On the Trail in the Smokies

When a mountain winter takes hold and lingers, I’m a fan of lower-elevation hikes. One of my favorites in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is Noland Creek Trail, near Bryson City. It features a beautiful mountain stream, interesting human history and generally easy hiking on an old roadbed.

Noland Creek Trail is a perfectly fine path year-round. But with a trailhead elevation below 1,800 feet, the trail route can be muggy and buggy during the warmer months. Dense vegetation also can limit views of the lovely creek, which flows between Noland Divide and Forney Ridge. (The upper part of the latter spills out into Andrews Bald, a grassy bald with long-range views and showy displays of flame azalea and Catawba rhododendron in June.) If the path is free of snow and ice, late winter offers an excellent time to consider hiking at least part of the lengthy Noland Creek Trail.

After a short, steep descent from a spacious parking area just before Lake View Drive (aka Road to Nowhere) crosses Noland Creek, you begin walking north on Noland Creek Trail. Here the tri-state Benton MacKaye Trail, starting at Springer Mountain, Ga., piggybacks Noland Creek Trail for just over nine miles to the latter’s northern terminus on Noland Divide. Fortunately, it’s not necessary to hike nearly that far to enjoy much of what Noland Creek Trail has to offer.

Heading north, the trail soon crosses Noland Creek on a wooden bridge and continues an easy ascent on the roadbed. In about 30 minutes you reach a short side trail on the left that leads to Bear Pen Branch backcountry campsite, at one time the site of a school. Another one-half mile or so up the main trail is a handsome grove of towering white pines, adding some soaring greenery to the gray winter woods. 

The trail works toward Solola Valley, a formerly populated area where a log flume operated in the early 20th century. (Commercial logging actually began on Noland Creek in the 1880s.) Slightly more than four miles from the start, the path reaches Mill Creek backcountry campsite and Springhouse Branch Trail. About 200 yards above the camp, a rustically elegant foot bridge with double handrails crosses Noland Creek. Although Noland Creek Trail continues for another five miles or so, the bridge makes for a nice turnaround spot, especially since creek fords are required farther up trail. If you are inclined to press ahead, you’ll reach a significant ford another couple of miles up the path.

The hike also can be extended upon your return by walking past the access trail to the parking area. If you continue hiking south on the main trail, you’ll reach an embayment of Fontana Lake in just under a mile, traversing four sturdy wooden bridges along the way. This is an easy and enjoyable section of trail that features several pleasant stream scenes before the creek spills into the lake. Or it could make for a  quick standalone hike if you don’t have time to hike a few miles upstream from the parking lot connector. The good news is that you can’t go wrong regardless of the route you choose.  

Winter hiking does have its compensations. Noland Creek Trail is a nice path for experiencing them. 

• Trail: Noland Creek
• Trailhead: Lake View Drive, five miles inside the GSMNP boundary past Swain County High School.
• Length (suggested): 4.2 miles one way, if you turn back at the first foot bridge above Mill Creek backcountry campsite (No. 64).
• Difficulty: Moderate

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