Backpacking 44 Miles In The Great Smoky Mountains

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I spent 3 days in East Tennessee backpacking Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I did a loop trail from Deep Creek up to Clingmans Dome and down the Nolan Divide. The two backcountry campsites I stayed at were Burnt Spruce and Steel Trap. I had planned on making this a 3 night, 4 day adventure, but solo backpacking means cranking out a lot more miles. Hope you enjoy the video. :)

[@tigerlillybell75]

Thank you. Brings back memories when I was a child in the 1950's and our family went to the Smokies every fall on vacation to see the beautiful autumn colors.

[@JamieMcCracken]

Thank you for watching, Barbara! Happy you enjoyed the video and that it could bring back some great memories for you. A lot has changed technology wise since the 50s so I couldn't imagine what it must have been like to explore back then! I had a downloaded map and a lot of nice gear to complete this trip. Definitely would have been different back then. Looking forward to another Smokies trip soon! 😊

[@serenitygardenscompany]

Read your review for this hike on All Trails and saw the link to this page, great video!

[@JamieMcCracken]

Thank you so much man! Glad you came across my review and checked out the video. This is a VERY good backpacking route. So happy you found some value in the content. 🙏🏼

[@vtg1632]

thanks for the video! I noticed that you only did about one river crossing while along the deep creek trail, but on alltrails a lot of the reviewers mentioned that there were a good number of river crossings, some of them being pretty deep.

[@JamieMcCracken]

Between Pole Road #55 campsite and Poke Patch #53 campsite, somewhere around there (I forget the exact spot), it was pretty messy. Not sure my video did a good job of explaining it. I didn't have to worry about waist deep water because the water was low and I was able to boulder scramble my way around. But be warned: the trail is extremely washed out and hard to navigate. I would highly recommend calling the ranger station for current conditions around that section. If you go back to the 11:30 mark of the video where I cross that creek ... basically after that until I get on the ridge where I'm talking was a little weird to navigate in general with the wash out so just be careful and have a downloaded map on your phone. 🙏🏼 I will say, this is an amazing backpacking loop so hopefully you can make it past this small section because the rest is spectacular!! Hope this helps! Appreciate you checking out the video! 😊

[@vtg1632]

@@JamieMcCracken perfect and thank you for getting back to me!

[@JamieMcCracken]

@@vtg1632 Of course! I always do my best to respond to every single person. You’re welcome!!

[@hoytcondra]

Great video Jamie! Haven't been on that trail in a while. You inspired me to put that route on my trail list for this year.

[@JamieMcCracken]

Kathy! Thank you! Glad I could bring some inspiration to you. It's such a fun little route, especially the Deep Creek section. ☺

[@laribelgo]

Amazing video!! Thank you for taking us along on your Smoky Mountains adventure!! Love every bit of this video but was really paying attention more on the meals that you were eating. 😁 They all look soo delish! Which dinner was your favorite?? So curious to know!

[@JamieMcCracken]

Salamat babe! ☺☺ Glad you enjoyed the Smoky Mountain backpacking adventure! ❤ I knew that's all you'd care about is the food. 😆 That last meal -- Wild Zora Fiesta beef -- was amazing but I think Firepot has the best quality. 😋

[@maddycolbert5134]

nice

[@JamieMcCracken]

😂Happy I now have 1out of 7 squad members watching my videos!

[@m4olive]

Hey Jamie, great video! I also made my way here through the all trails review. Me and some buddies are planning a backpack trip and are looking for options. Would you recommend this or other trails in the area for 3ish day backpacking trip?

[@JamieMcCracken]

Hi, Max! First, thank you for the love on the video! This is truly an amazing backpacking trip for a 3-4 day trip if you're able to put in 45 miles. Going counterclockwise puts you along the creek with tons of access to water. Once you're up at Clingmans Dome, it's 3 miles minimum to the next source as you descend. Steel Trap is a very secluded backcountry site -- and probably my favorite of the trip so highly recommend staying down there once you descend from Clingmans. You'll go back up to Clingmans and then down Nolan's Divide to finish off this loop so keep in mind Steel Trap is off the trail you're doing. I really hope this helps. If you have more questions or ideas you're thinking about but not sure, let's keep this thread going and I will try to help ya'll as much as possible. The video does a pretty accurate job of what to expect and mileage breakdown day by day. 😊

[@SuperSlipDiff]

Awesome video! I used to go to the Smokies all the time when I was in school for fall break. I need to go back haha

[@JamieMcCracken]

Thank you, Ben!! You gotta get back there! The Smokies are awesome! ⛰️

[@chipwellington1179]

Too humid

[@kirchoffkyle]

heading to the smokies in the spring to do a similar 3 day 40-mile hike except it is point to point, what made you choose this route?

[@JamieMcCracken]

Hi, Kyle! Picked the route because it was a loop. If possible, I will always choose a loop route when backpacking because the logistics are easier from a parking and commuting standpoint. This is a fantastic loop and I would highly recommend doing it counterclockwise because of the water situation I mentioned in the video. You can check out my All Trails map here if you want to use it: www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/afternoon-hike-at-deep-creek-to-clingman-s-dome-e139c45?u=i&sh=g1tv04 You;'ll have a lot more camping options along the route too. Hope this helps! Appreciate you watching the video! Have a blast in the spring! 😊

[@kirchoffkyle]

@@JamieMcCrackenI looked at that exact route while picking my trip but me and my friend decided to do a point to point starting at the alum cave trail so we could spend more time in the peaks. Finding a shuttle is not gonna be fun though

[@CampDude420]

Clingmans not Clingsman 😂

[@JamieMcCracken]

First one to call me out on this! 😂 I realized that when I get into the edit. I was like, that had to be my exhaustion taking over every time I said it. 😅 I know now. Thank you for watching the video, Zeke! Hope you enjoyed it.

[@CampDude420]

Great video! One thing I’d recommend is getting a cnoc bag to filter water. They’re way better than those little sawyer bags

[@JamieMcCracken]

Thank you, Zeke! And yes, a CNOC bag is on my backpacking gear "to buy" list. You would think Sawyer would've upgraded by now considering how awesome of a company it is. Haha!@@CampDude420