Mount Cammerer

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park stretches across 800 square miles, with nearly 95 percent of its land covered in forest. These ancient mountains, which are among the oldest on Earth, are built from rocks more than 200 million years old with their jagged peaks worn down into the soft, rounded ridges that are present today. These ridgelines are traversed by the Appalachian Trail which climbs to its highest point at Clingmans Dome (6,643 feet) and straddles the border of North Carolina and Tennessee in the park. From the ridges you will often see a distinctive blue haze that lingers over the valleys.  It is a natural mist that is created when plants release water vapor and organic compounds into the air which gives the area its trademark “Smoky” Mountains name.  Unfortunately, the majority of the people that visit the park never visit the backcountry and see some of the best wilderness in the Southeastern U.S.

The Mount Cammerer hike is a 2-3 day route that starts at Big Creek Campground and follows a loop through the eastern section of the park. The trek begins with a climb up Mount Sterling, continues along the ridge pass Laurel Gap and picks up the Appalachian Trail in route to Mount Cammerer. From here, the hike follows the Chestnut Branch Trail back to the Big Creek Ranger Station near the Big Creek Campground. It can be done as either a shuttle hike or a loop hike (with a short 1/2 mile walk between the ranger station and campground).