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| Kephart Prong Trail | ||
| Trail Features: | Historical / Stream | |
| Trail Location: | Between Newfound Gap & Cherokee | |
| Roundtrip Miles: | 4.2 miles | |
| Total Elevation Gain: | 955 feet | |
| Avg. Elev Gain / Mile: | 455 feet | |
| Highest Elevation: | 3717 feet | |
| Trail Difficulty Rating: | 6.11 (moderate) | |
| Parking Lot Latitude: | 35.58578 | |
| Parking Lot Longitude: | -83.35837 | |
Directions to Trailhead:
From the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, drive 7.3 miles north along Newfound Gap Road to reach the parking area for the Kephart Prong Trail just off the side of the road on the right.
From the Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, drive 21.8 miles south on Newfound Gap Road to reach the trailhead.
Trail Description:
The Kephart Prong Trail to the Kephart Shelter starts off by crossing a bridge over the Oconaluftee River.
Just 0.2 mile from the trailhead you'll reach the Depression era remains of an old Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp. One of the first remnants you'll notice will be the chimney from the camp barracks. Close by is the framing for the camp signboard. Look a little closer and you'll find a water fountain in this vicinity as well.
The Civilian Conservation Corps camp was located here from 1933 to 1942. During its peak there was a barracks building, a structure that housed officers, a mess hall, a recreation hall, and several other specialized structures. The 200-plus members of Company 411 that occupied this camp built six miles of road (North Carolina Highway 107), built almost two dozen fish rearing ponds, created the water system which still serves Newfound Gap, constructed parking areas and figured prominently in road work on Newfound Gap Road. They also took part in trail work, including many of the footbridges on the Kephart Prong Trail which are still buttressed by the original CCC stonework.
During this same time period the Works Project Administration built a fish hatchery near this location in order to replenish trout and
bass in the mountain streams. If you do a little exploring off the trail in this area you'll come across several large pipes scattered in the weeds, which I assume were used to divert water from the stream to the hatchery.
During World War II the camp was used to house conscientious objectors to the war. The "conchies," as they were known locally, were excused from military duties but were still expected to serve their country. They took over some of the park maintenance duties previously handled by the CCC, served as school instructors for the children of park rangers, planted trees, and were responsible for a variety of other chores while living at the camp.
Just beyond the camp area you'll see a fairly large cement block just above the left side of the trail. This was possibly used as cistern for the camp.
From here the trail continues a steady ascent of the south slope of Mt. Kephart. Along the way you'll cross four more footbridges - a few of which I wouldn't want to cross when it was icy or wet, due to the narrow logs being smoothed and covered in moss from old age.
At 2.1 miles you'll reach the Kephart Shelter at the Sweat Heifer Creek Trail junction. This marks the end of the trail for most hikers, however, if you still have a lot of energy, you could continue onto Charlies Bunion from here. At the trail junction the Kephart Prong Trail turns into the Grassy Branch Trail. Continue on this trail until it reaches the Dry Sluice Gap Trail. Head north on Dry Sluice Gap and then westward on the Appalachian Trail to reach Charlies Bunion. Taking this route would be a 12.5 mile roundtrip hike from the Kephart Prong trailhead.
The mountain, waterway, trail and shelter are all named for Horace Kephart, an early national park proponent whose book, Our Southern Highlanders, is a classic study of mountain culture. Two months prior to his death from a car accident in 1931, Mount Kephart, the ninth