Haunted Smokies:
Myth, Mystery, & History
October 24-25, 2026
Hike if you dare! This overnight trip in the Great Smoky Mountains - amongst a color-canopy of changing leaves, crystal-clear cascades & hidden cemeteries - sets the perfect backdrop for this one-of-a-kind fall backpacking experience. Join your haunted co-guides Traci Mohl & Adam Kampouris as they lead you down leaf-strewn trails and into a world of myth, mystery & history.
As you hike, your guides will regale you with tales from Appalachian folklore, local history, eerie phenomenon, and plenty of chilling personal encounters, all while you enjoy the beauty of the trail. Explore 3 (or more!) historic cemeteries nestled along the trail, 2 waterfalls & prime leaf-season colors on this 6-mile loop in one of the world’s oldest and most-haunted mountain ranges. Get cozy when the stars come out & enjoy an evening filled with tales around the campfire & a special opportunity for a Tarot reading.
Who is buried in the ‘handprint grave’ in Carver Cemetery? What native plant was commonly used in poisons? Why is there a faint howling coming from the rhododendron thicket near my tent?
To find out, join us on this special, one-of-a-kind Haunted Hike in the Smokies! Perhaps you’ll leave with a story of your own.
"Top notch, everything provided for the trip. Staff very knowledgeable and well prepared.
Truly a bucket list experience!" - DG, Smokies Firefly Backpacking Trip, June 2025
Cost:
$755 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 (October 24, 2026). You will find the trip listed there.
A few weeks before the start of the trip, we will be in contact via email with a pre-trip email that includes all information for you to prepare for your trip, a waiver packet for you to complete (waiver, health form, and gear request form), and a detailed packing list.
Itinerary:
This trip meets at 8am in Asheville, NC.
You will meet your guides at our downtown Asheville retail location (70 College Street, Asheville, NC 28801). Your guides will hand out your gear and food, go over necessary packing items, and discuss safety, weather, and logistics for the trip. They'll 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 10am, you'll head to Oconoluftee (just over an hour drive), where you will start your hike! You'll be hiking the Smokemont Loop in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, about 6 miles with the option to hike an additional 4-6 miles without packs. This itinerary includes several historic cemeteries within the National Park as well as multiple beautiful waterfalls.
In order to participate, hikers should be able to complete an 8 mile day hike over hilly or mountainous terrain or a 10 mile walk on flat ground.
Hike generally finishes around lunchtime the last day, then you'll drive back to Asheville. 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 the last day of your trip.
Elevation profile created with Gaia GPS.
Trip Difficulty Rating:
This is a Level 2 trip, a beginner-friendly trip with some elevation change, ideal for building confidence on multi-day trips.
For more details on our Level 1–5 rating scale and how to choose the right trip for you, please see our Trip Difficulty Page.
Guides:
Your guides for this trip are Traci Mohl and Adam Kampouris.
Traci Mohl
Born & raised in Appalachia’s shadow, Traci’s passion for sharing the splendor & transformative power of the outdoors started young, with dragging her cousins through the woods on magickal quests & creek-hopping excursions, exploring the wonders of the woods. She’d love to do the same for you…although she’d prefer not to drag you. As a wilderness guide & outdoor educator of over a decade, Traci finds joy in facilitating one-of-a-kind experiences for folks on trail. From exploring western North Carolina’s diverse ecology to plant folklore, herbalism, off-the-beaten-path majesties and toad huntin', there's always something new to be discovered under the canopy of the blue Ridge mountains she calls home. (She's also got some eerie personal trail tales to share with the brave-of-heart!). A lover of all things wild & green, and weirdo at heart, when she’s not on trail (or planning her next hike!) you can find her with her nose in a fantasy book, climbing mountains or dancing like nobody is watching. Her favorite places to hike include the Adirondack & Catskill Mountains, King's Canyon, the Laurel Highlands & Kahurangi National Park in New Zealand.
Adam Kampouris
Born in the Catskills of NY and raised in the Blue Ridge of NC, Adam has always called the mountains of Appalachia home (well…except those 6 years in NYC, but we don’t talk about that). Having survived a childhood of blissful, unsupervised galavanting through the local woods, creeks, and hollers, he derives great joy in sharing his love of the natural world with others, and has yet to meet an outdoor activity he doesn’t like! A jack of all interests and master of none, his curiosities include local flora & fauna, mineral identification, folklore, Shakespearean verse, group singing, and pickin’ on his mandolin. When not on trail, Adam identifies as a professional stage actor, an amateur chef, and an hapless goof.
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 20 degree 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.
