Deep Creek
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
107 Park Headquarters Road
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
(865) 436-1200
The Great Smoky Mountains get more annual visitors than any other National Park in the U.S., but surprisingly most people never see the backcountry which has some of the most pristine wilderness in the Southeast. On this hike, we started at US 441 (just south of Clingmans Dome Road) and followed the Deep Creek Trail to the parking area near Deep Creek Campground and Ranger Station. The trail drops roughly 3000′ over fourteen miles as it follows a spring at the ridgeline which trickles down to the southern trailhead near Bryson City, North Carolina where it becomes a deep, wide and fast-moving stream.
For an overnight hike along Deep Creek Trail, there are numerous backcountry campsites including two reservation-only horse sites at #55 and #57 and six additional backpacker sites available on a first-come first-serve basis. We recommend campsites #56 and #60 which are well-suited for backpackers and have easy access to some nice trout waters with camping along the stream. The trail between campsites #54 and #60 have a surprising number of climbs along Deep Creek, so make sure you get an early start or save some energy if you plan to do more than seven miles on your first day.
- click to see trail photos from this hike in Great Smoky Mountain National Park: March 27, 2010
- click to read a trip report from this backpacking trip along Deep Creek Trail March 27, 2010 (password required)
- click for a trip report of this hike to Smokies campsite #54: March 27, 2010 (password required)
- click to purchase a Trails Illustrated map of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- click for a road and facilities map of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- click for a trail map of Great Smoky Mountain National Park
- click for a park map of trails in the Deep Creek campground area
- click for a topographical and profile map of this backpacking trip along Deep Creek
- click for a map of trails that we’ve hiked along Deep Creek
- click for a map of some other trips to this area in December 2006 and December 2009
- click to see a list of all our Klondike hikes that date back to the late 90’s (password required)
- click for access to the guidebook Trail By Trail: Backpacking In The Smoky Mountains which has details on this destination
- click for other North Carolina hiking and backpacking books