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| Anthony Creek Trail   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Tennessee, United States, North America Route Type: Hiking Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter Time Required: Most of a day Difficulty: Strenuous
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| Page By: MarkDidier Created/Edited: Nov 2, 2008 / Nov 2, 2008 Object ID: 459900 Hits: 548 Loading... Page Score: 86.94% - 4 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
OverviewThunderhead Mountain is located on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in the western end of GSMNP and can be reached via Anthony Creek Trail. This is a strenuous 14 mile (round trip) hike that includes approximately 4000 feet of vertical gain. Highlights on this hike include Anthony Creek, and stunning vistas from Spence Field and Rocky Top.
Getting ThereThe trailhead for Anthony Creek Trail is located at the back end of the picnic area in Cades Cove.
Route DescriptionANTHONY CREEK TRAIL
The hike to Thunderhead begins on Anthony Creek Trail in Cades Cove. This portion of the hike is 3.5 miles long with approximately 1800 feet of vertical gain.
The terrain of Anthony Creek Trail is primarily forest and thick rhododendron. There are multiple stream crossings on footlogs and bridges. Due to close proximity to Cades Cove, Anthony Creek Trail can be busy. It is also a busy horse trail, so watch your footing – enough said.
BOTE MOUNTAIN TRAIL
After 3.5 miles Anthony Creek Trail ends and meets up with Bote Mountain Trail. Follow Bote Mountain Trail for 1.7 miles to Spence Field, which is located on the AT. There is 1,100 feet of vertical gain on this 1.7 mile climb. The scenery will begin to change at this point on the hike as the views will start to open up more, although not completely.
The views from Spence Field are spectacular, and with the grassy fields is an excellent area to stop for lunch or just to take a break and enjoy the mountain vistas.
Spence Field |
APPALACHIAN TRAIL TO THUNDERHEAD
 On the AT on the way to Thunderhead
From Spence Field it is approximately 1.5 miles on the AT to the actual summit of Thunderhead Mountain. Although the elevation difference between Spence Field and Thunderhead is only 600 vertical feet, you will gain much more elevation over the course of this strenuous 1.5 miles as you will have to ascend Rocky Top before continuing on to Thunderhead. There are also numerous undulations between Rocky Top and Thunderhead.
The views from the actual summit of Thunderhead are partially obstructed so are not spectacular. The views from Rocky Top though are unobstructed and are spectacular. If you are focused on reaching the true summit of Thunderhead, by all means go ahead and hike the extra half mile past Rocky Top to reach the summit. If you just want to see the beautiful Smoky Mountains then you can feel free to stop at the summit of Rocky Top and soak in the regions beauty.
Essential GearAs always in the Smokies, rain gear is a must.
If you plan to carry water purification equipment, water is available in Anthony Creek. Otherwise pack plenty of water as this is a long strenuous hike. Images
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U.S. National Parks
