On the Trail in the Smokies

Whenever the high-elevation Heintooga Ridge Road is open—typically from mid-May through October—and the weather is favorable, a hike on Hemphill Bald Trail is an excellent choice. The trailhead is accessed from the Polls Gap parking area about three miles from the road’s entry into Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Black Camp Gap.

Although the trail stretches farther, a popular day-hiking destination is the 5,540-foot-high Hemphill Bald. The path generally hugs the boundary of the Smokies park as you hike toward the bald that in reasonably clear weather affords long-range views looking outside the park. Even if you don’t hike all the way to the bald, the trail offers a rewarding out-and-back excursion.

At one time Hemphill Bald Trail was known by two other names: Cataloochee Divide Trail and Double Gap Trail. But with the bald being such a prominent landmark along the lengthy divide, the park decided to supersede both names with Hemphill.

The trail is nearly tabletop flat at the outset as it follows an old rail grade, a vestige of the intense logging operations of the Suncrest Lumber Co. that leveled many a fine tree in the Smokies before the park was born. You walk through a few rocky seeps oozing across the trail before arriving at Garretts Gap slightly less than 1½ miles out. At this broad gap where the path starts to follow Cataloochee Divide, the remnants of a split-rail fence built by the Civilian Conservation Corps mark part of the park boundary.

From Garretts Gap, you begin a moderate climb as the trail swings around Buck Knob, straddling the boundary. Soon, at a small break in the thick foliage, you get a glimpse to the north of soaring Mt. Sterling Ridge and its tallest peak, 6,155-foot-high Big Cataloochee Mountain. After bypassing Buck Knob, the trail descends gradually to the unappealingly named Maggot Spring Gap. Fortunately, the gap is a much pleasanter place than its name would indicate. At this point, the trail is about to begin a more significant climb, employing a half dozen or so switchbacks to reach the crest of Sheepback Knob at roughly 5,500 feet elevation—nearly as high as Hemphill Bald but without the sweeping views.

Farther along the trail, at roughly the same elevation as Sheepback Knob, is Little Bald Knob. After leaving Little Bald for a somewhat lengthy descent to Pine Tree Gap, you can take a short side trail to the right that leads to a fine view of Moody Top outside the park. In this vicinity you might see cattle grazing on the privately owned Cataloochee Ranch side of the fence, doing their part to keep the area around Hemphill Bald open. As with the trailhead at Polls Gap, the elevation here is less than 5,200 feet, meaning you have some climbing to do before topping Hemphill Bald in just over a half mile.

Near the summit is a rock-table memorial to Tom and Judy Alexander, who founded Cataloochee Ranch about the time the Smokies park was established. In the 1990s, their family placed more than 200 Hemphill Bald acres in a conservation easement, ensuring that the bald area won’t be developed. It’s a gift countless hikers and equestrians continue to enjoy, along with superb views of the Plott Balsam Mountains and Jonathan Creek Valley.

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

Go for a hike

• Trail: Hemphill Bald.
• Trailhead: Polls Gap parking area along Heintooga Ridge Road.
• Length: 9.6 miles round trip.
• Difficulty: Moderately strenuous.