Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / North Carolina / Nantahala National Forest

Appalachian Trail: Winding Stair Gap to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (Wayah and Wesser Balds)

Nantahala National Forest (US 64 near Franklin to US 19/74 at Wesser)

North of Franklin, the Appalachian Trail crosses two balds with observation towers, Wayah and Wesser, before dropping into the Nantahala Gorge at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Hiking Project’s route by Mike W covers it as a 27.8-mile, three-day point-to-point from Winding Stair Gap on US 64 to the NOC.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy says the Nantahala Hiking Club maintains the 58.6 miles from Bly Gap at the Georgia line to the NOC at Wesser, which includes this whole section.

The hike

Mike W’s first day runs from Winding Stair Gap (A.T. mile 109.8, about 3,690 feet) to the Wayah Bald Shelter at mile 120.8, a day of “many ups and downs” that tops out around 5,340 feet. N2Backpacking lists Siler Bald among the balds the A.T. crosses in this stretch. The Forest Service’s Mountain Waters Scenic Byway guide says both the Appalachian and Bartram trails cross Wayah Bald at its tower, and the ATC lists the Wayah Bald Lookout Tower as a short, accessible walk.

The second day continues to the Wesser Bald Shelter at mile 131.4. N2Backpacking places the shelter 0.8 mile past the Wesser Bald tower and 1.4 miles north of Tellico Gap on NC 1365, with a boxed spring beside the trail, a covered table, and campsites nearby. The tower, at 4,627 feet, was converted from the base of an old fire tower, and the site calls its 360-degree views of the Nantahala National Forest excellent.

Mark Oleg Ozboyd of Hiking the Appalachians and Beyond, who hiked up from the NOC, says the tower’s cabin burned in 1979 and two-thirds of the tower was removed. He lists the view: Wayah Bald and Copper Ridge Bald to the south, the Little Tennessee valley to the east, Nantahala Lake to the west, and the Nantahala River valley, Fontana Lake, and the Smokies to the north.

The third day is the shortest but, Mike W says, still hard because of the long downhill to the NOC at mile 137.3. Ozboyd’s mileage from the bottom puts the Rufus Morgan Shelter spur about a mile above the NOC and a viewpoint he calls the Jump-Up at 4.3 miles, with views over the Nantahala River valley and Fontana Lake. A Hiking Project check-in from June 2018 reported three or four young bears on the descent into the NOC.

South of Winding Stair Gap, the A.T. continues toward Albert Mountain and Standing Indian; see our Standing Indian loop. North of the NOC, the trail climbs to Cheoah Bald, covered on our NOC to Fontana Dam page. The Bartram Trail to Cheoah Bald starts just up the gorge.

Tips

Camping

No permit is needed on the A.T. in the Nantahala 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 for the whole trail. Its 2026 storm guidance also says not to stop or camp under dead, damaged, or leaning trees.

Inside Intel: A Hiking Project check-in notes that the Wesser Bald Shelter has very few flat tent spots, so arrive early if you plan to tent there. Katie Brekke logged a 22-mile, two-night trip on the same route, staying at the Wayah and Wesser shelters before walking out to the NOC.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Shelter floors from Wayah to Wesser:

Wesser Bald Shelter has few flat tent spots, so a pad that cushions a wooden floor or lumpy ground earns its weight on this stretch. See which sleeping pads testers recommend.

Compare the top 5 →

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.