Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / North Carolina / Great Smoky Mountains (NC)

Forney Ridge and Forney Creek Loop

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Kuwohi Road, above Bryson City)

This loop starts at the Kuwohi parking area, near the highest point in the Smokies, and drops past Andrews Bald and down long Forney Ridge before climbing home beside Forney Creek. Most of the elevation is lost on the first day and regained on the second.

The Outbound puts the loop at 19.04 miles and says it’s usually done with one night in the backcountry.

The hike

Wikipedia says the Forney Ridge Trail starts at the front of the Kuwohi parking area, at the base of the paved path to the observation tower, and that the first 0.1 mile is rocky, step-like platforms built by the park. At 1.1 miles, the Forney Creek Trail splits off to the right; this is where the loop closes. Andrews Bald comes at about 1.8 miles. At 5,920 feet, Wikipedia calls it the highest bald in the park, with Catawba rhododendron and flame azalea in mid-June, and says the park manages it, with Gregory Bald, to keep it grassy. The Outbound mentions wooden planks across the bald that keep you out of wet brush, and warns that fog can hide the views.

Past the bald, the trail follows the ridge down to its end at Board Camp Gap, 5.6 miles from the start by Wikipedia’s count, where it meets the Springhouse Branch Trail. From the gap, Hiking Project describes a steep climb over leaf-covered ground, about half a mile of level ridgeline, and then a descent, with seeps near Bee Gum Branch. The trail ends at Forney Creek near “an imposing two-story chimney,” skirting the lower side of campsite #71, the site of the old Bee Gum Civilian Conservation Corps camp.

The second day climbs the Forney Creek Trail, which Hiking Project lists at 11.5 miles from Fontana Lake to the Forney Ridge Trail. The page counts its miles down from the ridge: Rock Slab Falls at 2.0, campsite #68 at 2.4, campsite #69 at 6, with wading crossings just below it, and campsite #70 at 7.4, between Forney and Jonas creeks, before #71 at 8.6. Walking up from #71, you pass them in reverse. The last stretch is the steepest: Hiking Project describes “1700 feet in 2.5 miles” through red spruce. The page says the trail follows old logging railroad grades, with cables and buckets still visible.

The Outbound counts seven stream crossings on Forney Creek, most without bridges, and says most can be done dry-shod in normal water but not after rain.

For more of the high crest, our Newfound Gap to Kuwohi page covers the Appalachian Trail near the same parking area. The Springhouse Branch Trail also continues west to Noland Creek, covered on our Noland Creek page.

Tips

Camping

The National Park Service requires a permit and advance reservation for all backcountry camping in the Smokies, issued through Recreation.gov since April 30, 2026. Recreation.gov’s rules allow no more than 3 consecutive nights at most campsites, require hanging all food, trash, and scented items on the cable system, and allow fires only in established rings. On this loop, campsite #71 is the natural overnight. The park’s closures page lists campsite #70 as closed.

Inside Intel: In a review on The Outbound, Jeremy Landt wrote, “Camping in the old CCC Camp is always a nice stay with out many people.” Hiking Project’s photo captions describe campsite #71 as good for both hammocks and tents, with an excellent creek.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Seven crossings on Forney Creek:

The Outbound counts seven stream crossings on Forney Creek, most without bridges, usually dry-shod in normal water but not after rain. Our five tips cover camp shoes, timing, and when to turn back.

See the water-crossing tips →

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.