around the corner. And indeed it was, not more than .2 miles further at 10.0 miles – I was moving faster than I'd imagined. I enjoyed a pleasant stop at the shelter for more food and also to leave some of my hiking cards. The trail beyond the shelter continues to ascend for a while, then gradually descends to McQueen's gap.
Despite the absence of any notable views, this was a pleasant hike. I did not keep any notes, but I think I completed this section in four hours and 45 min. of walking time – which would be more than 50 min. shorter than the amount of time I would normally expect to need to walk to cover this distance. I praise God for his strength and his faithfulness in enabling me to walk these AT sections.