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Seven Days on The Appalachian Trail

A Beginners guide to Backpacking

in the Smoky Mountains and

the Appalachian Trail

 

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park encompasses 816 square miles of some of the most beauty country in the world.  The mountains offer spectacular views, great waterfalls, awesome day hiking, drive-in camping and a large amount of backcountry trails.  The park is full of wild life, wild flowers and a very diverse habitat., including black bears and elk.  The visitor centers have maps and brochures with great information on what to do in the park based on your physical ability, time frame available and what you want to see.

 

The western portion of the park in the Abrams Falls area offers a spectacular waterfall and hiking trails with options to camp at a wide variety of backcountry campsites.  These trails are not as steep or difficult.  Cades Cove is a beautiful driving loop with spectacular views of the mountains; old buildings offering a near promise you will see white tail deer grazing in the area. 

 

The park is split by a north and south road taking you up to Newfound Gap (5046 ft / 1534 m) at the border of Tennessee to the north and North Carolina to the south.  The Appalachian Trail runs northeast or southwest along the peaks following the border with three major access points at parking areas.

 

This book is a guide to help you plan your trip on the Appalachian Trail based on my experiences planning backpacking trips for over a dozen years.  I want you to have everything you need to know to successfully arrive at the park, execute your trip and arrive safely and successfully at the other end of the trail.