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On the Trail in the Smokies

Balsam Mountain Trail

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The towering Balsam Mountain Range stretches from south of Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the Smokies crest at Tricorner Knob.

Although the heavily traveled Blue Ridge Parkway follows the brawny Balsams outside the park, the trailhead for Balsam Mountain Trail is one of the most remote in the Smokies. A one-way gravel road, departing from Heintooga Picnic Area, leads about 8½ miles to the trailhead at Pin Oak Gap, Balsam Mountain’s lowest point inside the park at an elevation just above 4,400 feet. From the gap, the trail runs for about 10 miles before reaching its Tricorner Knob terminus at roughly 6,000 feet in elevation.

At the small parking area you begin ascending on the trail. The path then levels on a good tread, mostly free of rocks and roots. It’s pleasant, high-elevation hiking that soon leads to an area with stands of stately red spruce. The path does a dance with Swain and Haywood counties, as Balsam Mountain separates the two inside the park before running into Tennessee at Tricorner Knob and the Appalachian Trail. After 1½ miles or so, the trail gets serious about climbing as it begins a rather stiff ascent to 5,184-foot Ledge Bald, which is now forested, as are nearly all the peaks in the Smokies named balds. From here, you start hiking the short distance down to Beech Gap, which lies about 100 feet lower than Ledge Bald.

Beech Gap, once known as Big Swag, was an expansive grazing area for livestock into the 1930s. Now populated by beech and other northern hardwoods, along with a scattering of red spruce, the broad area has the feel of a leafy urban park. Old rail grades, vestiges of the timber companies, are located on either side of the gap. These days, Beech Gap provides an excellent way station of sorts, complete with resting logs, before Balsam Mountain Trail begins a stiff climb that skirts the summit of Balsam High Top, which tops out at an elevation of about 5,700 feet.

As you continue on the trail at roughly 5,500 feet elevation, you may start to notice some Fraser fir trees mixing with red spruce. Clouds, one of Balsam Mountain’s calling cards, typically begin to build, even if they don’t always produce rain. You walk across a series of planks, which are laid through here to provide boardwalks over frequently muddy areas chewed up by horses. The planked areas may be dry until you reach a possible quagmire near Laurel Gap backcountry shelter, after a sharp descent from the shoulder of Balsam High Top.

Laurel Gap shelter is situated in a pleasant glade, where there’s a horse hitching post in addition to the usual food cables and metal fire ring; water is available nearby. Built by the Youth Conservation Corps in the late 1960s, the shelter was renovated several years ago and remains in good, clean condition. The one time I camped here, in early October 1985, overnight temperatures dipped below freezing—no big surprise since its elevation is about 5,600 feet. The shelter is also much less used than the very busy shelters in the park located along the Appalachian Trail.

Once you return to the trailhead, you’ll need to continue driving toward the Straight Fork/Round Bottom area on the gravel road that’s one way for another five miles or so. It’s a slow-going but scenic drive, especially with fall color. You’ll then exit the park and bear left on Big Cove Road, toward the town of Cherokee, after hiking in one of the park’s remotest and highest elevation areas.

About the author: Ben Anderson is author of Smokies Chronicle: A Year of Hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (blairpub.com).

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