driftwoody
Trail Wise!
Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 14,977 
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Post by driftwoody on Jan 12, 2017 10:36:19 GMT -8
It's been a quarter century since I last visited this park, and I didn't hike deep into the interior of Savage Gulf. I have a week of carry-over vacation that must be used before the end of March. I'm looking for an area suitable for treks of 2-4 nights. I don't plan on big miles per day as I'm getting older and have some arthritis in my right hip, but I'm a veteran backpacker and can handle pretty much anything except the kind of long grinding elevation gains of the big mountains.
I like bluffs, overlooks, creeks, wildflowers, and wilderness without crowds. I'm a hammock camper and can set up anywhere with suitable trees. I live near Chicago and have no problem driving 12 hours. This will probably be a solo trip. I've hiked extensively in the Southeast & Southern Illinois, and a fair amount in Missouri & Arkansas.
If anyone is familiar with Savage Gulf or other areas that fit what I'm looking for, I'd like to hear your experiences & recommendations. I've hiked the Fiery Gizzard Trail and visited Buggy Top Cave a couple times. |
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Post by kevinumberger on Jan 12, 2017 11:25:23 GMT -8
i think ashe would be the best source of info for this.....
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Post by markweth on Jan 17, 2017 9:30:19 GMT -8
I never made it to Savage Gulf when I lived in the Southeast, although it was high on my list. If you're not dead-set on Savage Gulf, I would recommend looking into the Big South Fork or parts of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky (but probably not the Red River Gorge, as it can get ridiculously crowded). The No Business Creek area of the Big South Fork is hard to beat and is a great place to set up a base camp and explore. You might catch some good wildflowers late March and the overlooks at Maude's Crack and the John Muir Overlook are pretty hard to beat. No Business Creek is a pleasant hike, although the trail that parallels it is an old road so not as nice as single-track, and hiking up Tackett Creek is fun if you want a bit of off-trail adventure. Also some nice loops you can do from the Middle Creek (?) Trailhead that can take you by Twin Arches and then connects with Laurel Fork Trail (lots of creek crossing on Laurel Fork Trail, but it is a gorgeous area especially if you like the hemlock creek bottoms of southern Appalachia). The National Park Service has some great options for overnight backpacking trips listed on their website: www.nps.gov/biso/planyourvisit/popular-overnight-hiking-trails.htmYou will need a backcountry permit for backpacking, but the permit doesn't really restrict you to a specific site or zone. If you'd like more info about potential trips in the Daniel Boone National Forest let me know, but if I were in your boots I'd head to the Big South Fork. |
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driftwoody
Trail Wise!
Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 14,977
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Post by driftwoody on Jan 17, 2017 9:49:07 GMT -8
Thanks markweth. I've been to BSF several times, most recently two years ago (and RRG more times than I can count). However, I've mostly day hiked in BSF (Twin Arches & Honey Creek loops being my favorite). The base camp options you mentioned sound good, which I will consider. I was contemplating something along those lines two years ago, but I didn't want to contend with multiple creek crossings in March. |
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Post by markweth on Jan 17, 2017 11:11:40 GMT -8
You're welcome.
Twin Arches and Honey Creek are pretty excellent, glad to hear you've see those.
No Business Creek/Maude's Crack area would be pretty nice if you wanted to spend a leisurely two-night trip to just hang out and take in the sights. Off-trail waterfalls, off-trail arches, two nice overlooks, cultural history (Ranse Boyatt homesite and old fences, etc.), decent wildflower displays, and a real "out there" feeling to it. The area was actually proposed wilderness at one time, from what I read in an old guidebook . . . the "No Business-Troublesome-Difficulty Creeks Wilderness" or something like that. Plenty of trail to walk from there, too, if you're just trying to stretch your legs without hiking off-trail and through rhododendron and what not.
If you're not too big into off-trail stuff, then an option outside the BSF I would recommend an 11-mile loop using part of the Sheltowee Trace and the Rockcastle Narrows East Trail near London, KY. Really great loop (does have 2.5 miles of backtracking though) with some nice waterfalls, decent campsites, and not too many people.
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driftwoody
Trail Wise!
Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 14,977
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Post by driftwoody on Jan 17, 2017 17:51:27 GMT -8
Thanks again markweth, I think I will explore those areas of BSF I have not yet visited. I had already decided against Savage Gulf because camping is allowed only in designated areas and I want to be free & easy, not required to reach designated sites. I had been looking into wilderness areas in Virginia, but they're a little riskier for an aging solo hiker and a longer drive. |
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Post by ashepabst on Jan 18, 2017 9:52:43 GMT -8
Savage Gulf has a ton of great sites to see if you're still considering it. my favorite overnight is the Collins Loop out to Sawmill campsite and back. lots of waterfalls, caves, a waterfall that comes out of a cave and back into another cave. you could tack on another night by day hiking the Big Creek Loop from Sawmill and back. that'll add on another 4 or so impressive falls, plus the Great Stone Door. typically water tables in the area are on the high side in March, and the canyon features are more visible before leaf-on. Big South Fork has some fun sites too, but it's a bigger area and everything's further between. I'd say it's most notable for the hundreds of sandstone arches and other formations. though, most are off trail, and most of the impressive arches are a simple out-and-back walk from the road. Needle Arch is small but very cool... just a short stroll from Slave Falls --one of the few large falls in the park. the park sees HEAVY horse traffic and some of them --especially around the Bandy Creek area-- are a nightmare to walk on. Markweth mentioned Maudes Crack --very cool feature. from that overlook you can get good winter views of a couple of buttes/mesas. there's an impressive chimney nearby too that's not too far off the trail. tnlandforms.us/bsf/googlebsf.php?lat=36.6&lon=-84.6&scale=10&file=bsf |
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Post by markweth on Jan 18, 2017 9:53:02 GMT -8
A great resource for exploring is the Tennessee Landforms website: tnlandforms.us/landforms/index.phpIt is a database with waterfalls, arches, and other landforms with GPS coordinates and other info. If you're in the No Business Creek area, the landforms I'd recommend looking up are: - Cap Rock Window (arch) - Russell Arch - Maude's Crack (rock, and the quickest and coolest way down from the ridge near the Terry Cemetery Trailhead to the valley floor) - Anderson Falls (waterfall, 65 feet tall, really rough bushwhack to it, at least the way I went) Some great campsites near the mouth of Anderson Branch where it meets No Business Creek. Also, depending on how overgrown it is, camping in the clearing around the Ranse Boyatt homesite is pretty cool. Great view of the stars. I did four separate trips to the No Business Creek area when I live in Kentucky . . . just couldn't get enough of the place! Have a great trip. Looks like Ashe was adding some great info just as I was posting this. The map he linked to is particularly helpful once you decide which general area you will end up in. A few other things: Tackett Creek is pretty awesome! Really enchanting stream, especially if you don't mind getting your feet wet. It is a tributary of No Business Creek and there is usually a decent campsite near its mouth. The John Muir Overlook is a great view of a rugged and remote area. The view of the lone chimney standing in the meadow below is particularly cool. There aren't any great places to camp nearby, even with a hammock, as the area was burned and the ridge is pretty narrow. There is a decent spot about 1/4 mile and it is an easy and cool hike to get to that spot. No water up top, of course. Definitely worth hiking up there from the valley floor if you are in the area. A friend and I had an awesome trip to the area in mid-March 2012 for a spring break trip. Three nights in the No Business Creek area wasn't enough time . . . we just kept wanting to explore. I gotta say, I live in the northern Rockies now and have backpacked in Glacier National Park, outskirts of Yellowstone, and plenty of places full of mountain majesty in between, but I would spend a week down in the No Business Creek area in a heartbeat if I could snap my fingers and be at the trailhead. |
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driftwoody
Trail Wise!
Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 14,977
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Post by driftwoody on Jan 18, 2017 10:09:40 GMT -8
Thanks, much appreciated!
I almost certainly will spend some time exploring the No Business Creek area with Tackett Creek. The features in the Tennessee Landforms site provide destinations I would have likely missed otherwise.
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