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Trails / North Carolina / Nantahala National Forest

Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock: Naked Ground and the Hangover Loop

Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness, Nantahala National Forest (near Robbinsville)

The Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness straddles the North Carolina-Tennessee line west of Robbinsville, and the Forest Service says it’s managed jointly by the Nantahala and Cherokee national forests. This loop starts in the old-growth Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, climbs to the trail crossroads at Naked Ground, and visits the Hangover, a rocky perch on the Haoe Lead ridge.

Mark Oleg Ozboyd of Hiking the Appalachians and Beyond hiked it as a 13.5-mile loop with about 4,200 feet of climbing and rated it 9 out of 10 for difficulty.

The hike

Ozboyd starts at a small overnight parking pullout about 200 feet up Joyce Kilmer Road, which he says is also the Jenkins Meadow Trailhead, and walks half a mile to the Memorial Forest trailhead. The Forest Service guide says the forest’s figure-eight trail covers two miles past large poplars, and that there’s no camping or overnight parking at the memorial area itself.

Ozboyd follows the Memorial Loop to a footbridge over Little Santeetlah Creek at 2.3 miles and the start of the Naked Ground Trail, staying right where an unmaintained alternate branches left. The trail climbs gradually through hollows and branches feeding the creek, with switchbacks starting near mile 6.3 and a fire-damaged area near 6.9. At 7.2 miles it reaches Naked Ground, a four-way intersection on the ridge, which Joe Miller of GetGoing NC put at 4,860 feet. Ozboyd describes “an assortment of great campsites” around the junction.

From Naked Ground, the route turns right on the Haoe Lead Trail to Haoe Bald, about 5,250 feet and viewless, at 8.2 miles, with a rock scramble near the top. A short walk past Saddle Tree Gap leads to the Hangover at about 8.6 miles. Ozboyd describes “a breathtaking 360-degree view” that takes in Santeetlah Lake, Calderwood Lake, the Little Tennessee River near Cheoah Dam, and the Great Smokies. Erik Hogan, who camped near the Hangover in August 2023, found the clearing hot and shadeless in summer and noted “several nice camping locations” just past Saddle Tree Gap.

Ozboyd returns to Haoe Bald and descends the Haoe Lead and Jenkins Meadow trails, steep and, in his words, “severely damaged by fire in places” from the 2016 Maple Springs Fire, with burned laurel to push through. He reaches Joyce Kilmer Road at 13.5 miles. He recommends hiking clockwise because the Naked Ground climb is well graded.

The Forest Service guide warns that wilderness trails are kept “to the most primitive standards, with few, if any, signs or blazes,” and advises staying out of the forest on windy days and away from dead trees. Joe Miller’s group used Naked Ground as a base for three nights and dropped down the Slickrock Creek Trail to Wildcat Falls, a hard day with 5.5 miles of uphill on the way back.

Tips

Park in the overnight pullout, not at the Memorial Forest lot.
Carry a map and compass or GPS. Trails are unblazed and signs are few.
Fill up low. No reliable water source on the ridge was confirmed.
Wear orange in fall. The Forest Service guide says bear and boar hunting is popular from mid-October to January 1.
Avoid windy days in burned and storm-damaged forest.

Camping

The Forest Service limits groups in the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness to 10 people (the limit doesn’t apply on the Joyce Kilmer National Recreation Trail). Pick a campsite at least 200 feet, or the posted distance, from lakes, streams, and trails; camping and campfires are prohibited within 100 feet of them. Organized groups and commercial outfitters need a permit, and leaving gear unattended for more than 24 hours is prohibited. Wilderness.net says camping is allowed anywhere in the wilderness but not at trailheads. For the national forests along the Appalachian Trail, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy describes a Forest Service Southern Region order requiring food to be stored in a bear-resistant canister, provided storage, or a proper hang; whether it reaches this wilderness wasn’t confirmed, but a canister covers you either way.

Inside Intel: Ozboyd singles out a campsite a few feet past the Naked Ground junction on the right, with a sunrise-facing view into the Little Santeetlah valley, as “the best campsite in Naked Ground.”

Trail facts

Distance: 13.5-mile loop (14.7 as an out-and-back to the Hangover)
Route type: Loop
Difficulty: Strenuous
Campsites: Established sites around Naked Ground (7.2 miles); a grassy clearing near the Hangover
Water: Little Santeetlah Creek and side streams on the climb; unconfirmed springs on the ridge
Permits: None for individuals; groups limited to 10
Food storage: Bear-resistant canister or a proper hang
Dogs: Allowed under voice control (Forest Service wilderness rules)
Trailhead: Jenkins Meadow overnight pullout on Joyce Kilmer Road, west of Robbinsville
Last verified: October 17, 2026

The Lowdown

A ridge camp at Naked Ground:

The campsites at Naked Ground sit in a gap at about 4,860 feet where unblazed wilderness trails cross, a long climb from the old-growth forest below. See the backpacking tents reviewers trust.

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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.