Fires Creek Rim Trail – North Carolina

[Dutch Anderson]

Anyone done this loop trail? Looking for a short trip for me and the wife…gotta' get out of this heat in Florida and need somewhere to drive to. She's kinda new to backpacking so don't want the mileage to be to great.

If not this one…suggestions?

[Alex H]

It is a great loop, a few steep climbs, 25 miles total. You can make a 3 day trip out of it if you climb up to Will King Gap the first day (usually water there just down slope) then second night around near Tusquitee or Potrock Balds (get water near Tri-Corner Knob. Lots of short steep ups and downs the last day but you come right back to your car at Leatherwood falls.

I have a short trip report with some info here:
http://40yearsofwalking.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/fires-creek-i-204/

[Brad Rogers]

Alex might have better info as I have never done this trail (on the list for 2012) but the people I know that have done it claim water can be very hard to find.

[Alex H]

Bradford is correct, water is hard to find but the Chunky Gal/Fires Creek Rim Trail guide book is very detailed and we found water at several places described in the book. On the east side down the side trail at Will King Gap, down the Shinbone Ridge trail is a spring near County Corners (not Tri-corner as I said above) and one below the trail near Tusquitee Bald where the Chunky Gal trial jct. is.

The drought is not happening down there so flow should be OK. You might could get spring info from the trail maintainers at Mountain High Hikers (http://www.mountainhighhikers.org/)

[Stephen Jones]

If you are trying to escape heat and humidity you may want to rethink this trip at this time of year. I'm from the Tampa area and returned from a 5-day trip in the Great Smokeys 10 days ago. Temps ranged from the mid-70s to low-90s and the humidity was nearly identical to Tampa. One heavy rain and a handful of showers during the week. Our gear was well waterproofed (double-bagged) but by the second day everyone/thing that was exposed to the outside was damp to wet. Morning temperatures were at/near the dewpoint and you sweat profusely for the rest of the day. Nights were warm and muggy. Nothing dries out. This made for a very uncomfortable hike but I'd still far rather be there than sitting in my air conditioned office.

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