Directions to Trailhead:

Trail Description:

From the parking area, walk up the gravel road and then turn left just before reaching the GSMIT dormitory building. The Lumber Ridge Trail is straight ahead.

Tremont, located in the Walker Valley, is named after the small town that developed when the Little River Lumber Company used this area a base of operations. The name is derived from the combination of "tree" and "mountain."

Tremont was one of the last areas of the park to be logged. This was due to Will Walker refusing to sell his property to the Little River Lumber Company. However, after a stroke that left him largely incapacitated, he was forced to finally sell in 1918. Logging operations continued in this area until 1938 - four years after the formation of the national park (Colonel Wilson B. Townsend sold his Little River tract to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Commission in 1926 with the agreement that he could continue logging in the area for another 15 years).

The Lumber Ridge Trail is perfect if you're looking for peace, quiet and solitude. Although the name, "Lumber Ridge," likely comes from the logging operations in the area, the name of the trail is quite appropriate for modern day hikers who wish to "lumber" along with no particular destination or goal in mind.

The only noise we heard during our hike was the chatter of song birds and the occasional staccato of woodpeckers.

At just over a mile from the trailhead you'll begin to notice the occasional views of the surrounding mountains that appear through the trees.

If hiking this trail in late May or early June, you'll also notice a fair amount of small azalea bushes in bloom along the way.

After steadily climbing for the first 2.4 miles of the hike, you'll finally reach the top of Lumber Ridge. There's a faint "social" trail that crosses over the path here. Continue going straight here by following the path that goes down the other side of the hill.

At just over 4 miles you'll reach the junction with the Meigs Creek and Meigs Mountain trails at Buckhorn Gap. This is the turnaround point for this particular hike. However, if you're in a group with multiple vehicles, you could arrange a 7.6 mile, one-way hike from Tremont to the Sinks Area off the Little River Road by heading north on the Meigs Creek Trail.