Plan with
Confidence
All campsites must be registered with the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
The Great Smoky Mountain National Park also closes secondary roads on a seasonal schedule due to snow. Schedules can be found here.
Backcountry rules and regulations can be found here.
Path Type
Point to Point
This is a really cool trail because parts of it were home to hundreds of families in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This will become abundantly clear along the trail as hikers will come across a large number of old homesteads and former settlements. Both parking and the trailhead are located on Ramsey Prong Road. There is an abundance of creeks and stream crossings along this trail, so hikers need not worry about running short on water. Just be sure to clean/purify the water before drinking it!
The trail begins in what was once a community settlement known as Greenbrier, but most of the homesteads have been removed. It follows the little Pigeon River before splitting off towards Little Bird Branch. About a half-mile in is the Parton Homestead, which housed the ancestors of the famous country music singer and song-writer, Dolly Parton. The family cemetery is still there, near Little Bird Branch.
The trail then climbs what is known as the Copeland Divide, before dipping back down and following a series of creeks and stream crossings. About 6 miles into the hike is Campsite #33, Settlers Camp. There's Redwine Creek nearby for easy water access. The trail then proceeds past Ramsey Creek (same relation to the family the Ramsey Cascades were named after) and then Noisy Creek.
The trail continues to wind along until it reaches Texas Creek, which hikers will have to cross at a little over 10.5 miles into the trail. There are a couple of small waterfalls here which offer a nice place to take a break. Here, hikers will see the remains of even more cabins. The trail will then follow Webb Creek, and will come across another series of homesteads at about 13 miles into the trail.
From there, hikers will follow a ridge along Snag Mountain before crossing Dunn Creek and Maddron Creek. There are a lot of water crossings on this trail! It finally comes to an end at Maddron Bald Trail. From there, hikers can go straight on Gabes Mountain Trail, left on Maddron Bald Trail towards the trailhead near Highway 321 or right towards Maddron Bald.
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