Autumn on Newfound Gap Road

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is bisected by Newfound Gap Road, a 33-mile drive that extends from Cherokee, NC to Gatlinburg, TN. Driving this stretch of US 441 is a fantastic way to see the highlights of this 520,000 acre National Park: awe-inspiring views from Clingmans Dome (the highest point in the state of TN), tranquil cove hardwood forests, remnants of pioneer settlements, tucked away campgrounds and trails, and seasonal shows of wildflowers and fall foliage.

Our recent trip to GSMNP included a drive on Newfound Gap Road, unforgettable vistas awaiting us around every turn during what is peak fall-foliage season in the Smoky Mountains. We started our journey at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, where visitors can pick up a basic map to the park as well as purchase additional resources to tailor the trip to their interests. The fields adjacent to the Visitor Center also provided our first sighting of elk, the wapiti having been reintroduced to the Park in 2001.

The road is named as such because in the 1850s it was discovered that it's not Indian Gap that is the lowest point through the mountains, but the "Newfound" gap. For the NC portion of the trip the highway runs parallel to the Oconaluftee River, which flows into Tuckasegee River near Bryson City and eventually the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. Not far from the Visitor Center we passed the Smokemont Campground where Bradley Fork joins the Oconaluftee. Once a lumber company town with a school, church, store and boarding houses, it now consists of 142 campsites. As we continued our climb alongside the river, we came to Deep Creek Valley Overlook, with a long view of the mountains rolling away as far as the eye can see.

View from the Clingmans Dome parking area

Halfway to Gatlinburg is the Oconaluftee River Valley Overlook, another spectacular view of the Smokies that highlights the cut the river makes on its journey down from the mountains. Soon after we took the 7-mile spur road to Clingmans Dome for an invigorating hike up to the highest point in the Park that features some of the grandest 360˚ views in the Park. For more on that please see my previous post, On the summit of Clingmans Dome. From the intersection of this spur road it’s just a little further to Newfound Gap, the highest elevation on Newfound Gap Road at 5,048 feet.

The overlook is dominated by the Rockefeller Memorial, a stone terrace that commemorates the efforts of those whose vision and resources helped establish the Park. The memorial is named for Laura Spelman Rockefeller, the mother of John D. Rockefeller Jr., who donated $5 million of the $12 million needed to purchase most of the Park’s acreage. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated Great Smoky Mountains National Park on September 2, 1940 from the terrace, which had been completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) the previous September. The memorial also features a newer plaque acknowledging the designation of GSMNP as a World Heritage Site (1983).

Newfound Gap is also the only place within GSMNP that the Appalachian Trail crosses a paved road in the approximately 70 miles that it traverses the Park. The AT mostly follows the State Line Ridge through the Park, which serves as the boundary between the states of Tennessee and North Carolina. Those driving the Gap Road can get a taste of the trail without the elevation gain of the Clingmans Dome Trail hike by taking a short walk from the Gap, an especially enticing option this time of year when sun is shining through a kaleidoscope of colors as the hardwoods turn. From the trailhead it is 7.5 miles to Clingmans Dome, 15.6 miles to Mount LeConte (via the Boulevard Trail) and 1,972 miles to the terminus of the AT in Katahdin, Maine.

Once back on the road, there are a multitude of opportunities to park for scenic views and hikes. As you start descending in elevation you are now following the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River. Ultimately the Little Pigeon River also finds its way to the Tennessee River and into the Gulf of Mexico, but it is named for the passenger pigeons that once filled the skies right here over the Smoky Mountains. Well into your descent to Gatlinburg, the river runs through the Chimney Tops picnic area which is home to one of the few remaining stands of mature cove hardwoods in the US. This is remarkable if you consider that this area (along with many of the higher regions of the Smoky Mountains) was once owned by paper and lumber companies.  Stop for a picnic, or for the trailhead to the Chimney Tops; the strenuous 4 mile hike leads to an outstanding view from the twin knobs that rise from a ridge like chimneys. On this stretch of Gap Road you’ll also pass through two tunnels built by the CCC in the 1930s, one of which curves around and back over itself.

The Campbell Overlook offers a wonderful view of Mt. LeConte (6,593 feet), the third highest peak in the Smokies. I found it astonishing that within the Park, where elevations range from 875 feet at the mouth of Abrams Creek to 6,643 feet at Clingmans Dome, sixteen mountain peaks exceed 6,000 feet in elevation! Mt. LeConte is the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi in that it rises more than a mile from the foot of the mountain to the summit. Once you’ve soaked up the views it’s only 3 more miles on your descent down to the Sugarlands Visitor Center. In the Sugarlands Valley there are a multitude of walkways for optimal leaf-peeping, the sugar maples from which the valley takes its name an explosion of reds, oranges and yellows.

The Sugarlands Visitor Center is the most visited due to its proximity to Gatlinburg. Featuring the usual Visitor Center maps, exhibits and gift shop, there are also rangers on hand to answer any questions, and the 3.8 mile Gatlinburg Trail which allows pets and bicycles – a rarity in the park. The Park boundary includes the stretch of Trail, River and the Road all the way until Pigeon Forge, but the proximity to Gatlinburg and civilization signaled the end of our excursion on the Newfound Gap Road. We headed to Sevierville for a good night’s rest to prepare for our adventures the next day…

On the summit of Clingmans Dome

It’s the highest peak in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) at 6,643 feet. It’s also the highest point in the state of Tennessee. OK, it’s only the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi, but to make up for this shortcoming, it is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail. And it was the first stop on our recent trip to GSMNP.

Great Smoky Mountains is America’s most visited National Park; the park receives over 9 million visits per year! Much of this traffic is situated along the northern edge of the park near Gatlinburg TN, and along the Newfound Gap Rd. (US- 441) that bisects the park from Gatlinburg to Cherokee, including the 7-mile spur road that follows the TN/NC border to Clingmans Dome.

The high point is named for Thomas Lanier Clingman, one of several explorers who studied and measured North Carolina’s peaks. Known as the “Prince of Politicians,” Clingman represented North Carolina in the United States House of Representatives (1843-1845 and 1847-1858) and the U.S. Senate (1858-1861). During the Civil War he refused to resign his Senate seat and was one of ten senators expelled from the Senate in absentia, after which he served as a general in the Confederate States Army. After the Civil War, Clingman explored and measured mountains in western North Carolina and Tennessee, and as half of the mountain is in the state of NC, the dome was named in his honor.

From the parking area it’s a short, steep, ½ mile hike to the summit observation tower, but the 360˚ view is worth the effort; we lucked out with a clear day and could see as far as Mount Mitchell outside of Asheville, NC, some 73 miles away.

Just before reaching the summit the paved Clingmans Dome Trail intersects with the Appalachian Trail, which follows it for a few hundred feet before veering off again to continue on to Newfound Gap, 7.5 miles east. The section that heads west to Cades Cove is a 24.4-mile rollercoaster over 7 gaps, 4 knobs and 3 mountains. Part of this stretch of the AT coincides with the Mountains-To-Sea Trail, which stretches 1,000 miles all the way to Jockey’s Ridge on the Outer Banks.

At the summit, a concrete tower winds its way up above the treeline to offer outstanding views of the surrounding mountains. The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and replaced a wooden tower that visitors had to climb to be able enjoy the view before the present concrete tower was erected (1960). Visibility from the summit and tower can be severely impacted by the haze; records show that during the last half of the 20^th century the average distance it is possible to see decreased by about 40% in the winter and 80% in the summer.

It isn’t only the air quality that has suffered in the past 50 years. The Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest that covers Clingmans Dome only occurs at the highest elevations in the southeastern US. It is more similar to forests at northern latitudes than to the forests in the adjacent valleys, and has been especially hard hit in recent decades by a small wingless insect native to Europe.  In the pictures you can easily see thousands of white skeletons in the forest; these are the victims of the balsam woolly adelgid, the culprit in the large die-off of Fraser fir. Balsam woolly adelgids have destroyed about 95% of the Fraser firs in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

We enjoyed the views and took dozens of photos before heading back down. Vilis wasn’t too impressed with it all, he fell asleep and missed the entire ride back to the visitor center (which is located just next to the parking area). Lauris and Mikus accompanied me in to stamp our National Parks passports, and we picked up a couple of Jr. Ranger booklets for them to work on over the coming days before heading back to the car.

I had hoped to arrive at Clingmans a little earlier in the day as this would have given us the opportunity to hike to Adams Bald, the highest grassy bald in GSMNP; the 3.5-mile trail departs from the Clingmans Dome parking area and would have given us the opportunity to get off the paved roads. However, a chill was settling in and we would have been cutting it close with daylight, and so Adams Bald was left for another day. As we wound our way back out on Clingmans Dome Rd. the boys quickly grew absorbed in their books as we descended in elevation, leaving Clingmans Dome with another state highest point checked off of our list…

Table Rock's Carrick Creek

While I set out on the 7.2-mile, 2,000ft ascent up Table Rock Mountain, Roberts and the boys had their own adventure on the moderately strenuous, almost-2-mile Carrick Creek loop. The trail holds special memories for me, as I was about 8 months pregnant with Lauris when I hiked it the first time! My krustmāte and cousin Līga were in town on spring break, and among other sightseeing we did up on the Blue Ridge Escarpment, the Carrick Creek trail was our longest hike; in my experience this is a great hike for a dad soloing with the three boys while mom tackles the more difficult ascent up Table Rock.

My 8mo preggers self w Antra and Līga - photo credit Antra

Turn north into Table Rock SP from Highway 11, and soon you’ll pass a nice turnout that has great views of Table Rock Mountain (the trail that heads up to the summit of this Upstate icon also leaves from the Nature Center, sharing the trail for a short distance). The parking area for the Carrick Creek trailhead is across from the Nature Center, and after registering at the center (or the kiosk) you’ll set out on a paved path that heads north along the creek.

During the summer months, the creek, its various cascades and the pool beneath the falls will be filled with visitors looking to cool off in the cold mountain waters. There is a multi-level deck with some seating situated along the creek oriented to allow for viewing of the waterfall, and stones in the stream just beg for rock-hopping exploration. On this warm October day the pool was sprinkled with orange and brown leaves mingling with the reflections of blue skies and still-green leaves on the trees above.

Photo credit: Roberts

Just beyond the waterfall and the several smaller cascades, the trail reaches an intersection. To follow the Carrick Creek loop clockwise you make a left, following Pinnacle Mountain Trail, the Foothills Trail and Carrick Creek for about a half-mile. Our you can complete the Carrick Creek loop counter-clockwise, and follow Green Creek and the Table Rock Trail to the right – your choice. My boys opted to turn left, while I went right – but that is another story!

Photo credit: Roberts

The Carrick Creek Nature Trail loop is marked with green blazes and is easy to follow. The banks of Carrick Creek are mainly populated by rhododendron and mountain laurel, and in addition to dozens of small cascades and falls there are plenty of opportunities for creek exploration if the weather allows. The boys had a great time exploring the chutes & rocks in and around the creek; in dad’s words “it didn’t feel like a hike to a waterfall, it felt like a hike along a waterfall.” The next intersection is where Pinnacle Mountain Trail splits off for Mill Creek Falls & Pinnacle Mountain, and to follow the Carrick Creek Nature Trail one must turn east, away from the creek.

Photo credit: Roberts

Here the forest is dominated by oaks and hickories, the mast year for acorns evident underfoot. By now you’ve reached an elevation of about 1,520’ (up from 1,160’ at the Nature Center) and the trail mostly levels out until you hit the intersection with Table Rock Trail and Green Creek (a tributary of Carrick Creek), at which point you’ll start making your way back down towards the trailhead.

Photo credit: Roberts

The last ½ mile is a swift descent along the creek, a few bridges bringing hikers back and forth across Green Creek. After passing numerous small cascades you will close the loop at the intersection with the Foothills Trail, and the last little bit is just retracing your steps past the waterfalls to the Nature Center.

Photo credit: Roberts

Know before you go!

This loop is 1.8 miles, and is rated moderate due to the steep sections, the creek crossing and uneven trail. It is a good hike for families, as the kids will be distracted from the climb in elevation by their explorations in Carrick Creek. My recommendation is to travel the loop clockwise, as Green Creek isn’t as accessible as Carrick, and so it is better viewed on the descent. If there is more energy to expend once you’ve finished the hike, you might want to try the playground across the road from the Nature Center – just follow the pedestrian walkway across the bridge and you’ll see stairs going down.

Photo credit: Roberts

On the summit of Table Rock

If there is one geographic feature that is instantly recognized by residents of the Upstate, it’s Table Rock. Located in Table Rock State Park, the mountain serves as a backdrop for Highway 11 and is easily seen from Bald Rock and Caesars Head. Table Rock is part of the edge of the Blue Ridge Escarpment that sharply rises from the foothills of Upcountry South Carolina to evolve into the mountainous western North Carolina. The Cherokee referred to this area as Sah-ka-na-ga, which translates as the “great blue hills of god,” and it was here at the giant Table Rock that they believe their god sat down to feast, using the rocky mountain as his table & Stool Mountain as his seat.

Table Rock and Stool Mountain

The leaves have just started to turn here in the Upstate, and with clear, sunny skies we decided to escape to the mountains and Table Rock State Park, an Upstate treasure on the National Register of Historic Places. The Visitor Center located south of Highway 11 (with its scenic view of Table Rock rising above Lake Oolenoy) is a frequent stop of ours when showing guests around the Upstate. However, on this visit we turned north on Table Rock State Park Rd. into the park, drove past the historic CCC Lodge on Pinnacle Lake, and stopped at the Table Rock overlook for a great view of the barren mountainsides rising above the green valley.

The boys at the overlook

Parking for the Table Rock trailhead is across from the Nature Center. All hikers must fill out a hiker registration form (at the Nature Center or the kiosk), and then can proceed up the trail that parallels the creek on its descent from the mountain. There is a viewing area at a lovely waterfall, and then the trail splits; the left fork is Pinnacle Mountain  Trail and the Carrick Creek Nature Trail looping one way, while to the right is Table Rock Trail and the other end of the Carrick Creek loop. This is also the intersection with the Foothills Trail - Sassafras Mountain only 9.5 miles! At this point our party split up, the boys headed clockwise on the 2-mile Carrick Creek Nature Trail, while I was setting my sights on the summit of Table Rock.

The Nature Center

After about ½ mile up a gentle grade I passed the intersection for the Carrick Creek loop, and after crossing a bridge I left Green creek behind me and started the climb. The elevation of the Nature Center is 1160’ and the summit of Table Rock is 3124’; this hike climbs 1,964 feet over its length of 3.6 miles (one way). The ascent is persistent, and hikers should be prepared for a strenuous hike with little reprieve for legs and lungs. Other than resting on one of the flat boulders that are strewn across the forest floor, there is no break from the steady climb for most of the hike.

At an elevation of 2400′ I reached the halfway-up point, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) shelter with a view of Pinnacle Lake. As part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, the work relief program CCC built all of the pre-WWII structures within the park, including the Lodge on the drive in, and this shelter.

view from shelter

Not long after passing the shelter I hit Panther Gap (2.1 miles in), where the trail forks once more. From this point it is 2 miles west along Ridge Trail to Pinnacle summit (3,415 feet), South Carolina’s tallest mountain that rests entirely within state lines (3,553’ Sassafras Mountain straddles the NC/SC state line). Turning right I continued my climb up Table Rock Mountain, and after a short respite of rather level ridgeline I hit the steepest section of the hike.

View from Governor's Rock: Pinnacle & Sassafras Mountains

The climb up to Governor’s Rock was almost a deal-breaker for me, but thankfully I made it up the near-vertical steps up giant boulders to reach this incredibly scenic vista. With 2800’ of elevation the view extends to Pinnacle, Hickory Nut and Sassafras Mountains. Governor’s Rock marks the approach of the turn-around point of the hike, but it seemed as though a large portion of hikers didn’t know or didn’t care to continue; many turned around and returned the way they had come after a short rest. The view from this large granite bald is gorgeous, but the remainder of the hike is a piece of cake compared to the first 2 ½ miles, and features even more spectacular scenery… I recommend continuing on, following the red blazes back into the forest on the right side of the exposed rock.

There was definitely more color up along the ridgeline, as the persimmon & occasional maple was bright red and the understory of blueberries tinged yellow.  Several outcrops on the right provided additional rest points and a view of Stool Mountain just before hitting the summit of Table Rock Mountain at 3,124 feet, 0.6 miles from Governor’s Rock. At this point the trail starts descending to the overlooks, the first of which is not far from the summit. The view across the surface of the granite dome & subsequent gorge features 400’ Slicking Falls, and the mosses, grasses and stunted trees growing on the bald provide a completely different milieu from the wooded ascent.

Follow the red paint to the end of the trail, a third of a mile after the summit. This is the grand finale, the reward at the end of a rather difficult hike; the view across Table Rock Reservoir to Caesars Head State Park is a stunning climax, the perfect spot to take a breather and soak it all in.

After a short ascent back to the summit, it is all downhill to return to the Nature Center. On this beautiful day of crystal-clear skies the trail was crowded; I encountered almost 100 people on my way up and probably double that on the way down, including a couple of speaker-toting, music-blasting parties that disrupted the peace of the hike far more than any trail chatter I may have overheard. I anticipate Table Rock Trail will see elevated usage in the next couple of weeks as the Blue Ridge Escarpment reaches peak fall color, and then once the cold weather descends it will revert to the peaceful ambience that its 2,000’ elevation gain and 7.2 miles usually commands.

What else is there to say about this hike? Come prepared: warm clothes for cool/windy weather at the summit, water, proper footwear, knowledge of the trail. Stay on the trail, as many of the outcrops and rock areas have precipitous edges that would mean certain injury or death with a misstep. The recommended time to budget for this hike is 4 hours, although I’m sure that it can take longer with stops at all the scenic points. And hang in there – the last bit to the Table Rock Reservoir is the easiest, and most rewarding. 

PS. You can see the view of Table Rock without leaving your home with the SC Parks webcam here. 

Matthew approaches South Carolina

As of Wednesday morning, Matthew was a Category 3 storm and gaining strength after its passage over Haiti and Cuba. Moving northwest at 12 mph, it is predicted to approach land by Thursday evening; computer models are projecting a path that would take Matthew along the Florida coast with potential landfall Thursday night into Friday near Melbourne, and then a turn out into the Atlantic on Saturday.

Radar of Matthew early Thursday morning via Stone WeatherSTEM

Gov. Nikki Haley has ordered an evacuation of coastal areas, with lane reversals on Interstate 26 all the way up to Columbia. Hotels here in Greenville are full, with many locals hosting friends and relatives as the state buckles in for the storm. Having already declared a state emergency, Haley said there will be 3,700 officers plus 1,800 National Guard members on hand to assist in the evacuation. Schools in the southern and eastern counties as well as government offices are closed as of yesterday.

Source: here

In addition to the 315 school buses from Greenville that traveled to North Charleston Wednesday morning, the Upstate is readying to house evacuees at various public buildings and convention centers. The majority will go to Anderson and Spartanburg counties, and if those shelters reach capacity, Greenville County high schools will be used to house those in need.

“Our goal is to save everybody that we can," Gov. Haley said. "What I will tell those people who are thinking about not leaving is if you think you can take care of yourself, then at least think about my law enforcement and my National Guardsmen because they are going to be the ones who have to go out and try and get you. And you are putting their lives at (risk)."

Tuesday's sky here in Greenville via WeatherSTEM

This morning Gov. Haley is expected to order the evacuation of additional counties, and the flow of people north will continue on to Charlotte and Asheville where there are hotel rooms still available. As for us, it’s business as usual other than cancelled weekend plans.

Hurricane Matthew is the most powerful Atlantic tropical storm in nearly a decade, Category 3 Katrina responsible for 1,836 deaths and causing an estimated $100 million in damages back in 2005. The most intense hurricane to hit the East Coast north of Florida (since 1900) was Hugo in 1989, which reached Category 4 status before coming ashore on Sullivan’s Island. When adjusted for inflation, Hugo caused almost $13 billion in damages.

Vero Beach after Hurricane Jeanne

My last hurricane experience was Hurricane Jeanne, the deadliest hurricane in 2004, killing 3,025 on its path from the Bahamas to Florida. Unbelievably, it came ashore just 2 miles from where Hurricane Francis had struck 3 weeks earlier, tripling up with the rainfall from Hurricane Ivan to bring flood levels all the way up in WV and NJ. I was working for the US Fish & Wildlife Service at the time, and was deployed to help clear roads and tarp roofs in Vero Beach; it was a miserable couple of weeks running a chainsaw and hopping up and down from roofs. I’m happy to sit this one out, but my thoughts will be with all my former colleagues and friends as they descend to the coast after Matthew runs out of steam.

Hurricane Jeanne detail

If you are interested in what is going on here in Greenville, real-time, check out the Stone Academy weather station and sky cam. According to the WeatherSTEM data, we’ve only received 0.04 inches of rain in the last 42 days; still, I am hesitant to admit I hope that we at least get some precipitation out of Matthew. We'll be watching the radar through the Stone site (the data from Stone is fed to weatherunderground.com and helps form the forecast for our area!) and watching each day’s sky footage of the sky on youtube; the day's video is made into a 30 second movie that I find mesmerizing to watch. We might just hop over to the skycams from Florida to watch the storm approach, but in any case, it will be interesting to see what happens the next few days as Matthew visits the US.