By Christine Martens, 2017 BMT Thru-Hiker
The Benton MacKaye Trail is a lightly trafficked 287-mile trail that travels through the Southern Appalachian Mountains. This spring / fall thru-hike makes a great alternative to the first 300 miles of the Appalachian Trail.
Region: Deep South – Lower Appalachians (GA, TN, NC)
Length: 287.6 miles (15-30 days)
Physical Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
- Trail can be overgrown, some sections have blowdowns
- More difficult than the correlating section of the Appalachian Trail
- Lots of elevation gain and loss
Logistical Difficulty: Moderate
- Permit needed for Great Smoky Mountains
- BMT Guide Book is very helpful, and has resupply information
- We recommend sending at least one or two resupply packages
Season: Spring, Fall, Winter. Shoulder season is ideal, but winter is realistic as well. Summers can be hot and buggy.
Average Elevation: ~3,000 feet
Hiking the Benton MacKaye Trail
I like to think of the Benton MacKaye Trail as a more remote, less well traveled, and slightly more challenging alternative to the Appalachian Trail for the first 300 miles. It is an excellent choice for hikers with some previous experience, especially hikers who wish to hike the Appalachian Trail, but are weary of the swarms of thru-hikers that appear each spring. Since it shares the same Southern Terminus, and then intersects the Appalachian Trail twice, it is easy to hop from one trail to the other, or make loops.
Compared to the Appalachian Trail, the Benton MacKaye Trail has practically no thru-hikers. The trail is mostly wooded, but there are a few short road walks, some of which have options for grabbing food, which make the road walking much more pleasant.
The Benton MacKaye Trail travels through an ecologically diverse landscape, with old beech trees, and an abundance of wildflowers—if you hike it in the right season. The trail travels through valleys with water feature,s including waterfalls, rivers, and creeks, along with the famous Toccoa suspension bridge and Fontana Lake (and dam).
How to get to the Benton MacKaye Trail
Southern Terminus: Springer Mountain, Georgia
Closest City: Dahlonega, Georgia (~20 miles), or Gainesville, Georgia (~40 miles)
Closest Major City: Atlanta, Georgia
The Benton MacKaye Trail shares its Southern Terminus with the Appalachian Trail at Springer Mountain. In order to reach the summit of Springer Mountain, you can either hike the Approach Trail from Amicalola Falls, which is 8.5 miles, and includes climbing the staircase in Amicalola State Park, or you can ascend Springer Mountain from Forest Service Road 42, which is a 0.9-mile hike.
There is no public transportation to Amicalola State Park or Forest Service Road 42 (which is remote and not paved), so options for transportation include hiring a shuttle, a ride from a friend, or hitchhiking. Given that the Appalachian Trail is so popular, there are many shuttle services in the area.
Shuttles: Depending on on when you’re starting or finishing your hike, you may find many shuttles services in Gainesville (there is a Greyhound station here), MARTA’s North Springs Station (north of Atlanta), or Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Benton Mackaye Trail Southern Terminus Shuttles:
Survivor Dave: (678-469-0978)
Ron Brown: (706-669-0919)
Hiker Hostel: (770-312-7342)
Northern Terminus: Davenport Gap, Tennessee
Closest City: Waynesville, North Carolina (35 miles), Newport, Tennessee (20 miles)
Closest Major City: Asheville, North Carolina (55 miles)
There is no public transportation to Davenport Gap, so again, you will need to get a shuttle, a ride from a friend, or hitchhike to this terminus. Davenport Gap is right off of Interstate 40, so it is easily accessible to Asheville and there are a few shuttle services in the area that can get you there.
Benton Mackaye Trail Northern Terminus Shuttles:
Standing Bear Farm Hiker’s Hostel (423-487-0014)
Blue Ridge Hiking Company (828-713-5451)
A Walk in the Woods (865-436-8283)
Bluff Mountain Outfitters (828-622-7162)
When to Hike the Benton MacKaye Trail
Although the Benton Mackaye Trail is not particularly challenging to follow, there are sections where the trail becomes overgrown, especially with blackberry bushes and poison ivy. For this reason, I would suggest hiking in early spring or late fall rather than the summer months. Winter thru-hikes are also possible, but snow and ice are likely during winter months, especially mid-November through mid-March. Peak fall foliage is likely to be around late October into early November, and spring ephemeral wildflowers will start to appear in March, and continue into April.
We hiked the trail from mid-November through early December, and were lucky with the weather, but still had a number of nights that were well below freezing.
Benton Mackaye Trail Resupply
If you’re a fast hiker, and would prefer not to hitchhike, it is possible to hike the trail with just a few walkable resupply points, roughly every 100 miles. Although these two points do not offer much, they will hold packages for thru-hikers, so you can send yourself a mail drop with the food and supplies needed. These two spots are Reliance Fly and Tackle, and Fontana Dam Village.
There are many other resupply options. They are listed here in order from south to north:
Mile 37.5: Aska Road – Iron Bridge Cafe and Toccoa Riverside Restaurant. Limited resupply, but since they’re right on the trail, it’s worth stopping for a meal.
Mile 49.6: Hwy 76 – Hitchhike to Blue Ridge, Georgia, for a full resupply. There are also several amenities in Cherry Log, Georgia, that are easy walking distance off the trail from this spot, including a post office.
Mile 109.3: Reliance, TN – Reliance Fly & Tackle, Webb Brothers Store. Right on the trail, but you will want to send a box. Definitely call ahead, as these businesses operate on a somewhat seasonal basis, and close for the season sometime in the fall. Webb Brothers Store also has a post office inside for easy maildrop.
Mile 130.1: Coker Creek Welcome Center and Post Office. This is roughly three miles of walking from the trail. Send a box, but call ahead for their hours. You can also hitchhike from here to Tellico Plains for a full resupply, or to stay in one of local cabins, including Mountain View Cabins Rentals and Silver Top Cabins. The Silver Top owners will provide a shuttle to and from the trail. Tellico Plains can also be accessed from 152.8.
Mile 180.3: Tapoco Lodge. They accept mail drops if you have a reservation, but they also have a restaurant with amazing pizza. Since they’re situated right on the trail, it’s worth stopping for a bite to eat.
Mile 190.1: Fontana Dam Village. This is right on the trail, but resupply options can be limited so you will likely want to send a box here.
Mile 254.7: US44, Smokemont Campground. Hitchhike to Cherokee, North Carolina, for a full resupply.
Benton MacKaye Trail Terrain
The Benton MacKaye is mostly in forested mountains, with a few short (1-5 mile) road walks, which total about 15 miles. In some sections, the trail is steep and rocky. There are many areas where the trail goes straight up and straight down the short, but rugged mountains of the Southeast.
The most technical section is in Joyce Kilmer Wilderness, where the trail is very steep, rocky, overgrown, and often has blowdowns to reckon with since the wilderness designation does not allow for chainsaw use. Many sections of the Benton MacKaye Trail are narrow and lightly trodden, so the trail can be difficult to follow at night or in snow. In the Smoky Mountains, the trail is much easier to follow, but there are at least three creek crossings that will likely require you to get your feet wet, and potentially more if there has been recent rain.
Logistics: Camping, Permits, Land Designation, Water
Camping: There are only two shelters along the entire trail, one in Cherry Log, Georgia, and the other in the Smokies (Laurel Gap Shelter). Camping spots are not as easy to come by as on the Appalachian Trail, so you have to be a bit more creative when picking a spot. A map can be handy for finding flat areas that could be good candidates.
Permits: You’ll only need a permit in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park section. Your permit will include your chosen camping spots for the 93-mile section within the park. The Benton MacKaye Trail is less popular than the Appalachian Trail through the park, so permits are easier to come by, and camping spots are more easily available. During our thru-hike in late November through early December (2017), we did not share a campsite with any other hikers in the Smokies.
Land Designation: The Benton MacKaye Trail travels through many different land designations, from national park (Great Smoky Mountains), to wilderness areas (the BMT comes in contact with six different wilderness areas, including Joyce Kilmer and Big Frog Wilderness). Wilderness areas do not allow motorized equipment to be used, even to maintain the trail, so the trail is often quite rugged.
Water: Water is almost not an issue on the Benton MacKaye Trail; the longest stretch without water is about 10 miles (Tapoco Lodge to Fontana Dam), but more commonly, dry stretches are 5-7 miles. There are some days where you are traveling in a stream valley for most of the day.
Know Before You Go
Reserve your campsites in the Smokies: Remember that you will need to reserve campsites in the Smokies for the exact dates that you will be there, so it may be helpful for that reason to hike the trail southbound, or plan how you will get your permit if you plan to be more spontaneous with the first 200 miles of your thru-hike.
Consider the season: I highly recommend hiking this trail in a shoulder season, but since the trail is often close to water, consider the fact that condensation could be an issue, and consider taking a double-walled tent.
Call ahead for your resupply: Many of the resupply locations along this trail are seasonal, or have weird hours. Call ahead to each of your resupply points and make sure you will be able to resupply or mail a box there.
Wildlife: The Benton MacKaye travels through bear country, and proper food storage is advised.
Practice Leave No Trace when camping: There are not very many designated campsites outside of the Smoky Mountains, so make sure you are assessing your impact, and the likelihood of previous or future impact. For more information, visit Leave No Trace Center For Outdoor Education.
Benton Mackaye Trail Resources
Benton Mackaye Trail Guidebook
Benton Mackaye Trail Association
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Permits
Christine Martens is a long-distance hiker who has hiked over 10,000 miles, including some of the famous long-distance trails such as the PCT and AT. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina, and enjoys hiking and running in her local mountains (which happen to be the tallest on the East Coast). She does not own a TV, so for entertainment she enjoys letting foster kittens destroy her house. You can find Christine on her personal blog, or Instagram and Facebook.
