huckepack

Benton MacKaye Trail

Length

Stated
462.8 km, the stated length (Benton MacKaye Trail Association)
Map line
448 km, OpenStreetMap along the official track
Used for
The charts on this page, and comparing trails in the search

462.8km

Ascent · descent

This trail
16,667 m up, 17,315 m down
Source
The stated totals (Benton MacKaye Trail Association)

16,667m ↑17,315m ↓

Difficulty

What
How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
Scale
Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
Keep in mind
It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
  • Terrain: DemandingClimbing: ≈ 43 m per km
  • Climate: Demanding in Apr–OctHeat: 31 °C by day (July)
  • Effort: HardLongest day: ≈ 11 h (stage 21)

All measures

Terrain: Demanding; Climate: Demanding in Apr–Oct; Effort: Hard

Days

This trail
25 days, one per main stage
Why
No source suggests a number of days

25days

Per stage

How
The 25 main stages' totals over their number
Source
Benton MacKaye Trail Association, so the averages come from one source
Ascent
The terrain model's estimate per stage (≈): the stages state no climbs

18.4km· about 790 m ↑
Season

Landscape

Source
ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route
  • Forest: 99%
  • Grassland and shrubs: 0%
  • Farmland and villages: 0%
  • Water, snow and ice: 0%

Landscape along the route

Mostly Forest

Photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons by Thomson20192, US Forest Service - Southern Region, National Trails Office (US National Park Service), Chris M Morris, Washuotaku, hakkun and Miguel.v (talk · contribs); each photo's licence in the gallery

Location

Country
United States
Regions
Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina
Start
Springer Mountain
Finish
Big Creek
Route type
Point to point
Permit
Required
Travel hubs
  • Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)189.5 km by road · 306 min
  • Gainesville (Amtrak)102.2 km by road · 236 min
Protected areas
Cohutta Wilderness; Big Frog Wilderness; Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Managed by
Benton MacKaye Trail Association, USDA Forest Service (Chattahoochee, Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests), National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National ParkOfficial website
Waymarking
The official blaze is a white diamond, 5″ across by 7″ tall; none are permitted in Wilderness.
GPX
GPX trackOur tracing from OpenStreetMap
  • Trail
  • Start
  • Stage start
  • Finish
  • Contour lines

Difficulty

Terrain

Rates
How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?
How
Rated over the whole main route.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Path grade
the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated
  1. EasyT1
  2. ModerateT2
  3. DemandingT3
  4. HardT4 to T6
Climbing
ascent of the main stages over their length
  1. Easyunder 15 m per km
  2. Moderate15–30 m
  3. Demanding30–50 m
  4. Hard50 m or more
Steep stretches
share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)
  1. Easyunder 5 %
  2. Moderate5–15 %
  3. Demanding15–30 %
  4. Hard30 % or more
Natural ground
share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own
  1. Easyunder a third
  2. Moderatea third to two thirds
  3. Demandingtwo thirds or more

Demanding

  • SAC hiking scale

    This trail
    T2 (our estimate)
    Basis
    The association calls it a backcountry hiking trail whose "Difficulty is similar to that of the AT": it travels the high ridges of the southern Appalachians and descends to cross seven rivers and numerous creeks, with an average grade of 6 % and at most 22 %, several creek crossings but no deep-water fords, and about 15 miles of road walks. Mountain hiking on a maintained footpath without exposed passages (T2).
    Scale
    The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
    Why
    Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
    Keep in mind
    An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
    T1 · Hiking
    Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
    T2 · Mountain hiking
    A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
    T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
    The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
    T4 · Alpine hiking
    Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
    T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
    Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
    T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
    Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.

    The scale at the Swiss Alpine Club

    estimated T2
  • Climbingestimated 43 m per km
  • Steep stretches13 % of the way
  • Natural ground93 %

Climate

Rates
How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?
How
From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Heat
mean daily high at the lowest point
  1. Easyunder 22 °C
  2. Moderate22–27 °C
  3. Demanding27–32 °C
  4. Hard32 °C or more
Cold
mean nightly low at the highest point
  1. Easy8 °C or more
  2. Moderate3–8 °C
  3. Demanding−2 to 3 °C
  4. Hardbelow −2 °C
Wet days
days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points
  1. Easyunder 10
  2. Moderate10–14
  3. Demanding14–18
  4. Hard18 or more
Snow
days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point
  1. Easyunder 1 day
  2. Moderate1–3 days
  3. Demanding3–6 days
  4. Hard6 days or more
Wind
mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's
  1. Easyunder 15 km/h
  2. Moderate15–20 km/h
  3. Demanding20–25 km/h
  4. Hard25 km/h or more

Demanding in Apr–Oct

  • Heat · July31 °C by day
  • Cold · April1 °C at night
  • Wet days · July18 days
  • Snow · April2 days
  • Wind · April16 km/h

Effort

Rates
How long are the days?
How
Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Longest day
walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466
  1. Easyup to 4 h
  2. Moderate4–6 h
  3. Demanding6–8 h
  4. Hardmore than 8 h

Hard

  • Longest day · stage 21estimated 11 h

Climate

Days in season · lowest point
10–31°C
Nights in season · highest point
−8 to 12°C
Wet days a month
9–18
Daylight
9.8–14.5h
SeasonDay high and night low−10 °C0 °C10 °C20 °C30 °C40 °CWet days, at the highest point5101520Daylight10.0 h10.9 h11.9 h13.0 h14.0 h14.5 h14.3 h13.5 h12.3 h11.2 h10.2 h9.8 hJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Climate by month, 1995–2024 average
MonthLowest point, day high / night low (°C)Highest point, day high / night low (°C)Wet daysSnow daysFrost nights at the highest pointDaylight (h)
January10 / 1.51.6 / -7.812.38.127.810
February12.5 / 3.23.8 / -6.312.37.625.110.9
March16.9 / 6.67.8 / -3.112.64.72211.9
April21.3 / 10.712.2 / 0.712.11.912.913
May25.6 / 15.615.8 / 5.614.50.32.614
June29.4 / 19.719.1 / 9.715.20014.5
July30.9 / 21.620.7 / 11.617.80014.3
August30.6 / 21.220.3 / 11.314.80013.5
September27.7 / 18.217.8 / 8.510.300.212.3
October22.3 / 12.413 / 2.99.10.57.911.2
November16.1 / 6.77.5 / -2.59.72.921.610.2
December11.7 / 3.43.5 / -5.511626.69.8

Climate by month

Source
ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
Places
The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
Bars
From the mean night low to the mean day high
Wet days
At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
Daylight
Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
Shading
The trail's season

Stages

RouteDistanceAscentDescentElevation
1Springer Mountain Three Forks9.7 km200 m ↑560 m ↓1,150 → 800 m
2Three Forks GA Hwy 60 (southern crossing)20.0 km800 m ↑940 m ↓790 → 650 m
3GA Hwy 60 (southern crossing) Skeenah Gap9.0 km610 m ↑500 m ↓630 → 740 m
4Skeenah Gap Wilscot Gap (GA Hwy 60)8.5 km430 m ↑400 m ↓730 → 760 m
5Wilscot Gap (GA Hwy 60) Shallowford Bridge12.1 km600 m ↑790 m ↓750 → 570 m
6Shallowford Bridge Weaver Creek Road15.6 km680 m ↑630 m ↓540 → 590 m
7Weaver Creek Road Bushy Head Gap14.0 km570 m ↑520 m ↓580 → 640 m
8Bushy Head Gap Dyer Gap20.0 km1,060 m ↑810 m ↓650 → 900 m
9Dyer Gap Watson Gap7.2 km230 m ↑260 m ↓890 → 870 m
10Watson Gap Double Spring Gap (GA/TN line)13.7 km600 m ↑450 m ↓860 → 1,000 m
11Double Spring Gap (GA/TN line) US Hwy 64 (Thunder Rock)17.9 km430 m ↑1,100 m ↓1,020 → 360 m
12US Hwy 64 (Thunder Rock) Trestle (FS 17327.5 km1,050 m ↑1,170 m ↓360 → 240 m
13Trestle (FS 173 FS 22B (Coker Creek)18.0 km620 m ↑530 m ↓240 → 330 m
14FS 22B (Coker Creek) Unicoi Gap (TN/NC line)14.0 km670 m ↑350 m ↓320 → 640 m
15Unicoi Gap (TN/NC line) Sandy Gap13.5 km680 m ↑520 m ↓640 → 800 m
16Sandy Gap Tellico River Road (FS 210)23.2 km910 m ↑780 m ↓800 → 930 m
17Tellico River Road (FS 210) Beech Gap (Cherohala Skyway)19.3 km1,310 m ↑860 m ↓930 → 1,370 m
18Beech Gap (Cherohala Skyway) Tapoco Lodge24.1 km550 m ↑1,580 m ↓1,380 → 360 m
19Tapoco Lodge Fontana Dam (north end)23.8 km1,320 m ↑1,080 m ↓350 → 600 m
20Fontana Dam (north end) Eagle Creek Trail10.9 km330 m ↑360 m ↓590 → 550 m
21Eagle Creek Trail Campsite 98 (Chambers Creek)30.9 km1,220 m ↑1,220 m ↓550 → 550 m
22Campsite 98 (Chambers Creek) Noland Divide Trail junction (Upper Sassafras Gap)30.4 km1,480 m ↑720 m ↓550 → 1,310 m
23Noland Divide Trail junction (Upper Sassafras Gap) Smokemont Campground26.7 km940 m ↑1,560 m ↓1,310 → 680 m
24Smokemont Campground Straight Fork Road24.0 km1,320 m ↑1,020 m ↓680 → 980 m
25Straight Fork Road Big Creek26.7 km1,160 m ↑1,610 m ↓970 → 520 m

Totals and averages count the main stages only. ≈ marks our estimates where the source gives no figure: ascent and descent and heights from the terrain model (Copernicus DEM, 30 m grid, sampled every 100 m), to the nearest 10 m.

Terrain

Highest · lowest point
1,780m high227m low

Gradient

Steepest climb
26 % (15°), 128 m up over 500 m, stage 11
Steepest descent
−29 % (16°), 145 m down over 500 m, stage 19
Gradient
Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90°
Keep in mind
Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper
GradientAngleFeels like
10 %6°Noticeable on a road
20 %11°A steep path, slow going
30 %17°Very steep, often steps
100 %45°Scrambling

26% ↑−29% ↓

Steep stretches

This trail
26.2 km up, 31.6 km down: the darkest parts of the profile
Steep
15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 200 m stretches
Why it matters
Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill

57.8km

Surfaces

  • Natural ground: 93%, 411.6 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
  • Gravel: 4%, 15.6 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
  • Paved: 3%, 13.2 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.
  • Unknown: 0%, 0.4 km. Stretches whose surface OpenStreetMap doesn't record.

93% natural4% gravel3% paved
400 m800 m1,200 m1,600 m1,780 m123456789101112131415161718192021222324250 km440.8 km

Terrain along the route

Heights
Copernicus terrain model, 30 m grid, every 100 m along the main route; in forests it reads the treetops
Colours
Each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
Ground
The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 59% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)

Landscape

Forest99%Grassland and shrubs0%Water, snow and ice0%Farmland and villages0%124681012141618202224250 km440.8 km

Landscape along the route

Source
ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
Points
Every 100 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
Groups
Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
Keep in mind
What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there

Sleeping

Wild camping is restricted. In Great Smoky Mountains National Park camping is permitted only at designated backcountry campsites and shelters, with a permit and advance reservation; at most 3 consecutive nights at one campsite, and fires only in the fire rings there.

71.2 km without a bedCamping68Huts0Hostels1Rooms0124681012141618202224250 km440.8 km

Places to sleep along the route

Ticks
One per place to sleep: 68 campsites, 0 huts, 1 hostels, 0 guest houses
Counted
Within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail); no hotels or day shelters
Shaded
The longest stretch without any, km 161.7–232.9
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally

Water & Supply

Clean water

This trail
71.2 km without clean water, km 161.7–232.9, stages 12–17
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Within 500 m: 2 taps, fountains and drinking springs, 1 places to sleep with drinking water, 42 refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites
Refills
Guests come first and many close out of season: ask, and carry a little extra. Places marked without drinking water are left out
Source
OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route

71.2kmScarce

Any water

This trail
71.2 km without any water, km 161.7–232.9
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Clean water, plus the 7 springs within 500 m
Keep in mind
Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer

71.2kmScarce

Shops

This trail
152.8 km without a shop, km 288–440.8
Counted
4 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Keep in mind
Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one

152.8km
Water · 71.2 km withoutPublic drinking water · 295.5 km withoutSprings (treat before drinking) · 388.8 km withoutRefills at places to sleep · 71.2 km withoutShops · 152.8 km without123456789101112131415161718192021222324250 km440.8 km

Water and shops along the route

Ticks
One per place along the main route
Counted
Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of a stage's end
Shaded
Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally

Wildlife

Wildlife

Shows
Animals that can be dangerous to hikers on this trail: large animals, venomous snakes, scorpions and spiders, ticks, and plants that harm on touch
Level
Ours, read from the official source
High
A bite of a species it calls common can be life-threatening within hours
Moderate
It warns of attacks or serious harm, or places the trail in a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis
Low
The harm is mostly minor or treatable, or avoidable by how you behave
What to do
From the official source: National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Pictures
Silhouettes from PhyloPic, not to scale, each maker named with its advice; the landscape is the trail's own, drawn by us

Black bear Moderate

Black bear

Moderate danger

The Smokies are bear country: the park reports an average of 339 negative human-bear encounters a year over the last ten years, with bear activity especially high from May to August; attacks are extremely rare. The association says bears live along the whole trail.

If you meet one

  • If the bear changes its behavior in response to your presence, slowly back away while facing the bear
  • If a bear approaches or follows you, change your direction. If it continues to follow, stand your ground
  • If the bear gets closer, shout and act aggressively to scare it off
  • Use bear spray only if necessary and the bear is within 20 yards
  • If the bear attacks you and it's not interested in your food, fight back with everything you have

Don't

  • Never approach the bear or allow it to come closer to you
  • Never run or turn your back
  • Do not play dead
  • Never leave food behind

Advice: National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Level: ours. Silhouette: Abby Weber (Ursus americanus), PhyloPic, public domain.