Sugarland Mountain - Hike Sugarland Mountain Trail in the Smokies

Sugarland Mountain
Trail Features:		Views, Solitude, Old Growth Forest
Trail Location:		Clingmans Dome Road
Roundtrip Miles:		7.0 miles
Total Elevation Gain:		1090 feet
Avg. Elev Gain / Mile:		311 feet
Highest Elevation:		5987 feet
Trail Difficulty Rating:		9.18 (moderate)
Parking Lot Latitude:		35.59036
Parking Lot Longitude:		-83.46939

Directions to Trailhead:

From the Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, drive 13.2 miles south along Newfound Gap Road to Clingmans Dome Road. Turn right onto Clingmans Dome Road and drive another 3.6 miles to the parking area on the left side of the road. There will be a sign here for the Fork Ridge Trail. Across the street, on the right side of the road, will be a sign

that says: Appalachian Trail. This is a short access trail that will take you to the Appalachian Trail, which in a short distance will lead you to the Sugarland Mountain Trail.

From Cherokee, drive 20 miles north to reach Clingmans Dome Road.

Trail Description:

As mentioned above, take the short access trail across the road to reach the Appalachian Trail. Upon reaching the AT, turn left. At roughly one-third of a mile into your hike you'll reach the Sugarland Mountain Trail junction. Take a right here. In a short distance, roughly 0.6 miles from the road, you'll pass the Mt. Collins backcountry shelter.

During the first mile or so, the path will lead you through a lush-green, spruce-fir forest, while traversing over a fairly rocky trail bed. During our hike in early May we saw a fair amount of spring beauty, trout-lily and Wake Robin along this section of the trail.

At just over a mile the trail begins to climb again. You'll start to notice the ridge narrowing as you continue to gain altitude. From this point forward, intermittent breaks in the foliage will provide you with partial views of the surrounding mountains on either side of the trail.

Roughly 2.3 miles from Clingmans Dome Road the trail passes just below the 5494-foot summit of Sugarland Mountain, which is towards the west on the left side of the trail.

Just beyond this point, as the trail begins to descend again, we ran into a thick carpet of spring beauty. We also saw several sweet white trillium in full bloom.

At roughly 3.5 miles there will be a slight rise in the trail, at which point the trail makes a sharp left-hand turn. It's at this point that Gatlinburg comes into view. You'll also hear the faint din of traffic on Newfound Gap Road below you. Of course the trail continues all the way to Fighting Creek Gap on Little River Road, but this small vantage point marks the end of this particular hike.

Before turning around, stand facing Gatlinburg for a second. If Gatlinburg is at the 12:00 position, turn your head towards the 2:00 position. If you're taller than the average person, or if you're hiking in the winter or early spring, look slightly down and you might be able to see Chimney Tops. You may even be able to see and hear hikers near the summit of this popular destination just across the valley.

Although there isn't a big payoff in terms of panoramic views, the reward of this hike is in the serenity of the forest and the solitude you're likely to find. Although we hiked this trail on a Sunday afternoon, we didn't see a single soul the entire time we were on the trail.