Lumber Ridge Trail
| Trail Features: | Quiet Forest Hike, Solitude |  |
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| Trail Location: | Tremont | ||||
| Roundtrip Length: | 8.1 Miles | ||||
| Total Elevation Gain: | 1524 Feet | ||||
| Avg. Elev Gain / Mile: | 376 Feet | ||||
| Highest Elevation: | 2700 Feet | ||||
| Trail Difficulty Rating: | 11.15 (strenuous) | ||||
| Parking Lot Latitude | 35.64143 | ||||
| Parking Lot Longitude | -83.68956 | ||||
Directions to Trailhead:
From the Townsend "Y" intersection, drive west on
Laurel Creek Road towards Cades Cove. At 0.2 miles from the "Y", turn left to
go towards the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. Drive another two
miles and turn left into the Great Smoky Mountains Institute. After passing
over the bridge, look for a small parking area on the right. The trailhead for
the Lumber Ridge Trail is up the gravel road just beyond the parking area.
Trail Description:
From the parking area, walk up the gravel road and 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 a
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 in 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 Smokies as a national park.
This was allowed to happen as a result of Colonel Wilson B. Townsend selling
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 most recent 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 as they appear through
the trees.
If you're planning to hike 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 at this intersection by following the path that goes down the other
side of the hill.
At just over 4 miles you'll reach Buckhorn Gap and the junction with the Meigs Creek and Meigs Mountain trails. This is the turnaround point for this particular hike. However, if you're in a group with multiple vehicles, you could arrange a one-way, 7.6 mile hike from Tremont to the Sinks Area off Little River Road, by heading north on the Meigs Creek Trail.
