6Appalachian Trail to the Jumpoff and Charlies Bunion

A walk on the storied Georgia-to-Maine footpath rises from Newfound Gap to fabulous views at the Jumpoff and the craggy perch of Charlies Bunion.

Distance: 6.5 miles out and back to the Jumpoff; 8 miles out and back to Charlies Bunion

Approximate hiking time: 7 hours

Difficulty: More challenging due to elevation gain, but the hike requires stamina and a sense of adventure due to the distance and rocky character of the Appalachian Trail

Trail surface: The slope is relatively gradual but the trail is rocky and eroded in places

Other trail users: None; no dogs or horses allowed

Best season: Winter, late fall, and early spring, as much for the lack of other hikers as for the fact that the arrival of high pressure weather systems bring increased visibility to the colder seasons

Canine compatibility: Dogs not permitted

Fees and permits: None

Schedule: Unavailable only when inclement weather closes Newfound Gap Road

Maps: USGS Mount Le Conte and Mount Guyot; TOPO! Tennessee, Kentucky; TOPO! North Carolina, South Carolina

Trail contacts: Information about trails, camping, road closures, as well as downloadable maps and a “Smokies Trip Planner” are available online under the “Plan Your Visit” part of the park’s excellent Web site, www.nps.gov/grsm. The Backcountry Information Office is open 9 a.m. to noon, 865-436-1297.

Special considerations: Be prepared to see a lot of other hikers. Aim for an early start on an off-season weekday.

Other: This is one of only a few hikes in this book that is not easy. But the hike is included because it is among the easiest high-adventure hikes often hiked by well-equipped, motivated novices in good shape.

Finding the trailhead: The major trailhead parking area is on Newfound Gap Road, 13 miles from Sugarlands Visitor Center south of Gatlinburg in Tennessee, and 16 miles from Oconaluftee Visitor Center north of Cherokee, North Carolina. Leave the north side of the parking lot just beyond the trail to the restrooms. GPS: N35 36.663' / W83 25.493'

The Hike

Newfound Gap may be a truly popular place to start a hike, but this trailhead is also the best way to reach a few of the Smokies’ most spectacular viewpoints. From the memorial to the Rockefeller Foundation, whose funds helped found the park (President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dedicated the park here in 1940), day hikes reach two awesome views: the Jumpoff and Charlies Bunion.

Leaving the gap, the trail was one of the first built-from-scratch sections of the Appalachian Trail (AT), artfully excavated by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Though gradual, it’s now badly eroded, rocky, and rooty in places as it rises from gap to gap, past the Sweat Heifer Creek Trail on the right (southeast) at 1.7 miles, to reach The Boulevard Trail on the left (northwest) at 2.7 miles. The Boulevard is a sharp evergreen ridge that leads 5.4 miles to the summit of Mount LeConte (6,593 feet), home to LeConte Lodge, open from late March into November, and the Mount LeConte shelter.

To reach the Jumpoff (6,100 feet), go left (northwest) on The Boulevard Trail a short distance and turn right (north) at the trail sign, heading up the rocky start. The trail crosses 6,150-foot Mount Kephart to a cliff-top view that looks down more than 1,000 feet and out ahead (east) to Charlies Bunion. The round-trip hike to the Jumpoff and back to Newfound Gap is 6.5 miles.

One of the most scenic sections of trail in the Smokies leads from the Jumpoff trail junction to Charlies Bunion. Continuing north on the AT (left if you turn from The Boulevard Trail), the trail to Icewater Spring Shelter appears on the right (east) in 0.3 mile. At 3.8 miles (from Newfound Gap), the two rocky peaks that make up Charlies Bunion testify to the devastation that logging, forest fires, and subsequent floods caused before the park existed. All three denuded this area before 1930, and today the sparse vegetation makes the crags appear almost alpine. Go left on the short loop that circles this truly spectacular—but lamentably named—beauty spot. The round-trip hike is about 8 miles.

Miles and Directions

0.0 Start from Newfound Gap on the Appalachian Trail.

1.7 Pass the Sweat Heifer Creek Trail on the right (southeast).

2.7 Reach the junction with The Boulevard Trail. Go left (northwest) here, then right (north) for the Jumpoff. It is 1 mile out and back from this intersection to the viewpoint and 6.5 miles round-trip from the Newfound Gap trailhead.

3.0 The path to Icewater Spring Shelter goes right (east).

3.9 Head left (north) to circle Charlies Bunion.

8.0 Arrive back at the trailhead.