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Trails / North Carolina / Nantahala National Forest

Appalachian Trail: Nantahala Outdoor Center to Fontana Dam (Cheoah Bald and Stecoah Gap)

Nantahala National Forest (Nantahala Gorge to Fontana Lake)

From the Nantahala Outdoor Center, the Appalachian Trail climbs out of the Nantahala Gorge to Cheoah Bald, then rolls west over Stecoah Gap and a string of steep knobs to Fontana Lake. The Forest Service says this 29-mile stretch is “generally considered to be the most difficult section of the AT outside of the White Mountains in New Hampshire.”

It ends at Fontana Dam, the southern gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains.

The hike

The first day is the big climb. The Forest Service puts Cheoah Bald 8.4 miles from the Nantahala River, with 3,300 feet of elevation gain, and notes that “many hikers stay at the Sassafras Gap Shelter at 7 miles.” Below the shelter, a viewpoint looks over the Nantahala Gorge; section hiker Scout, writing on the TrailGroove forum, calls it the Jump-Up and reached it 2.1 miles below Sassafras Gap. (Commenters on Mark Oleg Ozboyd’s NOC to Wesser Bald report note that hikers use the name for more than one overlook.)

Cheoah Bald itself, Scout writes, has “a treeless grassy area at the top of the bald that provides spectacular views,” and he found it “quite windy and cold at the top” in December. The Forest Service says there’s camping on top but no water. The Bartram Trail ends here; see our Bartram Trail to Cheoah Bald page for the steep approach from the gorge.

From the bald, the Forest Service counts 5.2 miles to Stecoah Gap, 13.6 miles from the NOC. Scout describes the descent from Cheoah as “very steep” when covered with ice and snow. Camping isn’t allowed at Stecoah Gap itself, the Forest Service says, though there are spots along the gravel road. The Brown Fork Gap Shelter is 2.25 miles past the gap.

The Forest Service puts another 5.3 miles between Stecoah Gap and Yellow Creek Gap. The Cable Gap Shelter is an easy 0.9 mile beyond Yellow Creek Gap, Walker Gap about 2.8 miles, and the Fontana Marina trailhead about 7 miles. Past the marina, the trail leaves the national forest for Tennessee Valley Authority land leased to Fontana Village Resort, and the Forest Service mentions the “Fontana Hilton,” a shelter with hot showers about a mile farther. The agency advises against walking the more than 3 miles of Route 28 to Fontana Village.

From the dam, the A.T. climbs into the Smokies toward Spence Field; see our Spence Field and Rocky Top page. The Lakeshore Trail also starts near the dam and leads toward Hazel Creek. For the section south of here, see Winding Stair Gap to the NOC.

Tips

Camping

No permit is needed in the national forest. A Forest Service order for the A.T. through the southern national forests limits stays at trail shelters to 3 days in a 30-day period. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy describes a Southern Region food storage order: use a bear-resistant canister, provided storage, or a proper hang, keep food out of tents and shelters, and the ATC recommends canisters. Shelters on this section, per the Forest Service, are Sassafras Gap, Brown Fork Gap, Cable Gap, and the shelter past the Fontana Marina.

Inside Intel: Scout’s group spent a December night at the Sassafras Gap Shelter (“I was relieved to reach the shelter knowing that we were done hiking for the day”), while two slower members camped up on Cheoah Bald. The Forest Service lists heavy use from April through June and notes that “many hikers” stay at Sassafras Gap.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Wind and cold on Cheoah Bald:

One December section hiker found Cheoah Bald windy and cold, and two of his group camped on top anyway. See which sleeping bags testers rate for cold nights.

See what testers chose →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.