Smokies Backcountry Gear Checklist
The Great Smoky Mountains backcountry is wet, steep and full of creek crossings, and every designated campsite has a bear cable system. What people carry follows from that: real rain gear, a way to keep feet and sleeping gear dry, poles for slick mud, and a plan for hanging food on a cable while mice work the pack. Reports differ on bear spray and on how cold the high ridges get, so the page names who said what.
What shapes your gear on Great Smoky Mountains backcountry
- Permit and fees
- The park requires a permit and advance reservation for all backcountry camping. New permits go through Recreation.gov. The camping fee is $8 per person per night plus a $6 non-refundable permit fee. A parking tag is still needed.
- Where and how long you may camp
- You may camp only at designated sites and shelters, with a limit of 3 consecutive nights at a campsite and a party size of 8. Anyone with a shelter on the itinerary must stay inside the shelter.
- Food on the cables
- Each campsite and shelter has a bear cable system, and every odorous item has to hang on it. That covers food, trash, lip balm and toothpaste. Backpackers describe the cables as standard equipment at the campsites.
From National Park Service, Backpacking Light and Backpacking Light forums: Beta on the Smokies in March (Backpacking Light forum)
- Rain
- A Backpacker checklist from 2009 says Clingmans Dome, the park's high point, averages 85 inches of precipitation a year and pairs that with humidity, changeable weather and plenty of creek crossings.
From Backpacker
- Water
- Forum posters call water plentiful, and one writer says it is never an issue. A May 2019 six-day loop still hit a day with 12 dry miles and another with more than 14 hard creek crossings.
From Backpacking Light forums: Smokies or BSF (Backpacking Light forum), Backpacking Light forums: Beta on the Smokies in March (Backpacking Light forum) and Backpacking Light
- Fires and waste
- Fires are allowed only in the fire ring at a designated campsite or shelter, and only on dead wood already on the ground or certified heat-treated firewood. Bury human waste at least 100 feet from camp, water and trail in a hole 6 inches deep.
- Cold on the ridges
- A forum poster warns that March can bring cold rain and mud, and that the high points such as LeConte, Clingmans Dome and Guyot can reach temperatures around 0 degrees Fahrenheit even in March.
From Backpacking Light forums: Beta on the Smokies in March (Backpacking Light forum)
What the agency requires on Great Smoky Mountains backcountry
A way to hang food on the bear cables
Every scented item goes on the cable system at your campsite or shelter. The park names food, trash, lip balm and toothpaste.
A permit and reservation for each night
Backcountry camping in the park requires a permit and advance reservation.
A trowel for burying waste
Dig a hole 6 inches deep or more for human waste, and place it 100 feet or farther from camps, shelters, water and trails.
No soap in streams
No soap of any kind, biodegradable included, goes into a water source. Bathing and dishwashing happen well away from water and camps.
What hikers carry on Great Smoky Mountains backcountry
A rain shell, rain pants and waterproof gaiters
A Backpacker checklist asks for a rain shell it calls bombproof, plus rain pants, gaiters and a rain hat. A forum poster planning a March trip says the big problems are cold rain and mud and tells hikers to take solid rain gear and gaiters.
From Backpacker and Backpacking Light forums: Beta on the Smokies in March (Backpacking Light forum)
Trekking poles
A hiker on a six-day loop in May fell on a steep, muddy section after two days of storms, even while using poles. Both hikers then crept along, treating the trail like a hard water crossing.
From Backpacking Light and Backpacker
Camp shoes you can wade in
Backpacker suggests sandals that double as creek-crossing shoes. One loop hiker counted more than 14 hard crossings in a day, and another crossing came with a strong current and waist-high water.
From Backpacker and Backpacking Light
Extra carabiners, stuffsacks and bear-bag repair supplies
The checklist adds an extra carabiner and stuffsacks for the bear bag because many sites have cables. A hiker who planned a six-day loop packed repair supplies for bags damaged by mice or storms.
From Backpacker and Backpacking Light
A pack cover or plastic bag over the pack
A frequent Smokies hiker leaves the food bag in the pack and covers the whole pack with a light clear leaf bag before hoisting it on the cable. He reports no trouble from bears, mice or weather this way.
From Backpacking Light forums: Smoky Mountain mice (Backpacking Light forum)
A synthetic sleeping bag or quilt for cold nights
Backpacker lists a synthetic bag good for 15 to 30 degrees across the three warm seasons. One loop hiker used 30 degree hammock quilts and worried about a chill from below.
From Backpacker and Backpacking Light
A tarp or tent that sheds wind-driven rain
Backpacker asks for a rainworthy tent that breathes in humid nights. A loop hiker staked a tarp low and wide with rocks on the stakes and stayed warm and dry through storms.
From Backpacker and Backpacking Light
Printed permit and waterproof maps
A May 2019 loop hiker printed the online permit in case a ranger asked, and laminated each day's map and elevation profile and clipped them outside the pack.
From Backpacking Light
Water treatment, plus one full bottle for a dry day
Backpacker notes water is everywhere. The six-day loop included one day of 12 dry miles, so the hikers planned carries around it. They filtered river water at one stop.
From Backpacker and Backpacking Light
Bear spray, if it makes you more comfortable
Forum posters disagree. One calls bear spray unnecessary for the Smokies because black bears want food. Another says it adds little weight for peace of mind, and a first-time visitor planned to take some.
The park rule is about food on the cables, not spray.
From Backpacking Light forums: Smokies or BSF (Backpacking Light forum) and National Park Service
8 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Great Smoky Mountains backcountry
A shirt in an outside pocket
A hiker hung a pack on the cable overnight and found a favorite button-down shirt shredded in the stretch pocket, with no food or droppings in it. A reply guessed that the cotton outer made good nesting material.
From Backpacking Light forums: Smoky Mountain mice (Backpacking Light forum)
A rain jacket that only lasts a minute
One hiker's rain jacket let water through within about 60 seconds of a May storm on Lumber Ridge. The party skipped rain pants and gaiters because their trail runners were not waterproof.
From Backpacking Light
Rushing down muddy slopes
In the same storm the hikers went down the muddy slope faster than they should have. The next day, on a slick descent, a foot slid out and the hiker fell hard even while using poles.
From Backpacking Light
Smellables left in a pocket
A loop hiker built a nightly routine so nothing scented stayed in the pack or pockets after a long day, since the park wants every scented item on the cable.
From Backpacking Light and National Park Service
Gear questions for Great Smoky Mountains backcountry
Do I need a bear canister in the Great Smoky Mountains backcountry?
The park rule is to hang all odorous items on the bear cable system at your campsite or shelter. The agency page we read does not require a canister. Hikers use a food bag on the cable and some cover the pack against mice.
From National Park Service and Backpacking Light forums: Smoky Mountain mice (Backpacking Light forum)
How much does a Great Smoky Mountains backcountry permit cost?
The camping fee is $8 per person per night, with a $6 non-refundable permit fee on each new permit. New permits are issued through Recreation.gov. The permit does not replace the parking tag.
What rain gear do I need in the Great Smoky Mountains backcountry?
Backpacker advises a solid rain shell, rain pants, waterproof gaiters and a rain hat, and a forum poster calls for solid rain gear and gaiters for cold March trips. A loop hiker who packed only a jacket reports it soaked through in about a minute during a May storm.
From Backpacker, Backpacking Light forums: Beta on the Smokies in March (Backpacking Light forum) and Backpacking Light
Can I camp anywhere in the Great Smoky Mountains backcountry?
No. The park limits camping to its designated sites and shelters, for up to 3 consecutive nights, with a party of up to 8.
Sources
- Backcountry Camping, Great Smoky Mountains National Park · National Park Service · Agency
- Great Smoky Mountains Backpacking Loop (Sinks-Little Tennessee River Trip Report) · Backpacking Light · Trip report
- Gear Checklist: Great Smoky Mountains National Park · Backpacker · Blog
- Smoky Mountain mice (Backpacking Light forum) · Backpacking Light forums · Forum thread
- Beta on the Smokies in March (Backpacking Light forum) · Backpacking Light forums · Forum thread
- Smokies or BSF (Backpacking Light forum) · Backpacking Light forums · Forum thread