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Camel Gap Trail: 21 Miles to Hump a 4.7 Mile Trail
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Click here to see entire photo gallery for this hike.

Camel Gap trail, located in the Cataloochee Mountains of the Smokies, is one of those interior trails that is difficult to access without a lot of hiking on both ends. 
 
Today I had to hike 21 miles to be able to say I'd hiked this 4.7 mile trail.  
  • Date of hike:  9/26/2006, 7:30 am--3:45 pm.
  • Distance:  21.0 miles 
  • Big Creek Trail from Big Creek Road to trail end at Camel Gap Trail (5.8 miles)
  • Camel Gap Trail from Big Creek to trail end at Appalachian Trail at Camel Gap (4.7 miles)
  • Returned by same route (10.5 miles back)
  • Absolute Elevation Gain:  2,977' (actual amount of climbing is more than this due to undulating trails)
  • Average hiking speed:  2.4 mph on uphill segment, 3.2 mph on return segment.
  • The weather was nice with a 50 F temperature at the start and about 65 F at the finish. 

Of course it was cooler at the higher elevations.  Tidbit: Did you know the temperature typically drops 3.5 degrees F. for every 1,000' of elevation gain?  That means it would have been about 39.5 degrees F. at Camel Gap this morning when I started my hike.

I'd elected to do this trail as a day hike rather than lug a backpack with a tent, sleeping bag, etc.  That turned out to be a good idea since I found both back country camping sites along this trail had been closed due to bear activity.  I didn't see any bears today but I did see lots of bear scat along upper elevation sections of the trails plus there were lots of cherries strewn about the trail--probably knocked down by bears browsing for them in the tree tops.

The big attraction for me today was the aptly named Big Creek.  We'd had lots of rain over the past few days and Big Creek was flowing with lots more water than usual.  It was beautiful due to the continuous series of cascades, falls, white water segments, gorges, narrow chutes, head-on impacts with huge boulders and numerous champagne pools (bubbly, bubbly).  There were long curving rock walls that had been carved by the creek as well as a few man-made walls which served to separate the creek from the trail.  The creek--a river more than a creek--was roaring very loudly and it continued to do so for about 9 miles along my 10.5 mile route.  It was only the last 1.5 miles of climbing to the AT on Camel Gap Trail that I pulled away from Big Creek.  Because the sunlight was better on the return trip I enjoyed the creek views even more on the way back.  Fortunately I didn't have to ford Big Creek today although I did make a short side-trip to inspect the ford that would have been required if I'd been hiking Gunter Fork trail.  Gunter Fork trail has several large signs warning hikers that during periods of high water the Gunter Fork trail is impassable.  Janice & I will hike Gunter Fork trail on a day when the water levels are more normal.

Both of the trails today were unremarkable in terms of flowers and mushrooms.  I'd hiked Big Creek Trail several times before so it was already familiar to me.  Camel Gap Trail did surprise me with its very nice views of the creek and distant views of Balsam Mountain.  Because of the views and the overall condition and walkability of the trail, I very much enjoyed hiking it and perhaps I'd rank it as my favorite among trails I've hiked that access the Appalachian Trail in the Smokies.  Too bad one has to hike 5.8 miles along Big Creek Trail to get to the start of Camel Gap Trail.

Lunch was taken on a log at Camel Gap and included a Cajun Tuna Cup (yummy), Ritz crackers and a small container of chunky applesauce.  20 minutes after arriving at Camel Gap I'd eaten lunch, changed into a warmer shirt and was ready to head back down the hill.
 
I'd allowed all day (11-1/2 hours plus a 30 minute lunch) to do this 21 mile hike and under normal conditions it would have taken all day to hike that far on an "average" Smokies trail.  Because these trails were in good condition and the elevation change was more or less gradual I was able to hike faster than usual.  Not having a hiking partner with whom to share the beauty of the trail and the creek plus the absence of many wildflowers or mushrooms also contributed greatly to my unusually fast hiking pace.  My "planned" pace of 1.5 mph is a far cry from  my 3.2 mph average on today's return trip!
 
Here are a few bits of historical info for those of you reading this who may not be familiar with this area:
  • Big Creek area trails were built by the CCC between 1933 and 1939.  There were over 100 young men who constructed some 40 miles of trails during that period to include three bridges across Big Creek and fire towers at Mt. Sterling and White Rock (Mt. Cammerer).
  • Logging was the big business in this area.  Many of the old railroad grades constructed during the logging era were made into hiking trails but there are still several miles of abandoned RR grades that show up on the old topographical maps--just waiting for an adventurous bushwhacking hiker to find and explore.  This is one of our favorite things to do in early spring and early winter when the vegetation allows better visibility of the terrain.
  • The Camel Gap trail follows one of these old RR grades and makes only one switchback enroute to its cresting of Camel Gap at an elevation of 4,694'.  This old RR grade is one reason the trail is so easy to hike.

  • Camel Gap trail was originally named Yellow Creek trail (Big Creek and Yellow Creek converge near the trail). 

    • My hiking guide says Camel Gap came from the name of a family that lived near there--possibly confused with the name Campbell.  Note:  There are many cases of strange-looking spelling for place names in Appalachia which were incorrectly transcribed by "intellectuals" from "up north."

    If you ever find yourself in the Big Creek area and have all day to enjoy a long hike then I highly recommend giving Camel Gap trail a ride.
     
     
    Al

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