Gregory Ridge Trail

22 Jun 2011, 11.0 miles

The old mill is at point A on Cades Cove Road.  Forge Creek Road begins just past the old mill at point B.  The end of Forge Creek Road at point C is about a 1.7 mile drive from the beginning of the road, and is just past the beginning of Parson Branch Road.

The trailhead is at point A, corresponding to point C on the map above.  Back country campsite #12 is 1.9 miles from the trailhead at point B.  The intersection with the Gregory Bald Trail is 4.9 miles from the trailhead at Rich Gap at point C.  The peak of Gregory Bald itself is at Point E another 0.6 miles from the trail intersection.  Going from Point C to Point E, you pass by the Moore Springs Shelter at Point D, off to the left of the trail.  At point C, if you go east rather than west, it is 2.1 miles to the Appalachian Trail.

This is the exact same map as the one above, except that it's zoomed in to provide more detail at the top of the mountain.  The intersection of the Gregory Ridge Trail with the Gregory Bald trail at Point C is at the Tennessee and North Carolina state line.  The Gregory Bald Trail from Point C to Point E follows the state line.

I hiked 4.9 miles from the Gregory Ridge Trail trailhead to the intersection with the Gregory Bald Trail, and another 0.6 miles from the intersection to Gregory Bald itself, for a total of 5.5 miles.  The roundtrip was 11.0 miles.  The original plan was go go up the Gregory Bald Trail from Parson Branch Road, which would have been a slightly shorter hike.  But Parson Branch Road was closed due to recent storm damage.

Here is my standard photograph of the trailhead sign.

Gregory Ridge Trail, trailhead, Forge Creek Road accessed from Cades Cove Loop Road, 6/22/2011 from Jerry Bryan on Vimeo.

A trail crossing early in the trail.

The trail marker for back country campsite #12.

Back country campsite #12.

Gregory Ridge Trail, back country campsite #12, 6/22/2011 from Jerry Bryan on Vimeo.

Terminus of Gregory Ridge Trail at the intersection with the Gregory Bald Trail.

Another view of the trail sign at the terminus of Gregory Ridge Trail at the intersection with the Gregory Bald Trail.

Gregory Ridge Trail, intersection with Gregory Bald Trail, 4.9 miles from the Gregory Ridge Trail trailhead, 6/22/2011 from Jerry Bryan on Vimeo.

Flame azaleas on Gregory Bald.

Gregory Bald, a scene from the top of the mountain, 6/22/2011 from Jerry Bryan on Vimeo.

Flame azaleas on Gregory Bald.

Gregory Bald, azaleas of several colors, top of the mountain, 6/22/2011 from Jerry Bryan on Vimeo.

Flame azaleas on Gregory Bald.

Gregory Bald, wall to wall azaleas at the top of the mountain, 6/22/2011 from Jerry Bryan on Vimeo.

Flame azaleas on Gregory Bald.

Gregory Bald, more wall to wall azaleas at the top of the mountain, 6/22/2011 from Jerry Bryan on Vimeo.

Flame azaleas on Gregory Bald.

Gregory Bald, view of Cades Cove, azaleas, and grassy bald, 6/22/2011 from Jerry Bryan on Vimeo.

That's me standing next to flame azaleas on Gregory Bald, with some of the grassy bald in view, and with Cades Cove in the background.

Gregory Bald, complete 360 degree pan from highest point on the mountain, 6/22/2011 from Jerry Bryan on Vimeo.

You can see the sky getting darker as time is going on.  A thunderstorm started about ten minutes after I left the bald to return to the trailhead, and I walked in the rain for about three hours.