Fontana Dam & Tsali

Friday, Amaroq and I headed to the Fontana Lake area for a full day of hiking. We started at Fontana Dam, parking at the visitor center.

At roughly 480 feet, Fontana is the tallest dam east of the Rocky Mountains, and the thick morning fog that greeted us created an atmospheric, almost otherworldly scene.

We walked across the dam through the mist, catching glimpses of the lake on the far side.

The Appalachian Trail continues from there into Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but since dogs are prohibited on park trails, we turned around.

On the way back we paused at a picnic area with more open views of Fontana Lake.

Finally, we climbed to the overlook above the visitor center for a few final photos before moving on. 

Next we drove to Tsali Recreation Area and parked at the bike trailhead. 

A short connector trail took us to the Horse Parking Area, where we joined the Left Loop.

The trail hugged the shoreline for more than eight miles, delivering steady views of the lake.

About a mile in we spotted an old chimney just off the path.

A couple of hours later a brief but intense five-minute downpour soaked us thoroughly; the sky cleared quickly afterward, and continued hiking helped us mostly dry out.

At the end of the Left Loop we branched onto the Overlook Loop and walked out to Cliff Overlook.

Here we ate lunch while taking in wide views of Fontana Lake and the distant Smoky Mountains.

We finished the loop, followed County Line Road back to the trailhead, and on the way home stopped once more in Andrews at Snowbird Mountains Brewing so Amaroq could enjoy another well-earned pup cup.

Fires Creek Hike

On Thursday, Amaroq and I headed to Fires Creek Recreation Area for a solid day on the trails.

We parked at the picnic area and walked down toward Leatherwood Falls, only to find the view completely blocked by thick summer foliage.

Undeterred, we jumped on the Leatherwood Loop Trail and followed it up to the top of the falls, where we got a clear look at the upper cascade, though the main drop remained hidden from above.

After crossing Leatherwood Branch on the bridge and finishing the loop, I decided to wade Fires Creek for a better angle from the base.

The water was relatively low but still nearly knee-deep in spots, so it would be a much tougher (or impossible) crossing in higher flows. Even from below, the falls turned out to be modest rather than dramatic. From there we crossed the road and started up the Rim Trail counterclockwise.

The first stretch climbed steeply, but after about half a mile it leveled into classic ridgeline hiking with rolling ups and downs with surprisingly decent views despite the full summer canopy. I can only imagine how open and far-reaching those vistas must be in winter.

We pushed several miles along the rim across Graveyard High Top to Carvers Gap before dropping down Bristol Trail toward the horse camp.

I’d planned to return via Cover Trail, but it was so overgrown and hard to follow that we simply took the road back instead.

Once at the picnic area again, we explored the other end of Cover Trail a short distance; the first quarter-mile is paved through the picnic grounds before reaching a ford that looked tricky, and with rain starting we turned around. 

On the drive back toward Robbinsville we stopped at Snowbird Mountains Brewery in Andrews for a late lunch. They don’t serve food, which meant Amaroq was welcome inside, and we ordered delivery from the restaurant next door. Amaroq scored a pup-cup of hot-dog pieces and thoroughly enjoyed the treat while we relaxed. We finished the day back at the cabin with a fire; another good outing in the books.

Snowbird Waterfall Hike

Wednesday we headed to Snowbird Backcountry Area and set off early on Big Snowbird Trail (#64). The morning air was cool and pleasant as we hiked upstream along Snowbird Creek.

After about 2.5 miles we passed the old shot-up car sitting out in the wilderness, then crossed a narrow footbridge over Sassafras Creek.

Just beyond, we turned onto Sassafras Creek Trail (#65) and followed it to Sassafras Falls.

The water level was good and the cloudy light made the falls look especially nice, so we paused for photos while Amaroq enjoyed a treat.

Above the falls we joined Burntrock Ridge Trail (#65A) and started the steep climb.

The first stretch was open but quickly became very overgrown; luckily the steepest section lasted only a bit more than a quarter-mile, though the ridgeline itself stayed thick.

After the climb the trail followed the ridge before descending back to Snowbird Creek. We forded the creek, rejoined Big Snowbird Trail, and continued upstream, first open, then choked with dog hobble for a stretc.  After a steep, narrow section, we came to Upper Falls after roughly a mile from the ford.

With the sun out I skipped the usual wade for a photo and turned around.  This isn't the best waterfall anyway. At the ford we took Middle Falls Trail (#64A) to the short Middle Falls Alt connector (#64B), which returned us to Big Snowbird just above Middle Falls and spared us multiple wet crossings.

Middle Falls remains my favorite in the area, not the largest, but beautifully scenic.  I was surprised to find another couple already there.

A few clouds drifted in, giving me better light for pictures, and rosebay rhododendron was blooming nicely at the falls and throughout the area.

We retraced Middle Falls Trail back toward the main path; it was steep and a little overgrown in places but kept our feet dry.

At the end we rejoined Big Snowbird by a campsite and crossed the big footbridge over the creek.

Shortly past here, we scrambled down to Big Falls.

Another timely cloud gave me good light on both the main drop and the cascade below.

From there it was about a mile to the Sassafras Creek junction and the old shot-up car.

And then another 2.5 miles or so back to the trailhead, roughly 13 miles total and very enjoyable despite the overgrown stretches on Burntrock Ridge. 

On the way home we grabbed a pizza in Robbinsville and finished the day with a fire at the cabin.

Joyce Kilmer Hikes

Tuesday morning we got an early start and headed to Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness. We were the first ones there and set out on the double-loop trail.

The lower loop climbed steadily through a beautiful, almost rainforest-like forest.

At the top of the lower loop we reached the memorial rock, then continued onto the upper loop where the giant tulip poplars began to appear.

The trees in this old-growth forest are just amazing.

Black cohosh was flowering in the deep shade, rich soil, and the moisture of the forest.

At one point the early morning sunlight cut bright crepuscular rays through the hazy forest, it was really striking.

After finishing the upper loop, we finished up on the lower loop crossing over Little Santeetlah Creek.

Another car pulled in as we took off.

We drove farther up the road and made a quick stop at roadside Verlie Falls.

Summer foliage was thick and the water was low; it would look much better with higher flows in winter.

From there we continued on and parked at the Haoe Lead Trailhead near the top. The first tenth of a mile was fine, but then the trail became extremely overgrown.

It wasn’t steep (we’d already driven most of the elevation), but the dense vegetation made progress tough.

We did get one open view looking down toward Santeetlah Lake, and the wildflowers were excellent, Turk's cap lilies and beebalm were in bloom.

After the junction with the Deep Creek Trail we climbed into the clouds and the forest turned very foggy. If the trail hadn’t been so overgrown it would have been a really nice hike.

We pushed about two miles to the top of Rock Creek Knob (no views) before turning around. On the way out we stopped at Maple Springs Overlook.

A short accessible trail led to an overlook, which delivered phenomenal views.

Then we continued on for a few more waterfalls.  

We drove down to US-129 and pulled off at Bear Creek Falls.

Its a 12-foot cascade on the Cheoah River right beside the road.

There’s a second Bear Creek Falls a short distance downstream where Bear Creek joins the river, but foliage blocked the view and I couldn’t cross with Amaroq. Our last stop was Yellow Creek Falls. A short trail of just over a quarter-mile follows Yellow Creek to the scenic waterfall. We had it to ourselves at first.

I pulled off my boots and waded while Amaroq took a nap. As I was drying off, a group of teenagers arrived for a swim. They all stopped to say hi and pet Amaroq; one girl was especially enthusiastic, swimming behind the falls and jumping from the big rock. We said goodbye and headed out.