Smokies Waterfalls & Mountain Views Backpacking Trip

July 22-24, 2025

Trip includes overnight lodging at the Appalachian Trail-er on July 21, 2025

Spend 3 days backpacking in one of the most wildflower diverse areas of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, taking time to stop and learn to identify the wildflowers you see along the way. This trip takes place in the Big Creek area of Great Smoky Mountains National park - featuring Midnight Hole Falls and Mouse Creek Falls the first day, a strenuous hike up to Mt Sterling the second day, and finishing down the Baxter Creek Trail the last day. This itinerary is considered moderate difficulty, with lower mileage (18 miles total) and more elevation gain (4,000ft elevation gain). It is a good first backpacking trip for people with hiking experience or a regular fitness routine. It is also tons of fun for people with backpacking experience to share their love for the trail with others.

Weather in the mountains can be unpredictable. Hikers should be prepared for cold temperatures overnight, especially at higher elevations. Temperatures on trail can be 15-20 degrees cooler than in Hot Springs, NC.

"Our guide's knowledge of the trail and hiking immediately made myself and our group know we were in great hands. We had an experience of a
lifetime and highly recommend working with this awesome team at Blue Ridge Hiking." - KR, Private Smokies Backpacking Trip, October 2023

Cost:

$850 per person
Payment Plans, Scholarships, and Sliding Scale Fees are available for this trip.  Please email our office at trips@blueridgehikingco.com for more information.

This trip will run if there are a minimum of 2 participants signed up. If the minimum has not yet been met, we'll contact participants two weeks before the trip to discuss options. The maximum group size is 6 participants. If you are traveling in a party of 4 or more hikers, we encourage you to consider a private backpacking trip. You can find more information about our private trip offerings by sending us an email.

In addition to your guide, this price includes backpacking gear, food while you're on trail, transportation between the meet-up location and the trailhead, and any necessary backcountry permits and fees. Price also includes access to a pre-trip Zoom call, where you can ask questions about your upcoming trip. It does not include personal items or gratuity for your guide.

Sign-Up Details:

In order to sign up for this trip, please go to our Trip Calendar and select the trip start date (July 22, 2025). You will find the trip listed there. 

A few weeks before the start of the trip, we will be in contact via email with an information packet for you to fill out. This includes a waiver, health form, and gear request form. At that time we will also send a detailed packing list and any trip-specific information.

Itinerary:

This trip meets at 9am on Tuesday July 22 in Hot Springs, NC.

You will meet your guide at our basecamp and bunkhouse, the Appalachian Trail-er (200 Lance Ave, Hot Springs, NC 28743). Your guide will hand out your gear and food, go over necessary packing items, and discuss safety, weather, and logistics for the trip. They will walk you through how to properly pack your pack, and may look in detail at the items you've packed to make sure you're not carrying too many extra items. 

Around 11am, you'll head to Big Creek, where you will start your hike! After 3 days of hiking, you'll return to the Big Creek trailhead and take a shuttle back to Hot Springs, NC. Each day of hiking is 5-7 miles. The first day will be gentle elevation increase past 2 waterfalls to the campsite. The second day will have significant climbing up to the Mt Sterling ridgeline! We've kept the mileage shorter so the group can move slow on the way up. The second night, you'll camp near the Mt Sterling Firetower, with the option to climb and check out the view. The last day of hiking will be consistent downhill to the trailhead. 

Hike generally finishes in the early afternoon on the last day, then you'll shuttle back to Hot Springs. If you're flying in for the trip, we recommend staying in Hot Springs or Asheville the last day of the trip and flying out the next day. Itineraries in Great Smoky Mountains National Park are confirmed 25 days before the trip when backcountry permits become available. Itinerary is subject to change based on a variety of factors, including weather, trail conditions, and participants needs and abilities. Please inform our admin team or your guide ahead of time if you have a time constraint on the last day of your trip.

Elevation profile created with Gaia GPS.

Trip Difficulty Rating:

Participants on this trip should have a minimum fitness level of 4 out of 10, and this trip is ideally suited for hikers with a fitness level of 5-6 out of 10. This is a Novice trip, meaning that participants should have some hiking experience, but may or may not have backpacked before. All participants in our group backpacking trips should be comfortable by themselves on trail for at least 30 minutes. For more information about our difficulty and experience level ratings, please see our Trip Difficulty Page.

Guide:

Your guide for this trip has not yet been determined. All of our guides have extensive backcountry experience and are passionate about sharing their knowledge with other people. All of our guides have Wilderness First Aid (or higher) and CPR certifications.

What we Provide:

Food: BRHC provides all on-trail food. You will have the ability to choose your own food from our wide selection, and you will carry your own food during the trip. We do our best to cater to requests, though it is important to keep to lightweight foods appropriate for backpacking. If you have food allergies or dietary restrictions, please inform our team in your pre-trip paperwork.

Individual Use Gear: BRHC provides high quality, ultralight, cottage industry backpacking gear to make your experience as comfortable as possible.  We offer the following five pieces of gear at no additional cost:
Backpacks - We use a lightweight 60L pack. We will ask for your height and weight in order to fit the pack appropriately to you.
Tents - We provide a one-person tent, or and two-person tent if you are sharing with a partner or friend.
Sleeping Bags - We use a 20 degree synthetic sleeping bag with sleeping bag liners.
Sleeping Pads - We provide hikers with a closed-cell foam pad, for its excellent combination of weight and durability. Inflatable sleeping pads are available for an additional rental fee
Trekking Poles - These will provide you with some added stability while hiking, and may be used to set up your tent.

Community Gear: BRHC provides all community gear for the trip, including water filters, camping stoves and fuel, bowls, utensils and cups; trowels, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer; first aid kit; and navigational aids.

What to Bring:

We will send all participants a detailed packing list a few weeks before the trip. You are expected to bring your own clothing/footwear, a headlamp, two 1L water bottles (Nalgene or disposable Smart Water bottles are good options), personal medications/toiletries, and approved optional items. Generally, comfortable trail shoes are better than heavy hiking boots. Please pack synthetic or wool athletic clothing rather than cotton. Cotton does not dry quickly and will not keep you warm when wet.  For most trips you will need only one outfit to hike in, one outfit to sleep in, a raincoat, and a warm layer.  A beanie and lightweight gloves are appropriate in most seasons as temperatures cool down in the mountains at night. You will not need a new set of clean clothes for each day, make-up, hair products, scented products or deodorant. Just bring a toothbrush and toothpaste and enjoy going all natural for the trip!

Cancellation Policy:

Trip cost includes a 15% non-refundable administrative fee. Hikes may be cancelled up to 1 month before the trip for a refund (minus the 15% admin fee). Within 1 month, a 50% refund will be offered. Within 1 week, no refunds will be offered. If Blue Ridge Hiking Company cancels the trip due to severe weather, we'll offer a refund less the 15% admin fee. We are unable to offer exceptions to this policy; we strongly recommend all hikers purchase travel insurance to cover their trip.

Hikers may reschedule their trip once (at least 1 month before their trip) free of charge. Additional changes to their reservation date may result in a rescheduling fee.

We hike rain or shine! While it is incredibly rewarding, backpacking is an endurance sport, and it can be challenging and/or uncomfortable at times. Maintaining a positive mindset, even when it is uncomfortable, is key to enjoying your time in the wilderness. With our focus on lightweight gear, our goal is for your pack to weigh around 25lbs (or no more than 25% of your body weight).

If your guide does an exceptional job, please show your appreciation with a tip. Our team of highly trained professional guides never expects but always appreciates a tip. Industry standard gratuity for a guided backpacking trip is 20-25% of trip price.

If you have any questions regarding this trip, you can reach our office by phone at 828-713-5451 or by email at trips@blueridgehikingco.com.