Andrews Bald Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The last day for the Clingman's Dome road to be open for the 2012 season was Sunday, December 2.  I chose to hike the recently reconstructed Forney Ridge trail from the parking area to Andrews Bald.  While the trail is still very steep with an average grade of 10% for the first 1.1 miles, it has been tremendously improved since my last visit in May 2011.  During that visit, the Trails Forever work crew was in the process of rebuilding the northernmost portion of the trail.  The 1.8 mile trail starts with a series of stone and timber steps down from the western end of the parking area at an elevation of about 6300 feet.  After about a tenth of a mile, there is a junction with the Clingman's Dome bypass trail.  Turning right will lead to the Appalachian Trail west of Clingman's Dome.  Turning left leads to Andrews Bald.  Another mile down the trail is a second well-marked junction with the Forney Creek trail.  This is the low point of the trail at an elevation of about 5725 feet.  The bald is another 0.7 miles at approximately about 5750 feet.  In between is Forney Ridge at approximately 5900 feet.  The park service claims an elevation change of 1200 feet on their website.  However, trail elevation profiles seem to suggest an elevation change of 925 feet one-way consisting of 575 feet down, 200 feet up, and 150 feet down.  

The balsam woolly adelgid has decimated the Fraser fir trees

The trail is in great shape

Patch of snow, possibly left from the October storm

The bald emerges from the shadows of the forest

Looking back up the trail, the wooden steps and
walk boards are part of the trail improvements

Late afternoon sun breaks through the clouds
and illuminates the waterbars on the trail

The view southwest to Fontana Lake

The view southeast toward Bryson City

The mountain ranges seem to march on forever

The overcast skies give way to a beautiful sunset

The entire 3.6 mile trip took me about two hours, including picture and water stops.  I met three pairs of hikers during the afternoon, including one couple from Indianapolis.  As dusk was approaching, I turned on my head lamp for the final climb up to the parking lot.  The crowds of summer were long gone and there were only a couple of other vehicles in the parking lot.  While others will probably hike up to Clingman's Dome from Newfound Gap over the winter, I was the last casual hiker on the Forney Ridge trail for the season.

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm.