2019-06-29 GSMNP-005 Flame Azalea Hike to Gregory Bald

<<< Flame Azalea Hike to Gregory Bald from Twentymile Ranger Station Trailhead >>>

Gregory Bald standing at 4,949 feet elevation in GSMNP has stunning year-round 360-degree mountain views. Yet it is most famous for its brilliant and spectacular azaleas shrub. Thousands of flame azaleas bloom there with white, pink, yellow, orange, and striking orange-red colors in the summer season from mid to late June only! We’re going to be there this year.

We meet and start from the Twentymile Ranger Station trailhead. We go in the clockwise direction to complete our Gregory Bald loop hike.

We’ll go about 0.5 miles on Twentymile trail to the junction of Wolf Ridge Trail. We’ll take the left fork following Wolf Ridge Trail. At about 1.7 miles at the junction of Twentymile Loop trail, we’ll take the left fork again to continue on Wolf Ridge Trail. We’ll pass Dalton Branch Campsite at about 2.7 miles, and continue uphill trekking to reach Parson Bald at about 6.4 miles. We’ll continue on Wolf Ridge Trail and reach Sheep Pen Gap (Campsite #13) at about 7.2 miles. Then it’s another 0.5 miles on the Gregory Bald Trail to the top of Gregory Bald Summit.

We’ll enjoy our lunch break at the summit with excellent views and great photo shots. When we're ready, we’ll go about a mile on Gregory Bald Trail, and then follow Long Hungry Ridge Trail for about 4.6 miles mostly all downhill. We’ll connect Twentymile Trail to hike about 2.6 miles along the scenic Twentymile creek. Right before the junction of Wolf Ridge Trail, we can check out the Twentymile Creek Cascade and take some nice photos, and then continue on this side trail to get back to Twentymile trail. At the junction of Wolf Ridge Trail, we’ll cross a bridge to continue on Twentymile Trail for about 0.5 miles to get back to our cars.

The event duration does NOT include our travelling/ driving time. Our duration time is an estimate, and we need to have some flexibility.

This event is physically challenging and rewarding. You can fully enjoy it if and only if you have good fitness and endurance. Please only register if you are comfortable going long distance in the remote mountains environment, and have recent D5 experience.

It is 7.7 miles and 3,600 feet climbing all uphill to reach the summit. We’ll maintain a moderate pace of 2.5 mph on the climb. The “all-uphill” climb makes it a high-end D5. Please consider this before signing up.

If your recent experience is not from the club, please include it in a note when you register, or email TL; otherwise you will be moved to the waiting list for the safety of everyone. We encourage our members to actively participate with joyful experience, and most importantly to stay healthy and safe at the end of our event.

Twenty Mile Ranger Station, Twenty Mile Ranger Station Rd, Robbinsville, NC 28771

1. This event may be cancelled or rescheduled if weather conditions are not satisfactory for an enjoyable outing.

2. Itinerary is subject to change at the discretion of the trip leader.