by Danny Bernstein
River, creek, spring, stream, brook, branch, and fork. There are many names for water in the Southern Appalachians. I’m sure I have forgotten some.
On Tuesday, April 8, a Friends of the Smokies Trails Forever Hike group hit the Bradley Fork Trail (BFT) to Cabin Flats Trail and Campsite 49 and back. What a popular hike!
About twenty hikers came together at the meeting point in Smokemont campground. Most of us came from the general Asheville, N.C., or Knoxville, Tenn., areas but two eager hikers had a three-hour drive each way. One came from Boone, N.C., and the other from Georgia.
I led the group. Karen Schultz was the sweep. Everyone else is supposed to stay between the leader and the sweep. Olivia Wright, outreach coordinator, and Dana Soehn, President and CEO of Friends of the Smokies, were the two staff members on the hike. They walked up and down the line, talking to all the participants.
There was so much to see as we walked Bradley Fork Trail.
Bradley Fork (of the Oconaluftee River) is huge with fast moving water going around and over rocks and branches. Nameless waterfalls seem to pop up from both sides of the river. Some hikers stopped at every patch of flowers and there were plenty. White trilliums were most abundant with violets being a close second. We also identified mountain bellwort and Fraser’s sedge.
After 1.7 miles, we stopped to point out the intersection with the Smokemont Loop. A long wooden bridge crosses Bradley Fork. Smokemont Loop is a perennial favorite, but this time we were staying straight on BFT.
The break was a good time for me to talk a little about Smokemont campground. The large campground was the site of a logging camp. Champion Paper or Champion Fibre (essentially the same company) ran a logging camp here from the 1910s until it sold the land to the Federal Government for the national park in the 1930s. In fact, a little digging would show that several large campgrounds in the park were first logging camps.
We crossed a couple of large wooden bridges. The highlight for me was the intersection of Bradley Fork Trail and Cabin Flats Trail where we crossed the river on a large and sturdy trestle bridge. It was almost like walking through a metal cage. Why was it there? I have not yet figured it out.
Cabin Flats Trail is narrow and steep in places. Soon we arrived at Campsite 49 where we spread out for lunch. Groups of three or four sat by the creek, a true Smokies experience. We could have stayed there all afternoon but reluctantly, we needed to regroup and start back.
On the way back, Karen Schultz and I switched places so we could meet new people. She was the leader, and I was the sweep. I spent most of the way back talking to Tom Layton, who I learned just published a book which celebrated the 100th anniversary of LeConte Lodge. You meet a lot of fascinating people on Friends of the Smokies Trails Forever Hikes.
TRAILS FOREVER HIKES – Spots Available throughout 2025
Take a hike and help restore the most loved trails in the Smokies. The Forever Trails Hikes program offers expert guided hikes twice a month now through October 2024. It’s just $25 per hike and all proceeds go to Trails Forever. Space is limited, so check out the schedule and register at https://friendsofthesmokies.org/hike-with-trails-forever/
