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| Gregory Bald (via Gregory Ridge Trail) | ||
| Trail Features: | Panoramic Views, Flame Azaleas | |
| Trail Location: | Cades Cove (Forge Creek Road) | |
| Roundtrip Miles: | 11.3 miles | |
| Total Elevation Gain: | 3020 feet | |
| Avg. Elev Gain / Mile: | 535 feet | |
| Highest Elevation: | 4949 feet | |
| Trail Difficulty Rating: | 17.34 (strenuous) | |
| Parking Lot Latitude: | 35.56256 | |
| Parking Lot Longitude: | -83.84579 | |
Directions to Trailhead:
From the Townsend “Y” intersection, go west on Laurel Creek Road towards Cades Cove. To reach Gregory Bald via the Gregory Ridge Trail, drive 7.5 miles to Cades Cove. You’ll pass the main parking lot and enter the one-way loop. At 13.2 miles from Townsend, the loop road makes a sharp left. Continue going straight at this junction onto Forge Creek Road (this also leads to Parson Branch Road). Drive for another 2.2 miles to reach the Gregory Ridge Trailhead. Just
Trail Description:
As stunning as the year-round views are, Gregory Bald is most famous for the spectacular flame azaleas that bloom on the summit from mid to late June.
Azalea lovers from all over the world come here to visit perhaps the finest display of flame azaleas anywhere on the planet. On our most recent visit we saw acres of fire red, wine red, orange, salmon, yellow, white, pink, and even multi-colored azaleas. Although this isn’t an easy place to get to, there were still at least 60 or 70 people on the summit when we arrived. Normally when you reach a hiking destination requiring a fairly tough hike, people are usually taking in the scenery, eating a picnic lunch or just resting. On this day, you could describe the mood as festive. People were practically giddy at the explosion of colors all around. There was even one group that sang Julie Andrews “Sound of Music” as they were getting ready to head back down the mountain. It’s completely understandable that the azaleas and the views here would have this affect on people - this place is truly special. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this should be on the life list of any self-respecting hiker, gardener, or nature lover.
According to the Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association the various hybrids of azaleas on Gregory Bald are so impressive and unique that the British Museum of Natural History has collected samples of them.
To reach Gregory Bald we began our hike at the Gregory Ridge Trailhead. Yes, the Gregory Bald Trail is a shorter hike to the summit, but you are committed to driving along the one-way Parson Branch Road which eventually takes you to the southwest corner of the park. Personally, I’d rather hike the additional mile each way than drive a couple of hours to get back to Townsend.
On the lower portion of the trail you’ll pass over three footbridges before reaching campsite number 12, roughly two miles from the trailhead. The trail takes you through an old-growth forest with some extremely large trees, especially hemlocks. Unfortunately, most of these appeared to be dead as a result of the woolly adlegid infestation that's plaguing hemlocks in the Appalachian Mountains from Maine to Georgia.
At roughly 2.4 miles you’ll enter a stretch of trail where a forest fire swept through a couple of years ago. Coincidentally, a camp fire was still smoldering in a fire ring at the campsite we had just passed.
After passing the campsite, the trail becomes a relentless climb of roughly 2000 feet over the next 3 miles.
At 4.9 miles you’ll reach the junction with the Gregory Bald Trail. After turning right onto the Gregory Bald Trail, the trail begins a sharp climb for the next 100 yards or so. It then flattens out for awhile before one last push to the summit.
Gregory Bald is a 10 acre grassy meadow, and is one of two balds maintained by the Park. It’s not clear whether this high elevation meadow was created by nature or was cleared by some of the early settlers.
The Bald is named after Russell Gregory, an early settler in the Cades Cove area. He and other cove residents used the field to graze cattle during the spring and summer when the fields in the cove were needed for growing crops. Like most Cades Cove residents, Gregory supported the Union during the Civil War. He was ambushed and murdered by Confederate guerillas from North Carolina in 1863.
Russell Field, a couple miles to the east of here, is also possibly named after Mr. Gregory as well.
At one point the Appalachian Trail used to cross Gregory Bald before exiting the Park at Deals Gap. If you go to the Library of Congress's, you’ll see that the first Park map issued to the public in 1940, as well as the revised 1941 map, show the AT crossing Gregory Bald. However, the 1951 map shows the AT already being re-routed to its current location at Fontana Dam.
From the summit, depending on the amount of haze you encounter that day, hikers can see Cades Cove and Rich Mountain towards the north, Fontana Lake towards the southeast, and Thunderhead Mountain and Clingmans Dome towards the east.
If you can’t make it in June, another good time to visit Gregory Bald is in August when the wild blueberries are ripening at the summit. Keep in mind though that bears love blueberries as well, so be cautious.