Winter Creeks and Peaks
Asheville, NC
4.8 (4 reviews)Trip Highlights
- Winter Itinerary
- Appalachian Trail
- Beautiful Waterfalls
- Sweeping Views
- Mountain Solitude
- Scenic Camps
- Wildlife Viewing Opportunities
Description
On our Winter Creeks and Peaks Smokies backpacking trip we combine the best of two worlds – big Smoky Mountain views and beautiful creekside hiking – in the year’s most peaceful season. The historically rich route we follow was used originally by early Native Americans, then settlers, loggers, and livestock herders after them. We’ll retrace their collective footsteps on a rejuvenating and adventurous Appalachian adventure.
We begin our trip hiking up a majestic mountain creek, whose cascades and scenery are some of the best in the Park. We’ll continue on for the next three days past fascinating historical sites, along a variety of charming streams and rivers, past two spectacular waterfalls, up to a historic fire-tower (2 towers on a 4 day itinerary) with awe-inspiring views and finally back to our starting point.
$740 Per Person
$1005 Per Person
DIFFICULTY LEVEL 4
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:
- 24-40 pounds
- Daily Hiking Distances:
- 5-11 miles
- Most Elevation Loss:
- 2820 feet (4-day itinerary)
- Most Elevation Gain:
- 2820 feet (4-day itinerary)
- Quality of Trails:
- Well maintained
- Additional:
- This trip requires significant elevation gains and losses as well as long distances (11 miles on the 4-day trip) that make the 4-day itinerary a Level 4, moderately strenuous trip. The 3-day trip is a Level 3 and is quite a bit more moderate without the big day hike on the third day.
Participants should:
- be active and healthy
- exercise several times per week
- be comfortable hiking, biking, running, or swimming for several hours without many break
SOLITUDE LEVEL 4
1 least solitude, 5 most solitude
We rate this Great Smoky Mountains backpacking trip a solitude 4. You can expect to see a couple of other groups of hikers per day.
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!
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