| Appalachian Trail Guide for Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
The Appalachian Trail, also known as the AT, runs for more than 71 miles through Great Smoky Mountains National Park, entering from the south at Fontana Dam, and exiting in the northest at Davenport Gap. The highest point anywhere along the 2175-mile trail is at Clingmans Dome (6625 feet). The trail also passes by other notable landmarks in the Smoky Mountains such as Charlies Bunion, Rocky Top and the historic stone fire tower atop Mt. Cammerer.
It usually takes most people 7 days to
hike the Smoky
Mountains section of the Appalachian Trail. If you don't have that much
time,
this hike can be easily shortened by using Newfound Gap or Clingmans
Dome as a
mid point. Either of these sections of the AT can be done in 3 or 4
days. Of
course, since these are all one-way trips, you will have to arrange for
some
sort of transportation at the end of your hike.
The Appalachian Trail is marked using a system of "blazes" painted on trees, posts, and rocks. There are some local variations, but most hikers grasp the system quickly. Above tree-line, and where snow or fog may obscure paint marks, posts and rock piles called "cairns" are used to identify the route.
A blaze is a rectangle of paint in a prominent place along the trail. White-paint blazes two inches wide and six inches high mark the Appalachian Trail. Side trails and shelter trails use blue blazes. Two white blazes, one above the other, signal an obscure turn, route change, incoming side trail, or other situation that requires you to be especially alert to changes in direction. In some states, one of the two blazes will be offset in the direction of the turn.
Brief History
The Appalachian Trail was the brainchild
of Benton MacKaye,
a Massachusetts regional planner and forester for the United States
Forest
Service, as well as a cofounder of The Wilderness 
Society. His idea for
a
continuous wilderness trail was proposed in an October 1921 article in
the
Journal of the American Institute of Architects, entitled "An
Appalachian
Trail: A Project in Regional Planning." The trail was to provide
leisure,
enjoyment, and the study of nature for people living in the urban areas
of the
eastern United States.
Just two years later, on October 7, 1923, the first section of the Appalachian Trail, from Bear Mountain-Harriman State Park to Delaware Water Gap, was opened. MacKaye then called for a two-day Appalachian Trail conference to be held in March 1925 in Washington D.C., which resulted in the formation of the Appalachian Trail Conference (now called the Appalachian Trail Conservancy). Little progress, however, was made on the trail for several years.
The trail wasn't completed until August 1937 when the Civilian Conservation Corps connected the ridge between Spaulding and Sugarloaf Mountains in Maine. The 1968 National Trails System Act made the AT a linear national park and authorized funds to surround the entire route with public lands, either federal or state, and to protect it from incompatible uses. Roughly 2175 miles in length, the Appalachian Trail is the nation's longest marked footpath. It passes through 6 national parks and touches 14 states.
Although the Appalachian Trail was the
brainchild of Benton
MacKaye, it was Harvey Broome and Paul Fink that made it a reality in
the Great
Smoky Mountains.
Harvey Broome was an early environmentalist, another one of the cofounders of The Wilderness Society, and a longtime president of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club. He, along with seven others, hiked the 71+ miles of AT through the Park in 1932 before the trail was even completed. He was largely responsible for sighting most of the trail thru the Park.
Paul Fink, another leader of the movement that led to the founding of the Smoky Mountains as a national park, was also instrumental in blazing the AT through the Smokies. Fink was a member of the Board of Managers of the Appalachian Trail from 1925 to 1949, and was the author of "Backpacking Was the Only Way", an account of early 20th century camping and backpacking adventures in the southern Appalachians.
Backcountry
Shelters
While in the Smoky Mountains, hikers are
required to camp
only in designated campsites or in shelters. There are 12 shelters
located
along the 71.6-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail in the Smokies.
All of
them have been refurbished in recent years, and several now have
moldering
privies, which use an active biological soil layer to break down waste.
Additionally, when the 
shelters were refurbished, the
chain-link fences
that
were used to keep bears out have been removed. It's now extremely
important to cook
and eat away from the shelters in order to keep the bears away.
Backcountry shelters are the best places to overnight during bad weather, and tend to fill up fast when it rains. Shelters also eliminate the need for tents. They're often a good place to meet and talk with other hikers, and most have privies and water sources nearby. Most importantly, however, staying at shelters reduces hiker impact to the surrounding environment, which is a good "Leave No Trace" practice. It concentrates use in a relatively small area, leaving nearby areas in a more pristine state. Reservations are required for all shelters in the Smoky Mountains and can be made by calling (865) 436-1231. If you're caught without a permit, you could be issued a $125 ticket!
Drinking
Water
The Park Service recommends that all drinking water should be treated as a result of the presence of Giardia lamblia in park waters. When ingested, their reproductive cysts may cause an intestinal disorder that appears weeks after your trip. The easiest method of effective water treatment is to boil water for one minute or use a filter capable of removing particles as small as 1 micron.
Bears
Based on a study conducted in 2006,
biologists estimate that
1500 black bears live in the Smoky Mountains, a density of
approximately two
bears per square mile. These bears are wild and their behavior is
sometimes
unpredictable. Although extremely rare, attacks on humans have
occurred,
inflicting serious injuries and death. Treat bear encounters with
extreme
caution.
To avoid encounters while camping or
backpacking, it's
extremely important to know how to store food and trash. When not being
consumed or transported, all food and trash must be suspended at least
10 feet
off the ground and four feet from the nearest limb or trunk. This
protects you
and future hikers, as well as bears. To get a better understanding of
bear
behavior and what to
do if you see one on the trail, click here.
Additional
Resources:
Key Points on the Trail / Elevation Profile
National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map for the Smoky Mountains
Sectional Maps: Western Smokies / Eastern Smokies
Backcountry Rules and Regulations for the
Smokies
Campsite and Shelter information
(GPS
waypoints, maps, etc.)
Temporary road, campsite and shelter
closures, and water
issues
Appalachian
Trail Forum: info, articles,
tips, advice and
pictures
Appalachian Trail Shuttle Services
Appalachian Trail Guide to Tennessee-North Carolina