63 Gregory Bald via Twentymile

Gregory Bald is among the finest destinations in the Smokies backcountry. For many hikers, it is the finest. Most people access the bald from the Tennessee side by taking either Gregory Ridge Trail or Gregory Bald Trail (see Hike 24). The hike outlined here provides a less-traveled access from the North Carolina side. See the sidebar for Hike 24 for a note about Gregory’s wild azaleas.

(See map for Hike 62: Twentymile Loop.)

Start: Twentymile trailhead in the far southwestern end of the park

Distance: 15.5-mile lollipop

Hiking time: About 9 hours—overnighter or tough day hike

Difficulty: Strenuous, due to steep grades

Trail surface: Old forest roads, forest trails, and grassy bald

Best season: Second half of June for the azalea bloom

Other trail users: Equestrians

Maps: Tapoco, Fontana Dam, Calderwood, and Cades Cove USGS quads; Trails Illustrated #229 Great Smoky Mountains; Trails Illustrated #316 Cades Cove Elkmont

Special considerations: The park has installed foot logs at the five crossings of Moore Springs Branch. As with most foot logs in the park, these foot logs could still wash away in flood conditions, and without them, you’ll have to wade.

Other: Parking is limited at the trailhead. On summer weekends you might have to park back at the ranger station. Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort, with convenience store, motel, and restaurant, is located about 2.7 miles west on NC 28. It closes in winter. Fontana Village Resort is about 6 miles east on NC 28.

Finding the trailhead: The trailhead is at Twentymile Ranger Station, in the remote southwestern end of the park. Drive about 6 miles west from Fontana Dam on NC 28 and turn right at the sign for Twentymile. Pass the ranger station and park at the small gravel lot on the right, just before the gate. The trail is a continuation of the gravel road. GPS: N35 28.033' / W83 52.616'

The Hike

Begin hiking up the gravel road on an old railroad grade. At 0.5 mile cross Moore Springs Branch on an auto bridge and turn left onto Wolf Ridge Trail on the far side. The hike now follows Moore Springs Branch upstream, crossing it five times on foot logs. After the fifth crossing you soon come to the junction with Twentymile Loop Trail, which follows the creek upstream. Wolf Ridge Trail, which you want to take, turns left and swings away from the creek at this junction. In a little less than a mile from the creek, you come to a sharp right switchback. A side path leads a few hundred yards from the switchback to Campsite 95, a pleasant site in a second-growth mixed-hardwood forest.

Continuing from the switchback, Wolf Ridge Trail begins climbing in earnest and it doesn’t let up for the next 3.6 miles. (There’s one tiny dip where the trail swings around a saddle, but that’s it.) At several points you think you’ve reached Parson Bald, only to discover that you have to keep climbing. Once on the bald, you know it. It’s mostly overgrown, but there are scattered open patches. Blueberries are everywhere, and if you want to see bears, come here in August when the fruit ripens. Parson Bald is an all-you-can-eat buffet for bears.

From Parson Bald, it’s an easy and delightful walk through patches of tassel rue to Sheep Pen Gap and Campsite 13. Wolf Ridge Trail ends here at the junction with Gregory Bald Trail. Turn right (southeast) and climb 0.4 mile to Gregory Bald. If you can’t make this hike when the azaleas bloom, that’s OK. The views alone are more than worth the climb. Cades Cove sprawls out to the northeast; to the southwest lies the Joyce Kilmer–Slickrock Wilderness in the Unicoi Mountains; due south is Fontana Lake, and between the lake and you stands Shuckstack Tower. Trees obscure the view to the west.

It is 0.7 mile from the bald to Rich Gap, heading east. At a four-way junction on the gap, Gregory Ridge Trail goes to the left, while a side path on the right leads a few hundred yards to historic Moore Spring, site of a former herder’s cabin and, more recently, a backcountry shelter. The spring is the headwaters for Moore Springs Branch that you crossed several times on the way up here.

Gregory Bald Trail continues straight ahead from the junction and in a few hundred feet comes to the junction with Long Hungry Ridge Trail at a fork. Your hike follows Long Hungry Ridge Trail to the right (south). For nearly a mile the trail loses little elevation and is a joy to hike. Just before the trail drops off the east side of the ridge, you pass through Rye Patch. There may be an old sign marking this tiny clearing. Rye Patch was much more open at one time, and as you would expect, planted in rye.

Upon leaving Rye Patch, the descent increases noticeably and the trail continues uneventfully. After a few creek crossings (some potentially tough in high water), you come to Campsite 92, 3.4 miles from Rich Gap. The site sits in a grove of hemlock and yellow poplar (tulip tree) and appears little used.

Just beyond the campsite you cross a small stream branch, spanned by the rotten remains of an old bridge. The steep grade is behind you now. Now you follow an easy course along an obvious logging grade and cross a few minor branches. A final crossing of Proctor Branch heralds the approach to Twentymile Trail at Proctor Field Gap.

From the gap, head west on Twentymile Trail. (Don’t take the immediate right on Twentymile Loop Trail.) It’s an easy 2.6-mile walk back to the junction with Wolf Ridge Trail, with Twentymile Creek as a constant companion. You cross the creek five times, all on sturdy bridges. Just past the third crossing is Campsite 93, right beside the trail. It’s a small site with zero privacy. A few hundred feet before you arrive back to Wolf Ridge Trail, a signed side path to the left leads a few yards to the scenic Twentymile Creek Cascade.

Once back at the lower trail junction, backtrack the remaining 0.5 mile to your car.

Miles and Directions

0.0Start at the gate on Twentymile Trail.

0.5Cross Moore Springs Branch on a bridge and turn left onto Wolf Ridge Trail.

1.6At the junction with Twentymile Loop Trail, swing to the left to remain on Wolf Ridge Trail and hike away from the creek.

2.5At a sharp right-hand switchback, a side path goes straight ahead to Campsite 95. Continue on Wolf Ridge Trail.

6.1Parson Bald.

6.8Junction with Gregory Bald Trail at Campsite 13. Turn right (southeast) on Gregory Bald Trail.

7.2Arrive at Gregory Bald. Explore the open bald and continue following Gregory Bald Trail on the other side.

7.9At Rich Gap pass by Gregory Ridge Trail, which comes up from the left, and in a few hundred feet, bear right (south) at the fork onto Long Hungry Ridge Trail.

11.3Campsite 92.

12.4Arrive at four-way trail junction. Head west on Twentymile Trail. (Do not take the immediate right onto Twentymile Loop Trail.)

13.7Campsite 93.

14.9Pass by Twentymile Creek Cascade.

15.0Return to junction with Wolf Ridge Trail. Continue following Twentymile Trail back to the trailhead.

15.5Arrive back at trailhead.

Option: Although this hike is certainly doable as a day hike, you’d be shortchanging yourself by not staying overnight at Campsite 13, one of the finest in the Smokies. By camping, you can experience Gregory Bald at sunset and sunrise. Campsite 13 is rationed and usually full on weekends and on weekdays in June. Make your reservations early.