Backpacker Magazine – August 2012

From The Field: East

Our trail scouts' top local hikes

by: Sarah L. Stewart

Tags:
• FromTheField
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• Destinations
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• West
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• August
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Deep Creek Loop, Great Smoky Mountains NP, NC
Lynda Doucette Waynesville, NC

“If you’re looking for waterfalls, you get your biggest bang for your buck at Deep Creek,” Doucette says. No fewer than three year-round gushers, ranging from 45-foot Indian Creek Falls to 80-foot Tom Branch and Juney Whank Falls, cool this shaded, mellow 5.5-mile loop. Bring a fly rod for rainbow and brown trout, but skip the crowded banks of Deep Creek near the trailhead: “The farther in you go, the better your chances for solitude (and nabbing a big one).” Trip ID 6931

“Near the water, look for bluebirds, tanagers, and orioles.”



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