Shortly after visiting Roan Mountain, I decided to make it my goal to spend more time on the Appalachian Trail this Fall. I figured: "What better way to start than with a trip to Big Bald?" During our stay on the mountain, Nora and I were treated to a vibrant sunset followed by an even more incredible sunrise! I hope you enjoy this overnight AT adventure.
Music featured in this video: “Chasm” by Lane King, “Small Joys” by Picnic, “Zwetschge” by Andy G. Cohen, “Higher” by Roads (Ian Vidovic), “Walk and Think” by Yeti Music, “Erik” by Fog Lake, and “Acoustic / Folk Instrumental” by David Hyde Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/lane-king/chasm , https://uppbeat.io/t/picnic/small-joys , https://uppbeat.io/t/yeti-music/walk-and-think
Big Bald Mountain - Sams Gap to Summit via the AT
Hike Overview
Type of hike: Out and back
Trails hiked: Appalachian Trail
Time span: 2 days 1 night
Total Est. Mileage: 12.5 miles (6.25 one way)
Trail Journal
Day One
As Nora and I followed the gravel path away from the parking area, a big sign beside the highway came into view “Welcome to Tennessee!” it read. A sharp turn in the path steered us away before crossing the official line. We would remain in North Carolina for the next mile and a half. The trail would then meander back and forth along the border of the two states for the rest of our journey. At mile 6.25, we would pitch our tent in Tennessee and watch the sun come up over North Carolina the next day.
I couldn’t be more excited for this out and back trip. I had just gotten back from Roan Mountain the week before and decided to make it my goal this Fall to see more of the AT. I figured why not kick off my Fall hiking season with a trip to Big Bald Mountain. I know Fall doesn’t officially start until the 22nd, but I prefer to leave Summer behind the moment September comes along. From my understanding, the 360 views at the summit are some of the best in the Blueridge. The pictures from other hikers left me awestruck. I couldn’t wait to see for myself!
I read a lot of reviews on Google and AllTrails in the time leading up to this trip to get an idea about the parking situation at Sams Gap. I’ve said this many times before, but parking is one of the first details I investigate. My car is my way back to civilization, so naturally the last thing I want is to leave it somewhere that will jeopardize me being able to do that after a trip. What began as gathering intel about parking quickly turned into an entertaining evening of one- and two-star reviews for the trail itself. (Not quite on the hilarity level of Subpar Parks, but close.) Almost all of them shared the same complaint “this trail goes nowhere.”
Well, that’s simply not true. I thought. This trail does go somewhere. Maine in fact! But on a shorter scale it leads to a mountaintop. I sifted through one review after another: “There are no views as advertised!” and “It’s just a trail through some woods and nothing else.” It confused me for a moment. Are we talking about the same place? It didn't take me long to realize this wasn't a case of a dozen people accidentally writing bad reviews for the wrong trail. All of them probably expected a short out and back they could complete in a few hours, but turned around a few miles in. They must have thought the distance was 6.25 total, not one way.
Sams Gap to Big Bald can certainly be completed as a day hike if you get an early enough start. However, I think it’s much better to complete it as an overnight trip. Especially if the weather is playing nice. Backpacking this route allows you to get a later start and have the option to stop at the summit or a little way passed it before heading back the next day. Enough about trip planning and bad reviews. Let’s hear about the hike already!
Well, there’s not too much to say about the walk itself. One thing the reviews got right, it was a lot of travel through green tunnel. At the time, all the foliage was still full. None of the leaves had started to turn. It was also humid and buggy. Not the most enjoyable conditions to backpack in, but the occasional cool breeze offered some relief. There were a surprising number of ups and downs along the way. Although the route was primarily uphill, there were a couple declines thrown in there, which kept things interesting on the way back.
This should go without saying, but the trail was very easy to follow. Water sources on the other hand posed more of a challenge. The first source was about a mile or so in. I knew I would need to “camel up” before reaching the summit since there wouldn’t be any water there. But I just wasn’t ready to make that commitment so early into the hike. Instead, we took a long drink from the water I packed in and topped off the bottle before moving on.
We got a brief break from the wooded scenery, shortly after that. The trail ambled across a hilly meadow lined with wildflowers. Dozens of butterflies hopping from one bloom to another. Nora made frequent stops at this part to snort up any bugs hiding in the tall grass. Ahead was a beautiful view of our destination. The whole scene was a welcome change of pace, but like I said it was brief. Back in the woods for the next 4 plus miles.
Another spring was marked up ahead on Gaia (and AllTrails). It was worth stopping at to take another break. We followed a spur path down to a campsite. To my disappointment, the pipe was crushed (like a straw that’s been chewed) and no water came out. A weak drip ran down the rocks underneath, but it was too shallow to collect from. The site was in rough condition as well. Thankfully, I marked a couple more potential sources mentioned on AllTrails on my GPS. Time to pray at least one of these next springs were flowing!
I decided I would fill up all the water we would need for camp at the next one we come to. Just to be safe. A little over a mile from the top we came to a spring flowing across the trail. I dropped my pack and filtered a whole liter into my bottle. I also filled up two CNOC bladders. It sounds excessive, but in my experience 4 to 5L has proven to be the perfect amount when dry camping. It gives me enough to stay hydrated, cook two meals, and still have about a ½ liter left over for emergencies. Of course, carrying all that extra water adds several pounds to an already heavy pack. So, it was slow going the rest of the way.
Finally, we reached the long-awaited views! The path to took us over a grassy ridge with rolling meadows on the left and a sea of blue peaks on the right. At the top, the trail spilled into a large gravel roundabout. The AT continued down the other side of the bald. Big Stamp stood tall up ahead and beckoned me to continue. To see what’s beyond that point, and the next point, and the one after that. A sequel adventure played out in my mind. Nora's impatient whining snapped me back to reality. Further exploration would have to wait. I set up the tent on a soft grassy patch, wrapped Nora’s cable around the marker post, and finished unpacking.
Expect to see a lot of local residents. That’s another bit of info I came across during research. Apparently, there’s a private gated community located nearby, and the residents frequently walk and jog the trail. One backpacker described trying to camp at the summit and a group of them crowding around their tent to watch the sunset. I suppose from the local's perspective its annoying having hikers and backpackers constantly coming and going so close by. Thankfully, we did not encounter anyone with personal space issues. A man did come by walking his dogs though. He said hello and the two dogs woofed and whined at Nora. She woofed back and we had a good laugh at their exchange.
The wind up there was surprisingly mild during our stay. If I had to guess, I’d say 10mph - 15 max. Which is not the norm for that summit. During setup, I glanced over at the fire ring and saw a neatly arranged pile of firewood in the middle of it. The treated store-bought stuff. There was slight singeing on the edge. It seems someone tried to plan ahead by carrying in their own wood, but with the violent gusts they just couldn’t get a fire started. It wasn't cold enough to need a fire that night. Plus, I didn’t really want the extra task of maintaining one. So, I decided to leave it alone. Maybe that firewood will benefit the next camper.
After finishing all the necessary setup, I put on a warm fluffy fleece and got to work on fixing dinner. The windscreen proved to be the most useful item in my pack on this trip. Except for the extra stakes and guy lines for the tent of course. How have I backpacked so long without one?! After pouring water into the pot, I turned around to check on Nora. She was contently laying in the grass with her chin on her paws. Just then, another head came into view right above hers. Then another. Two does were grazing in the grass at the edge of the gravel roundabout. I tried to hide my surprised from Nora. I didn’t want her to bark and scare them off.
The moment I stood up, Nora knew something was going on. She followed me to the end of her cable and sat down confused. The deer slowly made their way across the open field. I was able to watch them a moment before they made it the rest of the way down the bald. To my surprise, Nora didn’t bark at all. Not even in protest at being left by the post. She wiggled and wagged excitedly as I walked back over to her.
I returned to the task of making dinner. On this trip I brought Caribbean Curry by Nomad Nutrition. This was my first time trying one of their meals. Part of their gimmick is recyclable paper packaging and practically everything-free ingredients. I opened the package to find the contents surprisingly sparse. The entire “serving” of dry ingredients could have fit in a quarter cup measure. "Is this a joke?!" I laughed out loud. I hoped rehydration would multiply it enough to make a filling meal. That was not the case. It tasted good, but not good enough to justify the outrageous price. Nearly $15 for that little bit of food. I’d been had.
The incredible sunset made me forget all about my disappointment in dinner. The tall grass waved gently in the breeze against vibrant shades of pink and blue. An orange glow fell across the bald as the sun slowly sunk below the horizon. Truly a sight to behold! We curled up in the tent watched last display of color in the sky. I thought This is the perfect time to test out those LED lights I got a while back. I wove the string through the loops around the tent door and plugged it in. They added an instant ambiance boost! While it's a bit of a novelty, the gadget was a great alternative to awkwardly fumbling around with a headlamp.
The wind picked up and gently rocked the tent back and forth. Not long after zipping everything up for the night, I heard a faint rustling. Nora heard it too and sat up. She huffed and grumbled at the door. At first I thought It must be a deer. But after listening a little closer, I realized it was grass brushing up against the edge of the rainfly. I logged the sound in my mental data bank as nothing to worry about. I could go back to sleep and disregard the it as it reoccurred during the night. Nora did not think that was a sufficient response. She continued to grumble and huff. I finally conceded and took her out to convince her there was nothing out there. We exited the tent and a cool breeze hit. As Nora sniffed around in the dark my teeth started to chatter. Okay girl hurry up I thought. Then I saw something glimmer in the corner of my eye. I turned in the direction of Big Stamp. Way off I could see hundreds of twinkling city lights. I looked up to compare them with the stars. While the artificial lights were pretty, there was no contest. Nora continued to wander around the tent while I enjoyed the nighttime scenery.
Day Two
A familiar orange glow filled the inside of the tent. I sat up and debated whether or not to start the day or get a few more minutes of sleep. I reasoned if sunrise was going to be anything like sunset, then we wouldn’t want to miss it. I shuffled through the dewy grass, still wrapped in my sleeping bag, to the edge of the gravel roundabout. Nora followed behind. I stood for a while watching the sun make its way over the mountains.
There air was still chilly, so I wrapped the sleeping bags around my waist while making coffee. In preparation for Fall I ordered a package Cusa’s Dirty Chai instant coffee. What I really like is it’s simple. They don’t add any sugar or dairy/creamer. It’s just tea, coffee, and a blend of spices. I’m glad I decided to bring it along for this trip. Chai was the perfect beverage to complement the morning’s atmosphere.
It didn’t take long for the summit to warm up. Off came the fluffy fleece and out came the flies. Before I knew it the site was swarming with them. Nora folded her ears down and snapped her teeth as they went by. Time to pack up.
I pulled my pack on and clipped Nora’s leash to the hipbelt. I hated to leave so soon, but contenting with the heat and bugs would take the fun out of staying longer. I took one last look at Big Stamp before heading down toward the woods. God willing, I'll be back. There’s more out there to explore.
Deer were abundant on the way back. I counted 7 total. Every so often a loud rustling would grab our attention, and another one would reveal itself. At one point a handsome buck wandered through the brush just below the trail. Nora stared intently at him then looked back at me. She looked back and forth between me and the deer. She wanted so badly to chase it. "No, leave it.” I told her. She whined as I pulled her away.
We soon reached an opening in the trees overlooking the trailhead. Down below was Sams Gap parking area. The car was still there, just as I left it. We made our way down to the road and crossed over. Further inspection confirmed the car was indeed just as I left it. Another successful adventure in the books. Now to start planning a return trip from the direction of Spivey Gap…
Know Before You Go!
The weather on Big Bald Mountain can be unpredictable. The gusts are often very strong, so come prepared with a tent that can withstand the elements. It's a good idea to have a backup plan just in case the weather does not cooperate. A bypass trail just passed mile 5.5 can be taken to avoid crossing the summit and reconnects with the trail at Big Bald Rd. About a mile North on the AT is Bald Mountain Shelter. This was in my plan as an alternative to camping at the summit in the event the weather took a sudden turn for the worse. There are a couple water sources along the way, but depending on current drought conditions and the time of year some of them may be dry. If you intend to camp at/near the summit be prepared to carry in enough water for the night and next morning. If you intend to camp at the shelter, there is a water source located nearby. There is currently no itinerary for this hike. However, I plan to write one after visiting this destination from the opposite direction at Spivey Gap.