12 Ferguson Cabin
A best-kept secret, this entry point to the national park near Maggie Valley permits an easy hike to the highest log cabin in the Smokies.
Distance: 2.8-mile lollipop; 1.8 miles out and back to the cabin
Approximate hiking time: 2 hours
Trail surface: Gravel forest road, meadow path, and hardened forest trail
Other trail users: Some equestrian traffic near the Cataloochee Divide Trail
Best season: Spring through fall
Canine compatibility: Dogs not permitted
Fees and permits: None
Schedule: See “Special considerations” below
Maps: USGS Dellwood; TOPO! North Carolina, South Carolina
Trail contact: Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center; (828) 926-6251
Special considerations: The Purchase Knob environmental education center is a residence for scientists studying the park and is not equipped to cater to drop-in visitors. Please park outside the gate; do not block traffic, or otherwise interfere with the facility’s work.
Finding the trailhead: From Asheville, North Carolina, go west on I-40. Take exit 20 and travel south on US 276 toward Maggie Valley. In 2.8 miles, turn right (west) onto Grindstone Road, then right (west) on Hemphill Road. Drive 3 miles. Pass the entrance to the Swag Country Inn on the left (west), and park 0.8 mile beyond near the gate for the Purchase Knob environmental education center. Do not block the road. Hike up the road to a meadow, where you’ll see a trail sign to the cabin. GPS: N35 34 22.155' / W83 4 34.658'
The Hike
The circa-1870s John Love Ferguson Cabin, the Smokies’ highest, sits 5,000 feet above sea level. It’s accessible from the gate of the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center, one of the five such centers established in national parks in 2001. Once the estate of Voit Gilmore and Kathryn McNeil, the 530-acre Purchase Knob tract was donated to the park in 2000 and is the Smokies’ largest private gift. The former summer home is now a facility where school and other groups come to help scientists in residence with park research.
The easy, 2.8-mile lollipop loop starts near the learning center’s gate. Walk up the scenic woods road and go left (west) across the meadow at a trail sign to Ferguson Cabin. Explore the inside.
Return to your car for a 1.8-mile out-and-back hike, or continue the loop by exiting the cabin and turning right (west) uphill into the woods along the stream. You’ll cross the creek, and reach a junction. A left (west) turn leads onto a connector trail to the Cataloochee Divide Trail, but turn right (east) to return to the meadow sign and your car.
Option
The Swag, the mile-high country inn you passed on your drive to Purchase Knob, is a hiker’s destination (www.theswag.com). From April through August, experts and naturalists engage guests with interpretive programs and guided hikes. A tree trunk holds hiking staffs (with a wooden name medallion for each guest), inviting you to grab one and stride off on a hike. Guests often visit Ferguson Cabin and nearby Hemphill Bald, a spectacular, hard-to-reach Smokies summit that is an easy hike from the inn. The Swag has a national reputation for fine food and lodging, so staying in one of the inn’s magical collection of cottages and lodges built from ancient Appalachian cabins will not be cheap.
Miles and Directions
0.0 Start from the gate by hiking up the gravel road.
0.9 Reach the Ferguson Cabin.
1.9 Complete the loop from the meadow and cabin; turn right (south) on the road back to your car.
2.8 Arrive back at the trailhead.