Carolinas, Georgia & South Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Alex Leviton [43]
Nantahala Inn
Rafters crash at this simple wooden lodge amid the pines after a day on the river. 828-488-2176; www.noc.com; Hwy 19, 12 miles west of Bryson City, NC; r from $59
USEFUL WEBSITES
www.gatlinburg.com
www.nps.gov/grsm
* * *
* * *
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
TRIP
10 Appalachian Trail
19 Blue Ridge Parkway: High Country
* * *
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP 10
Appalachian Trail
* * *
WHY GO Three Southern states – Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina – each claim a section of the 2175-mile Maine-to-Georgia trail. Victoria Logue, inveterate hiker and author of a half-dozen books including “The Best of the Appalachian Trail: Day Hikes” and “Overnight Hikes,” gives readers a taste of the epic journey.
* * *
There is no better way to get a feel for the grandeur of the Appalachian Trail than at its Georgian gateway, Amicalola Falls State Park. Amicalola, a Cherokee Indian word meaning “tumbling waters,” is an appropriate name for these 729ft falls – the tallest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River. The park offers more than 12 miles of hiking trails, including the 8.5 mile approach trail to Springer Mountain.
The park’s beautiful Amicalola Falls Lodge is popular with guests who prefer hotel-type comforts. Campsites and cottages are also available, and the casual Maple Restaurant is open year-round. But for a truly unique Appalachian Trail experience, strap on a backpack and hoof it up to the Len Foote Hike Inn. Its hike-in Approach Trail is a two- to four-hour hike through 5 miles of easy to moderate terrain, and culminates in a zone free of all modern trappings – TV, cars, cell phones. Dine family style with new friends or relax with a book in an Adirondack chair in front of the celestial calendar. Check in to the Hike Inn at the Amicalola Falls State Park Visitors Center, which also offers exhibits and a gift shop.
* * *
TIME
5 – 7 days
DISTANCE
618 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Apr – Oct
START
Dawsonville, GA
END
Braemar, TN
ALSO GOOD FOR
* * *
The Appalachian Trail officially starts at Springer Mountain. On the top of the mountain, you’ll find the start of the trail, marked with a plaque: “A footpath for those who seek fellowship with the wilderness.”
Most thru-hikers (or “2000 milers,” as those who walk the Appalachian Trail in a single journey are known) usually start at the Georgia terminus (about two hours north of Atlanta) in the late spring and finish five to seven months later on Mt Katahdin in Maine, 2175 miles to the north. About 400 to 600 registered hikers complete the journey each year, about a quarter of those who set out. Altogether, only a little over 10,000 brave and hearty trekkers have ever completed the journey. A few of those thru-hike the entire route in one go, but many hike the trail in sections – a few months or weeks at a time.
If you’re not ready for quite this level of commitment but still want to seek a bit of fellowship with nature, Victoria Logue – who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1988 and has returned many times since, and has written several books on hiking the Appalachian Trail – suggests several jumping-off points in the Trail’s Southern region of Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Originally the idea of one man, Benton MacKaye, as an antidote to the busy, urban lifestyle of the East Coast in the 1920s, the Appalachian Trail (known as the AT) was completed in 1937. Until 1969, only 61 hikers reportedly thru-hiked the trail, but the endeavor took off after it was declared a National Scenic Trail. The entire route is marked by a series of 2in x 6in white blazes, and is for foot traffic only.
Thirty miles north of Springer Mountain by foot is your first stop in civilization, Mountain Crossings at Mountain Crossings at Walasi-Yi (if you’re on wheels, it’s 65 miles by car – take Service Road 42, make a