HK_GreatSMokyMts

Start: Forney Ridge Parking Area on Clingmans Dome

Distance: 20.4-mile loop

Hiking time: About 12 hours—killer day hike, overnighter, or 2-nighter

Difficulty: Strenuous, due to steep grades, rocky trails, and creek crossings

Trail surface: Forest trails, some very rocky, and old railroad grades

Other trail users: About half of the route is open to equestrians

Maps: Clingmans Dome and Silers Bald USGS quads; Trails Illustrated #229 Great Smoky Mountains; Trails Illustrated #317 Clingmans Dome Cataloochee (only shows the eastern half of the hike); Trails Illustrated #316 Cades Cove Elkmont

Special considerations: Clingmans Dome Road is closed Dec 1–Mar 31. Several unbridged creek crossings might be a little tricky even in low water, and in high water they are dangerous or impassable. Do not make this hike after prolonged rains.

Read the introduction to the Appalachian Trail chapter at the beginning of Hikes 81 and 82 before making this hike. It contains important information about when and how to plan your trip. Silers Bald Shelter, your first night’s stay on a 2-night backpack, is one of the most popular shelters in the park. Make reservations early, no matter the season.

Other: The parking lot is huge, but it’s often not big enough to accommodate weekend traffic. Pit toilets are located at the parking area. A visitor center is located near the start of the hike.

Finding the trailhead: At Newfound Gap turn west onto Clingmans Dome Road and drive 7.0 miles to the Forney Ridge Parking Area at the end. Forney Ridge Trail begins on the far western end of the parking area. The paved path to Clingmans Dome Tower goes to the right, while Forney Ridge Trail drops down off of it to the left. GPS: N35 33.409' / 83 29.772'

The Hike

You can take the paved path to Clingmans Dome Tower and pick up the Appalachian Trail (AT) from there or bypass the tower (and the crowds) by taking Clingmans Dome Bypass Trail. (For the tower route, see Hike 51.) This hike description takes you on the bypass route, beginning on Forney Ridge Trail.

At the beginning of the paved path leading to Clingmans Dome Tower, Forney Ridge Trail drops down to the left. Follow it 0.2 mile and turn right (actually straight) onto Clingmans Dome Bypass Trail. This rocky trail climbs moderately for 0.5 mile to the AT, just west of the Clingmans Dome summit.

At the AT turn left (west), but take time to admire the view off the north side of the trail toward Mount LeConte. The next 2.5 miles on the AT to Double Spring Gap Shelter are relatively easy and provide numerous open vistas. About 0.6 mile before reaching the shelter, you pass the junction with Goshen Prong Trail (Hike 11).

As its name suggests, Double Spring Gap has two springs, one on each side of the gap and only a few yards from the shelter. If you’re getting water, the spring on the south side is much better, as the northern spring seeps through a boggy area. If you can’t get reservations at Silers Bald Shelter, you could spend the night here instead.

Pressing on from the gap, the AT goes on its typical roller-coaster grade through a forest of beech, buckeye, and mountain ash. At one point the trail comes to an open grassy spot with fair views toward High Rocks. At this point you come to The Narrows—a knife-edge ridge with good views off both sides. The trail soon forks at the junction with Welch Ridge Trail, going left. You’ll take Welch Ridge eventually, but if you’re planning to spend the night at Silers Bald Shelter, or you just want to see Silers Bald, you need to go to the right and stay on the AT. A 0.2-mile steep climb brings you to the 5,607-foot summit of Silers Bald at a small clearing. There’s only one fair view from the clearing, a look back toward Clingmans Dome. On a sunny day you can see the light reflecting from the cars at the Forney Ridge Parking Area. An obvious path leads north from the summit a few hundred feet to a rock outcrop with wonderful open views to the north, as well as leafy views to the east and west.

From the summit, descend on the AT to Silers Bald Shelter. The shelter has an overhanging green roof, benches, and skylights. If the weather is clear, you can take in a show after dinner. Hike back up on Silers Bald and watch the sunset from the rock outcrop.

From the shelter, backtrack to Welch Ridge Trail and enjoy the easiest part of the hike for the next 2.5 miles, although parts of the trail are heavily overgrown. Stay straight (south) at the Hazel Creek Trail junction, and in another 0.8 mile reach the junction with Jonas Creek Trail, cutting sharply left (east).

On Jonas Creek Trail you descend more than 2,000 feet in 4.1 miles—not an extreme descent, but keep in mind that every step down has to be made up, and that includes all the down steps you’ve already made from Clingmans Dome. During the descent you pass through a very scenic forest, though none of it is old growth. You also have to cross Jonas Creek five times without benefit of foot logs. In normal flows this isn’t much of a problem. Just watch out for slick and wobbly rocks. In high water it could get a little dicey, especially with a heavy pack.

Reach Campsite 70 at the junction of Jonas and Forney Creeks. It’s a large, unattractive site that gets a lot of horse use. Pass through the campsite and cross Forney Creek on a foot log. The old railroad grade on the far side is Forney Creek Trail. Turn left (north) onto it, and begin your climb back up the mountain.

Campsite 69, a good choice for your second night’s camp (or only night’s camp on an overnighter), is 1.4 miles ahead. To get there, you must cross several small side streams on old rotten bridge supports and cross Forney Creek three times. In normal flows you might be able to rock-hop the crossings and keep your feet dry. Be careful: Some of the rocks are very slick. If the water is very high, you might not be able to cross at all. The thought of backtracking from here is not amusing, so plan this trip carefully.

Arrive at Campsite 69 a few hundred feet beyond the third crossing. There are tent sites on the right between the trail and Forney Creek, or maybe you’ll get lucky and the secluded spot on the left will be open. It sits beside Huggins Creek. Many old logging artifacts are scattered about the site. In fact, all along Forney Creek Trail you can see traces of logging history. Before the park was established, most of the Forney Creek watershed was logged to within a short distance of Clingmans Dome.

Shortly beyond the campsite, you have to cross Forney Creek once more. This crossing is a little easier than the previous ones. The next 3.6 miles to Campsite 68 follow Forney Creek upstream, sometimes close, sometimes a little distance away. You cross numerous side streams and small ravines by way of rotten bridge supports, many of them studded with nails. You have to cross Forney Creek once more during this stretch, but it’s the easiest crossing of all.

Campsite 68 has an upper (68a) and a lower (68b) site. The lower section, which you reach first, is a very small, open site, situated by Forney Creek. It may not have a signpost designating it, but don’t worry about being confused about just where this site is. It’s not one of the more attractive campsites in park—definitely not a place to spend much time contemplating nature.

The trail climbs extremely steeply beyond Campsite 68b and comes to an old railroad rail across the trail. Look in the creek below to see the wheels and axle of an old railroad car. Just beyond here you come to Rock Slab Falls—a long, high, sliding cascade on Forney Creek. Notice the crisscrossing quartz veins across the falls. The waterfall marks Campsite 68a. The location is very scenic, but it’s small, and you may not find a tent spot.

From Rock Slab Falls, the trail makes a few switchbacks and creek crossings and becomes a real trail—a real steep trail. When you come to the upper reaches of Forney Creek, you actually walk in the streambed a few feet before you switchback to the left and away from the creek. The trail continues climbing steeply and becomes rocky, and you enter a dark forest of spruce, rhododendron, and birch. As you climb higher you begin to see young Fraser firs. With a heavy pack, this stretch is a killer.

Finally, you come to the ridgeline and the junction with Forney Ridge Trail. Don’t celebrate just yet: You still have more than a mile of rocky climbing to go. Turn left (north) on Forney Ridge Trail and continue busting your lungs for 0.9 mile to the junction with Clingmans Dome Bypass Trail. Turn sharply right here, staying on Forney Ridge Trail, and climb 0.2 mile to the parking area.

Now you can celebrate!

Miles and Directions

0.0Start from the western end of the parking area on Forney Ridge Trail.

0.2Bear to the right (north) onto Clingmans Dome Bypass Trail.

0.7Junction with AT. Turn left (west) on the AT.

2.6Junction with Goshen Prong Trail on the right. Continue heading west on the AT.

3.2Double Spring Gap Shelter.

4.5Junction with Welch Ridge Trail, forking to the left. If camping at Silers Bald Shelter, continue heading west on the AT.

4.7Silers Bald.

4.9Silers Bald Shelter. Return to the junction with Welch Ridge Trail.

5.3Turn sharply back to the right (south) on Welch Ridge Trail.

7.0Junction with Hazel Creek Trail on the right. Continue straight (south) on Welch Ridge Trail.

7.8Turn sharply to the left (east) onto Jonas Creek Trail.

11.9Just beyond Campsite 70, turn left (north) onto Forney Creek Trail.

13.3Campsite 69.

16.9Campsite 68b.

17.3Rock Slab Falls and Campsite 68a.

19.3Turn left (north) on Forney Ridge Trail.

20.2Arrive back at junction with Clingmans Dome Bypass Trail. Turn sharply to the right and return to the parking area.

20.4Arrive back at parking area.