A couple of days after our late October 2016 hiking from Clingmans Dome to Collins Gap, we continued our northbound hike on the AT from Collins Gap to Fork Ridge Trail. This 1.5 mile section parallels Clingmans Dome Road to the west of the road. The parking area at Collins Gap consists of eleven pull-in spots on the east side of the road. The trail can be accessed by walking along the road a few hundred feet in either direction and looking for one of the two social trails that head west to the AT. The parking area at Fork Ridge Trail consists of parallel parking of six to eight vehicles, depending on how people park.
From Collins Gap, the trail climbs 400 feet up Mount Collins in 0.9 miles before descending about 300 feet to the Fork Ridge Trail junction.
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| Topographic map with GPS route |
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| Elevation profile |
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| Leaves obscure the trail |
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| Roots used as steps |
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| More roots |
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| More typical trail conditions |
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| The trail follows a ridgeline |
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| Undergrowth crowds the trail in a small clearing |
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| Root ball of a fallen tree |
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| Rocks compete with roots to slow progress |
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| Easy hiking path |
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| A break in the forest provides this view to the west |
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| The path is clearly cut into the ground |
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| Timber steps lead down the mountain |
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| More leaves obscure the path |
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| Thick forest to the east of the trail |
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| Sugarland Mountain Trail to Mount Collins shelter and Laurel Falls |
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| AT to the left and Fork Ridge Trail to the right |
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| Small parking area on Clingmans Dome Road at Fork Ridge Trail |
Entry to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is free.
The park website is https://www.nps.gov/grsm.
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