Backpacking in a Thunderstorm - Smoky Mountains Camping Adventure

3 Days of Storm Camping in the Rain, Backpacking & Hiking in the Smoky Mountains.

For this spring camping adventure, I decided to do a solo backpacking loop using a portion of the Appalachian Trail along with some trails within the Little River Gorge in Tennessee's western region of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  By combining trails along the ridges and drainages of these mountains I was able to create a roughly 25 mile loop with 5,300 feet of gross elevation gain.  I would use the Jake's Creek trailhead at Elkmont Campground to begin and end the loop.

On the first night, I chose to camp near the top of Dripping Spring Mountain at campsite 26, Dripping Spring.  On day two I planned to head towards the gorge to camp along the Fish Camp Prong Creek  at campsite 23, Camp Creek. On the third day, I would continue to follow the creek on Goshen Prong trail to return to Elkmont Campground and complete the loop.

For sleep and shelter, I packed in my Outdoor Vitals Fortius trekking pole tent, a 3-season inflatable sleeping pad and my Hammock Gear 40° down quilt.  My temp range was relatively warm with lows in the 60's and highs just touching the 80's.  This allowed me to leave my extra cold weather clothing layers at home.  What I wouldn't be leaving at home was my rain gear and an additional tarp for shelter at camp each night.  All three days of my backpacking trip had a forecast of rain, thunderstorms, and of particular note -  lightning along the ridge line that I would by traversing and camping on.

Full Blog Post for this trip:
https://www.Sintax77.com/backpacking-...

A backcountry permit is required for all campsites in this area. You can reserve them for $8 per night on the Smoky Mountains National Park website here. https://smokiespermits.nps.gov

Full GPS track data, including campsites, water sources, etc, for this trip
https://caltopo.com/m/FS2UAQH

Trailhead Used:  Jake's Creek Trailhead, 35°39'07.3"N 83°34'52.2"W
Little River Rd, Gatlinburg, TN 37738

This is a large, easily accessible paved lot with room for many cars.   

Trails Used, Day 1

Jake's Creek Trail
Miry Ridge Trail
Setup Camp at campsite 26, Dripping Spring.
This a large campsite tucked back a nice distance from the trail. There are two main areas with campfire pits, bear cables for hanging food, and a nearby piped spring providing a reliable water source. 

Day 1 Mileage: 6 Miles
Day 1 Elevation Gross Gain: 2,577'
Day 1 Elevation Gross Descent: 216'

Trails Used, Day 2

Continue on Miry Ridge Trail
Appalachian Trail towards Siler's Bald Shelter and Double Spring Gap
Goshen Prong Trail
Setup camp along Fish Camp Prong Creek at campsite 23, Camp Creek
This is a large campsite with many options for tent camping or hammocks.  There are several established campfire pits,  two bear cables, and reliable water available from the creek that runs by camp.

Day 2 Mileage: 13.5 Miles
Day 2 Gross Elevation Gain: 2,402'
Day 2 Gross Descent: '3,670

Trails Used, Day 3

Continue on Goshen Prong Trail
Little River Trail
Cucumber Gap Trail

Jake's Creek Trail
Return to Elkmont Trailhead

Day 3 Mileage:  8.25 Miles
Day 3 Gross Elevation Gain: 446'
Day 3 Gross Descent: 1,535'

Grand Total 3 Day Mileage: 27.75 Miles
Grand Total 3 Day Elevation Gain: 6,514'

FTC Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through some of my links.

Notable Backpacking Gear Used on this Trip:

Outdoor Vitals Backpacking Gear https://alnk.to/3U3wUAJ
OV Fortius 1p Trekking Pole Tent
OV Shadowlight Ultralight Backpack
OV 30° Summit Down Sleeping Bag
OV Satu Adventure Pants
OV Nova Pro Jacket
RevolutionRace Campfire Shirt https://amzn.to/3y0wSTc
Klymit Static V Sleeping Pad https://amzn.to/4dqbK8R
Toaks 750ml Titanium Pot https://amzn.to/2GR7AJX
Titanium Long Handled Spork https://amzn.to/3ANWmAK
Nitecore NU25 Headlamp https://amzn.to/2YVsp0A
Peak Refuel Backpacking Meals https://amzn.to/3Qkp02i
Spot X Satellite Messenger https://amzn.to/3adSjBr
La Sportiva Wildcat Trail Running Shoes https://amzn.to/3hyKrMi
Katadyn BeFree Water Filter https://amzn.to/2WcjfYZ

Chapters
00:00 Welcome to Smoky Mountains National Park
10:19 Smoky Mountains Campsite Reservation System
27:05 Campsite 26 Dripping Spring Mountain
34:38 Tarp Shelter Setup
52:29 Weather Band Radio Forecast
57:44 Day 2 Morning Camp Breakdown
01:09:01 Rainy Arrival at Siler's Bald Shelter
01:18:20 Campsite 23 Camp Creek
01:23:59 Nighttime Thunderstorm and Flooding at Camp
01:30:03 Day 3 Morning Hike Back to Elkmont