Everyone says to stick to the marked trail in the Smokies, but that's how I got lost

I was on the Appalachian Trail section near Clingmans Dome last fall, and a huge tree had come down, completely blocking the path. The official detour sign was small and hidden. I followed the main trail around the blockage, like everyone says to do, and ended up in a confusing network of old logging roads. I had to use my paper map and compass to bushwhack back to a stream I recognized, which took about two hours. Has anyone else found the 'official' routes in that park can be more misleading than just trusting your own navigation skills?

3 comments

3 Comments

iris_green848d ago

That's why I started doing what @river_hart18 does with the trailhead photo... seems smarter than trusting faded signs.

river_hart181mo ago

Totally get that, the marked detours can be a trap. After a similar mess near Alum Cave, I always snap a photo of the trail map at the trailhead with my phone. @seth_green85 is right about the rhodo hell, those flagged routes get grown over fast. My rule now is if a detour looks sketchy or overgrown within the first 50 yards, I stop and check my location against the photo. It’s saved me from a few bad bushwhacks. Sometimes going off trail carefully is smarter than following a bad sign.

seth_green851mo ago

Ever try to follow the "official" reroute around that washed-out bridge on the Trillium Gap Trail? The flagged path led straight into a rhododendron hell that hadn't been cleared in years. I gave up and rock-hopped the creek, which was way faster. Sometimes those park signs feel like they're placed by someone who hasn't walked the trail since the last storm.