Excerpts from my post on TripAdvisor:
Finally, the stars and planets all aligned for my dh and I to spend a day in the mountains! We left Knoxville between 9-9:30, took I-40 to NC exit 20, then drove Cove Creek Rd into Cataloochee. Funny how the weather was so different when we got there. The forecast for Knoxville was 69 and partly sunny, but it was gray and in the 50's all day in the mountains. Still, a terrific day for hiking!
Finally, the stars and planets all aligned for my dh and I to spend a day in the mountains! We left Knoxville between 9-9:30, took I-40 to NC exit 20, then drove Cove Creek Rd into Cataloochee. Funny how the weather was so different when we got there. The forecast for Knoxville was 69 and partly sunny, but it was gray and in the 50's all day in the mountains. Still, a terrific day for hiking!
We selected the Caldwell Fork and Boogerman trails to start us off for 2008. We were advised that the best way to tackle the Boogerman was to hike Caldwell Fork 2.8 miles in to the 2nd Boogerman trail junction instead of turning onto the Boogerman at the first junction at 0.8 miles. This was said to be preferable due to the elevation changes over the course of the Boogerman trail... more on that later...If you love mountain streams (and crossing them), then you would love the Caldwell Fork trail! I cannot count the number of times we wobbled across log bridges and hopped across on rocks. The trail continually weaved back and forth across the creek. At one point, the creek WAS the trail for about 50 feet or so, and some creativity was in order for us to continue on. Apparently, having to wade here is not uncommon. Also, horses use Caldwell Fork, so mud is definitely an issue. For these reasons, I would not recommend hiking this trail after a rain unless you seriously don't care about being wet or muddy. We managed to make it thru unscathed, which was a very good thing since it was cool outside.
The Caldwell Fork trail pretty much followed the stream and had a barely noticeable incline, but the scenery definitely changed once we turned onto the Boogerman. We immediately turned away from the stream and began climbing over the next mile (the brown book lists it as a 700 foot elevation gain, which isn't really that much for me but may be for others). This path took us through dense forest and past several interesting stone walls. I'm not sure why the walls were there, really... was kind of a random sight. After that first mile+, we crested the hill and the rest of the Boogerman (almost 3 miles worth) was all downhill! We got to relax and enjoy the trail instead of chugging uphill the majority of the time had we taken the first Boogerman entrance from Caldwell Fork. We're not really masochists, so we were happy to take the easier route!
Considering the length of this trail (6.6 miles roundtrip) and my personal experience, I would say this loop was a 4 or 5 in difficulty on the scale of 1-10 for trails which I've completed (with Gregory Ridge to Gregory Bald being a 10 for a point of reference). The loop would definitely be more challenging with more mud and water to contend with! Something else to consider is that neither my dh or I felt this trail had much of a "wow" factor... no exhilarating views or huge waterfalls to gawk at. It was more of a lovely stroll through the woods, which was highly enjoyable, but for hikers who need the motivation of a big payoff in scenery, you're not going to find it on this loop. (That is, unless you're an arborist or something, in which case you'll find plenty of trees to boggle your mind.) We did love that we only saw 2 other people the entire time!
After our hike, we drove farther back into Cataloochee Valley. Wow! I'd been there once a long time ago and had forgotten how beautiful it was! We stopped by the campground first to check it out. Since they make campers pitch their tents on gravel, I think we'll probably pass on ever camping there. On down Cataloochee Road were many elk (50-ish??) grazing in the fields on both sides. They seemed totally unconcerned with the presence of cars (all 3 of them) and would wander into the road and back onto the grass, munching away!
Stopped by the Beech Grove school to take some pictures, and did the same at Palmer Chapel.
Walked around a bit more, just enjoying the scenic valley and the quiet. It's spring break week here right now, and we shuddered to think of the crowds at Cades Cove! Meanwhile, Cataloochee was like having a slice of heaven all to ourselves.
We took the bumpy and winding gravel road (284/Cove Creek) along the eastern edge of the park, past Mount Sterling and Big Creek, and turned toward the Waterville exit on I-40. I was so disappointed to see that Mountain Moma's was closed!!! What's going on with that? When I googled Mountain Moma's, someone said they thought it closed about a year ago which I didn't know since I didn't swim at Big Creek last summer (afraid there'd be no water to swim in!). I'm not sure if it's closed for good or just remodeling, but either way, I hope something useful goes in there. The parking area has been neatly paved, and a nice porch area has been added to the front of the building. It's been cleaned up, but it means nothing to me if I can't get my cheeseburgers and ice cream cones anymore!
After all that, we still made it home in time to heat up some dinner and watch American Idol! :) A lovely day all around!
We took the bumpy and winding gravel road (284/Cove Creek) along the eastern edge of the park, past Mount Sterling and Big Creek, and turned toward the Waterville exit on I-40. I was so disappointed to see that Mountain Moma's was closed!!! What's going on with that? When I googled Mountain Moma's, someone said they thought it closed about a year ago which I didn't know since I didn't swim at Big Creek last summer (afraid there'd be no water to swim in!). I'm not sure if it's closed for good or just remodeling, but either way, I hope something useful goes in there. The parking area has been neatly paved, and a nice porch area has been added to the front of the building. It's been cleaned up, but it means nothing to me if I can't get my cheeseburgers and ice cream cones anymore!
After all that, we still made it home in time to heat up some dinner and watch American Idol! :) A lovely day all around!
