Best Hikes In The Appalachian Mountains

[DayTrip]

I may have to drive to Newport,TN for work in 2 weeks (East of Knoxville) and was thinking maybe I'd take my hiking gear and try to do a few day hikes if weather is decent on the way back. Several years ago when I was down there I came back on parts of Skyline Drive and it seemed like there are some pretty decent places to catch a summit or two.

Anyone have any input on "must do" hikes in the Appalachians between Tennessee and Pennsylvania? One hike I had flagged for the future awhile back was the Roan Highlands. Guess it has several "balds" with rolling fields and mountain views. There was a similar area I vaguely remember like this that I saw in a "Best Hikes" article somewhere but it escapes me. Also thought it would be a neat novelty to hit Mt Mitchell, the tallest peak on the East Coast. But I'm open to just about anything with views. If anyone can recommend anything let me know.

 

[JToll]

Mt Rogers at Grayson Highlands is the highest point in Virginia. It is on the AT.

 

[peakbagger]

The PITA in the south is the logistics. Not many loop trails so your choices are limited unless you do out and backs.

The southern balds are worth a visit as they are open but definitely not like above treeline in the Whites. The best comparison is hiking through a field surrounded by woods. Most of the ridgelines are hardwoods, so getting a view can be a challenge. Much of the AT down south is a "green tunnel". If you are looking for drive up summits, Max Patch is one of the nicest southern balds but finding your way up the forest service roads especially from the west side is a challenge. Its easier from the East side but still requires navigation.

Roan Mtn is worth a visit and there are couple of hostels on US 19E that can give a shuttle. Its a bit less remote then Max Patch but the total acreage is probably larger then Max Patch. The above treeline stretch over Hump Mountain is probably the nicest stretch for hiking. Its been awhile but there is nice day hike where you get dropped off near the summit and then a long stretch of open bald over Hump before heading down and back to US 19E. There is state park south of there which also has some open areas which I think are really popular when the rhododendrons are in bloom. The trail bed and grades may remind you of hiking the old railroad grades in the whites. If you have chance check out Overmountain shelter. Its at the head of long valley.

Note the elevation is higher than you would expect and it can get cold and have occasional snow. Make sure you have some cold weather gear. The Roan Mountain approaches are state highways but realize the usual approach to snow and ice is to let it sit on the roads until it melts. I would not suggest driving up Max Patch in marginal conditions as it mostly gravel forest service roads from either side.

 

[Stan]

Mitchell and Clingman Dome are among the highest peaks in the area and do offer terrific views but as far as a hike goes, you drive nearly to the summit. This time of year they probably shouldn't be too crowded and with some imagination you can do a short loop at Clingman. It might be good leaf peeping time, too.

If you have the time, I recommend return via the Blue Ridge Parkway ... you can return to I-81 at various points when speed becomes more important than the hikes. Here are some of our favorite hikes if you don't have a lot of time to spend there.

LeConte Mountain. This is a 13 mile loop plus a road walk to close (or start) it out. The draw for us was the Lodge but the scramble (preferably up for us) and the casual return was pleasant. At the time we did it there was a trail washout which had a cable assisting passage.

Grandfather Mountain. This is a privately owned park which has a nice loop with several ladders to ascend. We called it chutes and ladders. There is also a nice wild animal park and "Mile High Bridge" ... well, it's actually a mile above sea level but only a couple hundred feet above grade ... still, it's part of the adventure.

Hawksbill and Tabletop are two peaks with good reward for modest effort. It is part of Linville Gorge and a visit to Linville Falls is worthwhile.

Continuing onto the Shenendoah Parkway you will find lots of short hikes to break up the drive. The AT closely parallels the parkway so several peaks or prominences are easily accessed.

 

[expat]

Mt. Rogers area is about as close as you'll get to expansive, Whites-like, above-treeline views. Although the summit of Mt. Rogers is tree-covered, the surrounding miles are very open, craggy in places, and it has the benefit of a wild pony population that's usually friendly.

As peakbagger said, there are few multi-day loops available in the southern mountains, so out-and-back or shuttle are the primary options. One notable exception is a little south of where you'll be. It's the Nantahala Headwaters loop. It's a 24-mile loop that can be done as a one- or two-night trip. There are about a half dozen clear viewpoints, including a fire tower on on Mt. Albert. At this time of year, you'll also get some views through the trees while you're hiking on the ridgeline. The closest town is Franklin, NC. That will give you an idea about whether that's too far from where you will be.

 

[Peaks]

Loop hikes in Shenandoah National Park are always great. IMHO, some of the best hiking there is off the ridge and off the AT.

 

[Peaks]

Mcafee Knox is popular

 

[blacknblue]

Roan Highlands along the TN/NC border is a fantastic stretch, arguably the best stretch of AT south of New England. South of Asheville, the Black Balsam area of the Blue Ridge Parkway is a nice, uncrowded alternative, but still 6000' high.

Mt. Rogers and Grayson Highlands is also open and somewhat rugged. Unlike the others, you can make a really nice two-day loop out of it.

Lots of day hiking options from Roanoke to Harpers Ferry along the BRP/Skyline Drive. MacAfee Knob is about 3 miles up and 3 back, just outside Roanoke and a classic AT vista. Otter Peaks are easy, just north of Roanoke. The Priest is a substantial climb and without leaves should offer decent views. In Shenandoah NP, there's lots of hiking trails with waterfalls and some mountain views. Old Rag Mountain on the east side of the park is a classic day hiking loop.

If you're zipping up I-81 on the way back, there's a nice outlook along the AT just north of Harrisburg, PA, starting from the trail town of Duncannon. Hawk Rock is an easy hike (1-2 hours roundtrip), but offers nice views of the Susquehanna River.

 

[peakbagger]

I seem to remember there was a loop hike up and over the Priest with a blue blaze that loops back to the beginning. I think its right off the BRP. The best time of year for views tends to be with the leaves down but keep in mind the elevation means very different weather at the top then at the base.

 

[DayTrip]

I think I've settled on Mt Mitchell and the Black Crest Ridge Trail. Saw a few YouTube videos of it and it looks like a pretty impressive ridge line with numerous outlooks and open areas depending on exactly how much of the ridge you take and big mountains across the steep valleys in either direction. Just need to figure out which trail to ascend on and get the most of the views with the short days. Been dealing with a persistent cold the past 2 weeks too so my hiking stamina is probably not 100% right now so having a route with lesser summits to climb in the event I can't do the whole thing is a nice option.

Definitely have Mt Rogers, the Roan Highlands area and Grayson highlands on the radar for future trips. That whole section of NC/TN seems to have some pretty good hiking. Thanks to all for the suggestions.

 

[DayTrip]

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The one item I'd add, and it echos one of peakbagger's comments earlier in this thread: AT hiking in that area is nothing like what you've been doing in New Hampshire or Maine. We found the AT itself super well-graded, often a long series of switchback ramps with easy footing that gains elevation without really noticing or much effort, and far easier to hike than the trail here, and, at times, a bit monotonous because of the similar scenery (the "green tunnel"). Connecting trails can be a bit rougher and challenging and more interesting. Even so, you can bang out some serious mileage with little effort.

Based on the videos I saw the trails do seem much smoother than up here in Northeast. In one video the guy remarked that "this might be the toughest trail in the East". The section he was on looked extremely mellow by NH standards. I don't think I'll mind the mild trail conditions for this hike because the two routes I am contemplating are 15 and 18 miles round trip and I'll be doing some serious driving the day before and day after so I doubt I'll be in top form. So if the 3,000' climb to the ridge is easier than NH I'll be OK with it. The ridge walk is what I'm really after. It looked pretty nice.

 

[blacknblue]

I seem to remember there was a loop hike up and over the Priest with a blue blaze that loops back to the beginning. I think its right off the BRP. The best time of year for views tends to be with the leaves down but keep in mind the elevation means very different weather at the top then at the base.

It's been a few years, but I'm pretty sure I came up from the highway (Rt 56?), not the BRP, and it was around 3000' vertical. Perhaps there's more than one way, though.

 

[peakbagger]

It's been a few years, but I'm pretty sure I came up from the highway (Rt 56?), not the BRP, and it was around 3000' vertical. Perhaps there's more than one way, though.

It was in 2002 so my memory is poor. Looks like its Rt 263 which is high up (3300 feet) on a ridge AT northbound from the Priest and RT 56 down in the valley AT south bound at 957 feet. RT 263 is accessed from the BRP which is about 6 miles away as the crow flies. The BRP makes big offset in this area and the AT goes cross country rather than following the BRP.

 

[peakbagger]

The trail I am thinking about bypassed the summit of the Priest. I think it did go by some waterfalls. The west end intersected the ATl near a shelter. I cant remember a lot of details on the East end, I think it split off from the AT right around where the trail leaves the vestiges of development and heads into the woods. We were on a section hike and the weather conditions were "potentially hazardous" so we used this route to bypass the summit. We came back a year later and did a key swap hike from highway to highway on a far nicer day. Given that this was in 2002 it could have been relocated.

 

[SpencerVT]

I was down in the North Carolina / Tennessee this summer and climbed a number of peaks down there. I agree with what others have said that the trails seemed to be built very well, - with meandering switchbacks, and are incredibly smooth by Northeast standards.
My wife and I took the Snake Den trail up the to AT and then climbed Mt Guyot in Tennessee which requires a short bushwhack at the end. Mt Guyot is the highest trailless peak east of the Mississippi. The Snake Den trail was absolutely amazing and an incredible amount of work must have went into making it smooth, compacted, excellent switchbacks and drainage, and never getting too steep despite the massive elevation gain which it accrues. I would highly recommend this trail, although it is quite long.

 

[DayTrip]

My job at work fell through but I wound up doing a marathon drive/hike/drive down there the past 3 days. I wasn't able to get all the way to Mt Mitchell but did a nice 13 mile loop with two peaks taller than Washington (which essentially was my goal - climb something higher than I have ever climbed). I did not encounter any wonderful gravelly flat ridge walk on my route. I found most of my loop pretty comparable to trails in NH, with the exception of better footing. The section of Black Crest Ridge Trail I did was actually somewhat rough and steep with some tiny "scrambles" and tree roots. The trail I took down was a mixed use path for hiking and horses. It had switchbacks similar to the upper parts of Garfield Trail or thereabouts. The last 3 miles was basically a fire road with huge sweeping switchbacks, most of which was golf ball to softball sized rocks covered in 8 inches of leaves - which really sucked! Was slow, tedious walking where I thought I'd be blasting out of the woods.

What a great area! Tremendous amount of variety in the landscape, vegetation, trail conditions, etc. In one hike I was reminded of the Whites, the Catskills, the Taconics and Greylock, and even the Adirondacks. With no leaves the views were excellent but there were also plenty of outlooks with fine views. I'll definitely go back when I have more time to relax and explore.