Shuttle to the trailhead: 2-hour drive from Asheville

Hiking Mileage: 4.2 miles

Elevation Gain: 1200 feet

On this backcountry Smokies fall foliage tour we begin our hike on a historic gravel road build in the 1930’s. Rocks cut by the Civilian Conversation Corps during the Depression give us a glimpse of the fascinating geology of the ancient Appalachians. It won’t be long before we arrive at Twenty Mile Cascade, a charming waterfall deep in the diverse forests of the Smokies. We’ll relax by the waterfall, enjoy a picnic lunch and soak up the fall colors reflecting off the surface of the water. The rest of our first day’s hike is along a creek which gives us almost constant opportunity to appreciate and photograph the fall colors from close up. Eventually we will arrive at camp and settle in for a relaxing evening and our first Appalachian dinner prepared by your guide.

Hiking Mileage: 6.5 miles

Elevation Gain/Loss: 1550 feet

Yesterday we enjoyed close up views of the fall foliage as we hiked in dense Appalachian forests and along creeks. Today is a layover day to earn landscape-level views of the color explosion. After a delicious, hot breakfast, we will don our day packs and hike to a junction with the Appalachian Trail (AT). We will follow the AT to an amazing, historic fire tower for breathtaking views of the fall colors. Soaring over the tree tops at almost 6 stories tall, the tower gives us an unparalleled vantage point from which to gaze over the surrounding mountains, including Fontana Lake. We will have lunch here, soaking up the spectacular scenery, then return to camp for another relaxing evening and tasty dinner.

Hiking Mileage: 4.6 miles

Elevation Gain: 2120 feet

Today we break camp and make our way to one of the Smokies’ high mountain meadows, called “balds” that will give us more views of the fall colors that surround us. After a hot breakfast we’ll hike uphill along the same mountain creek we followed on Day 1. We’ll reach Long Hungry Ridge, whose namesake is a group of men who were hunting bears in the early 20th century and became stranded for days in inclement weather. We’ll hike by Rye Patch, a historic site that was planted with rye before the Civil War by an ambitious, early Appalachian settler. After approximately one more mile we’ll arrive at Gregory Bald, where we’ll revel in the amazing views of Cades Cove thousands of feet below us and the mountains that surround us in all directions. We’ll enjoy lunch in the tall grass of the bald, surrounded by wildflowers and fall foliage views, before hiking to our campsite a short distance away. We’ll set up camp and return to the meadow for a spectacular sunset dinner and evening photography opportunity, weather permitting.