Backcountry Basics
While you need a backcountry use permit only for overnight backcountry travel, it would be remiss not to say something about backcountry basics for casual trail walkers and day hikers. Once you leave a parking area or campground in the Smokies, you are in the wilderness. This is the nature of the place. The National Park Service advises against solo camping or hiking in the backcountry. Even experienced hikers can get into trouble and, if alone, may not be able to obtain help. This information is not offered to scare or offend you, but just to make you realize where you are and to make you concerned about your safety.
Stream crossings can be dangerous if the streams are swollen after a rainstorm. Don’t attempt to ford a swollen stream. Return to the trailhead and plan another trip. It’s worth the extra effort and precaution.
Sudden weather changes are characteristic of the Great Smokies. Be prepared to get wet and either hotter or colder. Rain, wind, and cold can become a deadly combination before you recognize your own symptoms of hypothermia. Rainstorms are typical of warmer weather, so always carry raingear in late spring and summer.
Stay on park trails. If you become lost, do not leave the trail. Particularly, do not follow a stream because dense undergrowth will rapidly tire you. Most trails intersect others within a few kilometers and signs at the junctions can put you back on course. If you find yourself lost late in the day, find a protected spot and spend the night. After-dark travel is dangerous. Try to stay warm and dry. Show some sign if possible, such as a fire.
Do not climb on cliff faces and waterfalls. The fine spray mist off waterfalls makes surrounding rocks treacherous footing and increases safety hazards.
If you intend to try winter camping, write to the superintendent for information about the equipment you should have, a backcountry permit, and conditions you may encounter. At higher elevations winter conditions can differ radically from the popular image of winter in the mid-South.
Accommodations
Camping
Camping is a good way to get into the spirit of the Great Smoky Mountains. The National Park Service maintains ten developed campgrounds in the park: at Smokemont, Elkmont, Cades Cove, Cosby, Deep Creek, Look Rock, Balsam Mountain, Cataloochee, Big Creek, and Abrams Creek. Fees are charged. Campgrounds offer water, fireplaces, tables, comfort stations, tent sites, and limited trailer space. No shelters are provided; bring your own and other camping equipment. There are no showers or trailer hookups. Disposal stations for trailer holding tanks are found at Smokemont, Deep Creek, Cades Cove, and Cosby Campgrounds and across the road from the Sugarlands Visitor Center. Primitive campgrounds have pit toilets.
Camping is limited to seven days at all campgrounds during the peak season. You may reserve campsites at Elkmont and Cades Cove in Tennessee and Smokemont in North Carolina by writing to Ticketron Reservations, P.O. Box 617516, Chicago, Illinois 60661-7516. Telephone reservations may be made by calling 1-800-452-1111. For prompt service call the national park (see [page 101]) for the current per-night camping fee and Ticketron’s reservation handling fee. Then mail Ticketron a money order, not a personal check, to cover the reservation plus handling for the entire period you request. General tips: Avoid mid-summer’s peak camping season. Spring and autumn can be pleasant and offer dazzling flower and leaf-coloration shows. Arrive early in the day and seek your campsite on arrival. Look for a campground off the beaten path, generally away from the Newfound Gap Road (see [map]).
Chambers of commerce can supply you with commercial camping information. Regional lists of campgrounds are maintained by tourist offices in both Tennessee and North Carolina. For Tennessee write: “Fishing and Camping in East Tennessee,” Knoxville Tourist Bureau, 500 Henley St., Knoxville, Tennessee 37901, or telephone (615) 523-2316. For North Carolina write: “North Carolina Outdoors,” Travel and Tourism Division, 430 No. Salisbury, Raleigh, North Carolina 27603, or telephone (919) 733-4171.
LeConte Lodge lies atop Mount LeConte, third highest Appalachian peak. You must hike a half-day up mountain trails to get there. Make reservations several months in advance. The lodge sits amidst spruce and fir trees. You can hike in via Alum Caves Bluffs; the lodge sits at trail junctions to Rainbow Falls, Grotto Falls, and the Appalachian Trail. You need bring only personal articles. For information and reservations, write: LeConte Lodge, 250 Lonesome Valley Rd., Sevierville, Tennessee 37862, (615) 429-5704. The only other park accommodations besides campgrounds are the Wonderland Hotel, a small turn-of-the-century hotel in Elkmont. For information or reservations call (615) 436-5490. Closed in winter.
A new breed often encountered on today’s trails is called backpackee!
For Your Safety
Bears, Bears, Bears
Tales could be told that would curdle your blood ... but not about the black bear’s aggressiveness. These stories would be about the stupidity of some human beings. For reasons of pride in our own species—and so as not to demean bears—we will not recount these tales here. Just this:
The black bear is the largest wild animal in these parts. It can weigh 225 kilograms (500 pounds) or more, but is capable of incredibly fast sprints on rough terrain. It is a wild animal, and protected as such it sometimes loses its normal fear of people. This makes the bear appear tame, but it is then actually more dangerous than its truly wild counterparts. If you come upon a bear while you are in your car, keep the windows shut. Do not attempt to feed, tease, molest, or get close to a bear. Do not try to take a closeup portrait photograph of a bear; either use a telephoto lens or be satisfied with a distant shot.
Avoid and steer clear of a sow bear with cubs. She will do anything to protect them if she thinks they are threatened. Keep in mind that, even if you don’t see her, she is seldom far away. Cubs are cute, but you approach or show interest in them at your peril.
Bear feeding is prohibited. It is dangerous to you and those who come after you. It also establishes habits that may lead to the death of the bear. Roadside bears are frequently hit by cars, killed by poachers, or fed harmful substances. Don’t be guilty of killing a bear with kindness.
Campers and backpackers must observe certain regulations designed to minimize the extent to which bears are attracted to human pursuits in the park. If you plan to camp or backpack, make sure you are familiar with these regulations on food storage, etc. For example, food cannot be left unattended. If you are backpacking, it must be hung out of reach of bears. If you are camping in a campground, food must be stored in the trunk of your car. Ask for additional information when you obtain your backcountry use permit or when you check into a campground. Failure to observe these regulations may bring a fine.
Theories abound about how to act if you should confront a bear. All such theories assume the bear isn’t just as startled as you, and that “bear behavior” is predictable. It is not. As many as 600 bears may inhabit the park. This many individuals of any highly evolved species are unlikely to act—much less to react—with any great predictability.