Andrews Bald & Clingmans Dome at Sunset
This was a magnificent hike. The trail is basically all down hill from the Clingmans Dome Parking lot to Andrews Bald. You access the trail to the left, via the Forney Ridge Trail, just before starting your trek up the paved path to the Clingmans Dome Summit. The weather at the highest point in the Smokies, can be a little unpredictable. However, keep an eye on the weather, and if you find a day that should be clear, then this is a great hike.
The trail to Andrews Bald is very popular. So we suggest going later in the evening, about 2 1/2 – 3 hours or so, before sunset. As most traffic to the bald seems to be from late morning through late afternoon. By the time we hit the trail around 5:30 PM, there was hardly anyone on the trail. We finished the out and back hike in a little over 2 hours. This included taking time to enjoy the view at the bald. So it was a peaceful walk in the woods. We were alone on the Bald and only passed 4 more hikers on our way out. All 4 had headlamps and were probably trying to catch a sunset from the Bald, which may be beautiful in it’s own rights. We do not know.
The trail from the parking lot to the Bald is gorgeous. There is sort of an enchanted fell at certain points along the way, and the forest setting was much cooler than the open Bald. This is definitely a hike to consider on your next visit to the Smoky Mountains. Check it out in the video link below. You will know what to expect on this hike if you watch the video. Please hit Like and Subscribe.
Here is the link to the Video on our YouTube Channel.
Frozen Clingmans Dome
This is a trip we took in early April 2021. The road to Clingmans Dome had just opened two days earlier with sunny skies and temps in the 60’s. However, the weather can change in a heartbeat at over 6600 feet above sea level. At the top of the Smokies, it was a bit cold. Okay, it was DAMN COLD, with a wind chill well below zero. The trip up to the summit was so cold, that my GoPro Hero 9 battery was freezing up after running just a few seconds. Cristi and I had to huddle up to keep warm as I tried to change batteries in the sub zero conditions on the mountain. We had on every article of warm clothing we could find. Multiple long base layers, down puffy coats covered with our hiking rain jackets to help break the wind. It was still extremely cold!!!! However the trek up the mountain to the observation deck was worth the discomfort.
The view was spectacular and the hike up was more mesmerizing than the view from the top. The frost and snow covered trees were beautiful against the clear blue skies. It was a hike we will never forget, and one you should take if you ever have the chance. A taste of a winter wonderland in April.
Here is the link to the Video from our trek to Clingmans Dome
Mingus Mill & Mingus Trail to Mingus Cemetery (Part of Mountains-to-Sea Trail)
This is a hike we took close to Cherokee, NC. This trail and the Mill are not far from the Oconoluftee Visitors Center on the North Carolina side of the GSMNP. The Mingus Creek Trail and Mill are named after John Jacob Mingus. Mingus arrived in the Occonoluftee Valley in the 1790’s and was the first Euro-American settler to live in what is now the GSMNP.
This hike is a moderate one that starts near the end of the Mingus Mill Parking lot. You will start up an old forest service road, right along the creek, past the mill. You will continue up this path in to the forest for roughly 1.3 miles. This section of the trail is also part of the Mountains-to-Sea trail, which stretches roughly 1175 miles from Clingmans Dome to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. At around the 1.3 mile mark, you will hit a fork in the trail. We took the trail to the right to go to the cemetery, roughly another 1.25 miles or so up the mountain. The last mile of this trail has some elevation gain, so be prepared for a continuous up, but it is not too grueling.
The Mingus Creek Cemetery, also known as the Watson Cemetery, only has 13 known graves in the cemetery, and only one had a partially legible etching on the stone. This Headstone marks the final resting place of Mrs. Polly Mathis (1888 – 1934). We spent some time and paid our respects to those who used to call these majestic mountains home, over a century ago.
Once you leave the cemetery, it is basically all down hill back to the parking lot. There are plenty of photo opportunities along the trial, next to the creek, and there was very little hiking traffic along this trail. This is a nice moderate trail to tackle if you want to get away from the typical Smoky Mountain crowds.
Then it is less than a quarter mile from the trail head, down the ADA style paved path to the Mingus Mill. The mill was built in 1886, and is a water-power turbine grist mill. This historic mill is typically open to the public, mid March through mid November. The mill is still operational and you can buy cornmeal from the miller who is on site, during hours of operation. This is an interesting piece of history to checkout, with some nice photo opportunities for all of you happy hikers.
Below is the link to our hike. Here you will learn what you can expect along this “Nice little; walk in the Woods”