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Hike off your turkey and pie in the Smokies with us on a 2 night 17 (+/-) mile backpacking trip. This is one of the best backpacking loops in the entire park! First, we'll hike along the lower reaches of Gabes Mountain, passing Hen Wallow Falls and entering virgin woodland to camp at Sugar Cove. Next, we'll head up Maddron Bald Trail to Albright Grove, which contains some of the park’s largest trees. We'll camp along resonant high-country Otter Creek. We'll surmount Maddron Bald, which sports awe-inspiring views. We'll return via the rugged Snake Den Ridge Trail, where more vistas open on heath balds.

Total Ascent: 6,632 ft
Total Descent: 6,612 ft

Parking pass required to park in GSMNP. See Logistics notes below.
Campsites require paid reservations in GSMNP. The campsite reservation fee is $16 per person. See Logistics notes below.

If you want to join this trip please join the Waitlist. I’ll message the first 8 vetted people with how to pay the $16. Once I receive your camping reservation payment I’ll move you to the Going list.

*See logistics notes below about side trips on adjoining trails to work on the 900 Mile challenge. These are also noted for each day.

Day 1:
4.9 miles
Meet at 12PM at the Cosby hiker parking lot B
We'll walk a short distance up the road then turn onto the Gabes Mountain Trail. We'll follow this trail, taking a right turn to stay on the main trail after about .3 miles. We can pause to enjoy the view at Hen Wallow Falls. We'll keep going until we reach campsite #34 Sugar Cove (3,061 ft elevation) where we'll camp for the night.

Day 2:
~7 miles
We'll take our time getting started and continue on the Gabes Mountain trail. We'll take a left onto the Maddron Bald Trail where it intersects with the Old Settlers Trail. We'll continue on Maddron Bald trail and those interested can take the 0.6 mile Albright Grove Loop Trail* where we'll meander through old growth forest that boasts some of the park's most diverse plant communities. If you prefer not to make this side trip you can continue on the Maddron Bald Trail until you reach our camp for the night, #29 Otter Creek (4,528 ft elevation).

*Note, we'll be taking the 2nd entrance and backtracking 0.3 to get the full trail miles in for our 900 mile challenge (optional).

Day 3:
~6.4 miles
We'll continue on the Maddron Bald trail where we'll have the opportunity for some expansive views atop heath balds. We'll look for a side trail leading left to an overlook at a rocky point. After returning from the viewpoint we'll continue until we reach Snake Den Ridge Trail*, the high point of the loop, over 5,300 feet, and take this trail back down toward Cosby Campground.

*Note for the 900 mile challenge (optional) we'll be taking the Snake Den Ridge Trail up to the AT and back down for an extra 1.4 miles.

We'll take a left* to stay on the main Snake Den Ridge Trail and head through the campground and back to our cars.

*For the 900 mile challenge, we'll backtrack from the campground and be doing some of the other trails around Cosby Campground to complete these trails for our 900 mile challenge for a total of 10.4 for the day (optional).

Logistics:

Note that we, Heather (Hobbit) & Tyler (Bluedeer), are working on the Smoky Mountains 900 mile challenge (hike every open trail in the park). So there are a few side trails we plan to take on this trip. If you're already working on it or interested in also completing this challenge, feel free to join us on these side trips to get your miles in. Otherwise you can stick to the basic route as documented via the Gaia link or FarOut map in the logistics section below.

Disclaimers:

  • Hike organizers are in no way responsible for you, your health, or safety. By attending this event you acknowledge that the organizers assume no liability for you or your gear.
  • Know your abilities. This is a difficult hike, with some strenuous sections.
  • Plan for cold weather. Given the elevations we're camping and hiking in and the time of year, we expect the weather to be quite cold. Be sure you have the appropriate gear for this type of backpacking.
  • We do not wait at trail intersections. Be prepared by having a map (or map app) and studying the route. There are many turns on this trip, know the route! We have provided the route map via Gaia below.
  • Be prepared for water crossings and unknown trail conditions. There could still be damage due to Hurricane Helene in this area and depending on recent rains there could be some water crossings.

Gaia Map Route (Free): https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=13.1/-83.2432/35.7439&layer=GaiaTopoRasterFeet&pubLink=Ze4TVyVGqNmJ9vsh7cxS8YI5&routeId=dd08ff0e-3898-44df-b2c4-29982ef21e7d
FarOut map (fee): https://app.faroutguides.com/guides/24%20Maddron%20Bald%20Loop/geo

Start & End points:

Parking:

  • Parking passes are required to park in GSMNP as of March 2023
  • You will need to purchase your own parking pass either at https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/fees.htm#basics and PRINT it out ahead of time or purchase one at a kiosk at the parking area so you can display it in your dash.
  • You will need a pass for THREE days so we recommend getting the weekly pass as it's the same price as three daily passes.

Campsites

  • Campsites in the Smokies must be reserved ahead of time and are $8 per person per night, $16 total for this trip. ORGANIZERS will pre-pay for the campsite reservations
  • Payments are refundable until Nov 14, 2025. That would allow enough time for another person to join and pay should you decide to cancel so we don't lose any of the reservation fees.
Adventure
Backpacking
Camping
Hiking
Backcountry

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