Appalachian Trail/Newfound Gap to Charlies Bunion

Hike Name: Appalachian Trail/Newfound Gap to Charlies Bunion Location: east TN Length: 8 Submitted by: Dan Cartlidge Date Submitted: 0/0/00 Rating:	more Tennessee trail reviews Tennessee national parks Tennessee state parks
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Description
Wow....only the perfect hike for the novice hiker and the weathered outdoorsman. This hike has it all....from it's start at a crowded parking lot, up a gentle slope, away from the sounds and smells of civilization, into a once dense forest of spruce and fir, now decimated by a transplanted parasite...however, enjoy the new views now, for nature is taking over yet again with new growth in this area.

Along the trail, a little more than halfway to the bunion, the Boulevard Trail takes you to Mt. LeConte, and shortly after this intersection is the Icewater Spring shelter....typical of the shelters all the way up and down this fabled trail you are on....the trail now begins a descent into an area wrought with disaster in the 20's...in 1925, a fire aided by loggers swept through the drainage of Kephart Prong, destroying over 400 acres of forest...then in 1929, a vicious storm dumped several inches of rain in a very short time....the area, void of vegetation, was laid bare...bare rock outcroppings.

Local outdoor writer Horace Kephart, hiking with his friend Charlie Conner, noticed, when Charlie complained of a bunion on his foot, took humorous advantage of the situation and equated Charlies bunion with the rock outcropping they had come accross to rest upon.

The views here are absolutely second to none in the eastern U.S. I was lucky enough to catch my first glimpse from the bunion on what was the clearest of days. No "Smoky" mountains that day. Be wary, though. The bunion has a sheer drop off of several hundred feet...many a careless hiker has died here.

As I mentioned before, this hike does not tax anyone who is prepared for real hiking. You will find scores of people on the first mile of the trail, hiking in their Reebok tennies and holding a Diet Coke in one hand and a Milky Way bar in the other...you usually lose those people as you walk on...trust me on this one. Wear good hiking footwear, prepare for any and all weather, particularly in the spring and fall, and above all, enjoy what I consider the epitome of hikes.

Directions to Hike
13.2 miles from Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, TN, on Newfound Gap Rd. Trailhead is on the left of the overlook parking area. Restrooms at the parking area.

Contact Information
Park Headquarters, Gatlinburg, TN

615-436-1200

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