CIT001
Location: 35.349736, -84.038047
From the Beech Gap trailhead, begin on an old Forest Service road (it becomes singletrack at mile 1.2) to climb 900 feet over the next 3.5 miles. The dense forest transitions from pines to oaks and poplars and finally to rhododendron and mountain laurel.
CIT002
Location: 35.372265, -84.006853
Water up at a reliable, piped spring before your dry first night's camp.
CIT003
Location: 35.371266, -84.001113
Bed down on the open, grassy summit of Bob Stratton Bald.
CIT009
Location: 35.387562, -83.96896
Detour .2 mile to The Hangover, a rock tongue covered with a thin blanket of rhododendron, for uninterrupted views of sparkling lakes and rolling ridges.
CIT005
Location: 35.417349, -83.97263
Descend 2,100 feet to Big Fat Gap. Turn left downhill from near left corner of parking area onto trail #41 (Big Fat Trail) to continue your descent for an additional 1,200 feet over the next 2.5 miles through alternating hemlock and hardwood forest.
CIT006
Location: 35.418467, -83.994504
Ford 30-foot-wide, two-foot-deep Slickrock Creek with caution (the footing is treacherous). Watch for coyote, black bear, and whitetail deer that are drawn to the isolated forest basin. USE EXTREME CAUTION. DO NOT ATTEMPT DURING HIGH WATER CONDITIONS.
CIT007
Location: 35.422899, -84.00107
Detour .6 mile (round-trip) via trail #42 to four-tiered Wildcat Falls, which ends in a deep pool perfect for a dip.
CIT008
Location: 35.430803, -84.014145
Camp at the flat, forested site of a former homestead and apple orchard. Next day, head southwest on Trail #95 (Fodderstack Trail).
CIT009
Location: 35.4227, -84.022879
A brief section of cliffside trail allows views over stunted mountain laurel to yesterday's ridge and the creek basins below before you descend to Big Stack Gap.
CIT010
Location: 35.379288, -84.008761
Turn right onto the Benton MacKaye Trail for a .9-mile sample of its 300-mile length.
CIT011
Location: 35.373371, -84.016231
Hop the headwaters of Citico Creek's North Fork before ascending through a shimmering stand of yellow birch.
CIT012
Location: 35.371614, -84.022821
Left turn onto Trail #149 (Cold Spring Gap Trail).
CIT013
Location: 35.360076, -84.01906
Right turn onto dirt Strawberry Knob Road to close the loop and return to the trailhead.
Wilderness solitude requires some sweat equity on this two-night loop that packs 13,223 feet of elevation change into 21.3 miles. But the effort is well-rewarded with sweeping vistas, narrow ridgelines, hidden forest valleys, refreshing waterfalls—and very little company.
Gear up Little River Trading Company, 2408 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy., Maryville, TN; (865) 681-4141; littlerivertradingco.com
Contacts (423) 253-8400; fs.fed.us/r8/cherokee
-Mapped by Peter Rives
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