Smoky Mountains Classic
Asheville, NC
5.0 (18 reviews)Trip Highlights
- Iconic Grassy Bald
- Backcountry Cascades
- Sunset Dinner with Views
- Amazing Pioneer Historical Sites
- Stunning Meadows & Forests
- Phenomenal Biodiversity
Description
Our Smoky Mountains Classic is an opportunity to fully enjoy one of the Park’s most iconic and scenic features: the grassy bald. Gregory Bald is one of the Park’s most impressive balds and allows for tremendous views of the historically rich Cades Cove and surrounding mountains. This is also a wonderful wildlife trip, as we often see deer, elk, and black bears as they all rely on the resources provided by the grassy balds.
Our Great Smoky Mountains trip begins on the banks of the Little Tennessee River, where we work our way up a few different mountain creeks that lead us into the higher mountains. We’ll pass waterfalls, hike along ridges, stop to explore the flora and fauna of these amazing forests, and eventually arrive at Gregory Bald. Camp is not far away, so after initially enjoying the views we’ll return that evening for a sunset dinner in one of the most magnificent settings imagineable. We’ll take a different way back down on the last day, creating a great loop hike.
$740 Per Person
DIFFICULTY LEVEL 3
Our difficulty ratings are based on a scale of 1-5, tours with a rating of 1 being least difficult, tours with a rating of 5 being most difficult
- Backpack Weight:
- 25-35 pounds
- Daily Hiking Distances:
- 4-7 miles
- Most Elevation Loss:
- 3320 feet
- Most Elevation Gain:
- 2120 feet
- Quality of Trails:
- Well maintained
- Additional:
- This trip follows good rock and dirt trails.
Participants should:
- be active and healthy
- exercise several times per week
- be comfortable hiking 6-8 miles per day in hilly or mountainous terrain with a 25-pound backpack
SOLITUDE LEVEL 2
1 least solitude, 5 most solitude
We rate this Great Smoky Mountains backpacking trip a solitude 2. You can expect as much as an hour of solitude at a time.
Learn More about our Rating SystemTRAVEL TO ASHEVILLE
All Smoky Mountains National Park trips begin and end from Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville has an airport served by Allegiant Air, Delta, United, and US Airways. One can also fly into Greenville, South Carolina or Charlotte, North Carolina and drive to Asheville. It is a 1.5-hour drive from Greenville to Asheville and a 2-hour drive from Charlotte on good roads.
FROM ASHEVILLE AIRPORT
Asheville Airport Express (http://www.ashevilleairportexpress.com, 1-828-691-1121) runs shuttles to and from downtown. Also a number of taxis are usually available on the curb in the Arrivals area.
FROM GREENVILLE/CHARLOTTE
Asheville Airport Express also runs daily vans from Charlotte and Greenville to Asheville. Cost per shuttle is $235 from Charlotte and approximately $120 from Greenville.
CAR RENTALS
Avis: 800-331-1212; Hertz 800-654- 3131; National: 800-227-7368; Thrifty: 800-367-2277; Alamo: 800-327-9633
TAXES AND FEES
North Carolina does not charge sales tax on services, so there is no sales tax for this trip.
All trips in Great Smoky Mountains National Park have a 5% fee required by the National Park Service. This fee is applied when your reservation is made and is passed through directly to the national park.
There are no other taxes or fees associated with this trip. Feel free to give us a call at 1-800-715-HIKE (4453) with any questions!
Private Trips
Traveling in perfect company is a wonderful thing! With our private trip offerings you can book a trip exclusively for your group. Whether it’s with family, friends or colleagues, private trips are a fun and enriching way to explore the outdoors.
Private trip pricing is based on a sliding scale, depending on the number of people in your party. Rates are per person and do not include sales tax and national park fees (where applicable) or guide gratuity. Give us a call at 800-715-HIKE to get the ball rolling!
Private Rates FOr This Trip
- 2 People: Rate x 2
- 3 People: Rate x 1.3
- 4 People: Rate x 1.1
- 5+ People: Rate x 1
*all rates are per person
Backcountry Campsites
Our Great Smoky Mountains National Park backpacking trips primarily utilize backcountry campsites vs. shelters. The shelters – particularly along the popular Appalachian Trail – are very crowded and often plagued by rodent infestations and other undesireable qualities. The backcountry campsites on the other hand have wonderful solitude, are often nestled near creeks, and in general offer a cleaner, much more authentic and rewarding wilderness experience. Our backpacking itineraries therefore may follow the Appalachian Trail (which requires staying in shelters) for a day or part of a day, but in general we have decided on quieter, more scenic loop hikes that provide quality camping and a genuine wilderness experience.
Feel free to give us a call at 1-800-715-HIKE (4453) with any questions you have about campsites or our use of the Appalachian Trail!
Learn About Our Private Trips
View Private Trips- day by day itinerary
- logistical and travel information
- gear and clothing lists and more
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