Smoky mountain smog

[wisenber]

I've been told Brush Mountain\Jeffery Hell is tough.

Yeah, on our second trip went Grassy Gap, South Fork, North Fork (don't ever hike up North Fork, take my word for it), FodderStack, Bob's Bald. Foddertack has great veiws, but it's buggy in warm weather.

The best loop route for us would have been to park at the parking area just before the horse campers (talk about messy and smelly) on SR35-1. Then hike up South Fork, Fodderstack, Bob's Bald, back to Fodderstack, down North Fork and back to the parking. There were a lot of waterfalls and swimming on this hike.

I'm sure there are many other great routes in the area as well.

Leepinglizzards, is it me, or does the route up Fodderstack never seem to end? It's not that long, and it's not that high, but it just seems to keep dishing out.

I'll second your assessment of N. Citico. You should try that one in the winter. I think it has five stream crossings with one of them being very close to a waterfall. (which tends to be more challenging when frozen)

I don't think that you can go wrong here. The one thing I would NOT plan on is big miles. These aren't well groomed AT miles. I've done 12 mile day hikes with no pack weight that have taken the better part of a day.

If you're wanting to cover miles, you might consider doing the BMT section through the area. It is not easy, but it is better maintained.

The REALLY cool part about Citico/Kilmer/Slick Rock is that no permits are required and you can camp where you want. Just be sure to hang your food, and watch out for some of the 500+ lb pigs.

[wisenber]

I am seriously considering the joyce-kilmer three area trip discussed above, these pics has me wanting to check it out:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_KgJXapMkgvI/SD...s/IMG_0526.jpg

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...26tbs%3Disch:1

"The Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest along Little Santeetlah Creek is a rare example of an old growth cove hardwood forest, an extremely diverse forest type unique to the Appalachian Mountains. Although there are many types of trees in Joyce Kilmer, dominant species include poplar, hemlock, red and white oak, basswood, beech, and sycamore. Many of the trees in Joyce Kilmer are over 400 years old. The largest rise to heights of over 100 feet (30 m) and have circumferences of up to 20 feet (6.1 m). The Slickrock Creek basin is coated primarily by a mature second-growth cove hardwood forest, although a substantial old growth stand still exists in its upper watershed.[3][4]"

Sounds awesome. Time to make a new thread.

I am a big fan of solitude/few crowds, i know the smokies will be packed. this area will not. Also you have the smog to deal with.

You'll love it. It's like the Smokies without the crowds or Gatlinburg...or any town for that matter.

[Salty]

You probably already know this, but camping is not allowed in the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. You can camp in the surrounding wilderness areas, however. But, the JKMF should definitely be a part of your planned hike. The old growth trees are amazing.

[ikemouser]

I did not know that, how am i supposed to go through this area without camping?

Are the trails marked at all?

Are they overgrown?

Welcome to the forums salty.

[wisenber]

I did not know that, how am i supposed to go through this area without camping?

Are the trails marked at all?

Are they overgrown?

Welcome to the forums salty.

The actual Memorial Forest is not that large. It is well worth the hike through it though.
Wilderness trails are maintained with a different set of rules than other areas. Trail maintainers are not allowed to use power tools for one. They are not blazed either. The less the trails are used, the more they get overgrown.
I find a good hike in these areas to be more rewarding than more heavily used trails. I can make close to 25 miles a day on most of the AT sections through here. In the wilderness areas, it's more like 15.

[ikemouser]

how long does it take to go through the memorial forest?

If i want to get maps of the bmt, at, both national forests, and the wilderness areas, what maps should i get?

Can all these areas be connected in a 4 day hike, averaging 15-18 miles a day?

i really have no idea as of right now guys, sorry for all the questions, just really excited and want to know what books/maps i need to order. I sold a bunch of stuff so im gonna get the new pn-60, it outta help out when i can get a signal.

[wisenber]

NatGeo 781 and 784 cover most stuff north of the Cherohala Skyway. 15-18 is really pushing it unless you're on the BMT.

There is a Joyce Kilmer Wilderness and a Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. The Forest is quite small (less than 2 miles).

There are hundreds of miles of trails in that area. A long weekend wouldn't give you time to see all of it even if you were trail running.

[wisenber]

I sold a bunch of stuff so im gonna get the new pn-60, it outta help out when i can get a signal.

Did you mean PN-40? If not, i'm gonna feel pretty out of date already with my PN-40.

[Salty]

I did not know that, how am i supposed to go through this area without camping?

Are the trails marked at all?

Are they overgrown?

Welcome to the forums salty.

Thanks for the welcome. The memorial forest is just a small subset of the overall Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock wilderness. There is a loop trail off of a parking area at the memorial forest. It could be rushed in just an hour or so, but I would recommend allowing a few hours to enjoy it. The first time I went down the trail, I was bumbling around and tripping from looking up at the trees. The poplars were the most impressive to me. The loop trail is very clearly defined. For your overall hike, the Slickrock wilderness will offer plenty of places to make camp and you'll also encounter old growth.

Wilderness areas in NC are managed under a philosophy of minimal human interference, and that includes trail maintenance. Most trails are clearly defined from foot traffic, but you won't see blazes and signs. Fallen trees may block the trails from time to time, but again, it is usually no problem picking back up the trail on the other side of deadfalls. I sometimes see people have problems on our wilderness trails with switchbacks in areas of steep terrain. It only takes a few people missing a switchback turn to create a false trail that is repeatedly reinforced as subsequent hikers make the same mistake and go off-trail for a short while. It's easy enough to backtrack when the false trail ends.

Good luck on your hike.

[ikemouser]

Did you mean PN-40? If not, i'm gonna feel pretty out of date already with my PN-40.

pn-60 is now available.