This is one of our favorite corners of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and we’d love it if you could join us! We will spend 3 days in the Big Creek area, taking time to stop and enjoy the waterfalls, scenic mountain views, and gorgeous wildflowers (if it’s the right season) along the way. As the night falls, we’ll retreat to our tents, spend the night under the stars, and then wake up to the calming sounds of nature. We’ve planned everything to ensure your Smoky Mountains adventure is as carefree as possible—food, tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, trailhead transfers, there’s not a thing to worry about. Lace up your hiking boots and let’s go!
The Big Creek area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a treasure, and we’ll take 3 days exploring scenic mountains and rushing waterfalls. This backpacking trip features Midnight Hole Falls and Mouse Creek Falls on the first day, a strenuous hike up to Mt. Sterling the second day, and finishing down the Baxter Creek Trail on the last day. Food, tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, trailhead transfers, lodging the night before the trek, and an expert guide are included, making this adventure as carefree as it gets!
Make your way to Hot Springs, NC. Arrive somewhere in the afternoon/evening. Lodging for tonight is provided at our bunkhouse, so you have enough time to relax and rest from your trip, and be fresh for tomorrow.
Accommodation: Appalachian Trail Bunkhouse
Meet your guide and fellow hikers at 8am to start your trip! Your trip begins with a pack shakedown. Your guide will pass out your gear and food, and will teach you how to pack your backpack and will go through what you’ve packed to make sure you don’t bring too many extra items. Around 11am, we’ll shuttle to the trailhead to start our hike (drive time is 1 hour). We will hike the Big Creek Trail along Big Creek, past Midnight Hole Falls and Mouse Creek Falls.
Meals: Lunch and dinner
Hiking: 5.5 miles / 8.9 km
Elevation gain: 1,350 ft / 410 m
Accommodation: Tent
Wake up and break down camp. Day 2 is a challenging climb up the Swallow Fork Trail to the Mt Sterling ridgeline. Finish the day at Mt Sterling. If hikers choose, they can climb the firetower to see sweeping 360-degree views.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Hiking: 6 miles / 9.7 km
Elevation gain: +2,900 ft / +885 m
Elevation loss: -150 ft / -45 m
Accommodation: Tent
Wake up and break down camp. Hike down the Baxter Creek Trail to the Big Creek Trailhead. Shuttle back to our location in Hot Springs (about 1 hour drive, the starting point of our trip). The hike generally finishes early in the afternoon. The itinerary is subject to change based on a variety of factors, including weather, trail conditions, and the participants’ needs and abilities. Please inform your guides ahead of time if you have a time constraint on the last day of your trip.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Hiking: 6 miles / 9.7 km
Elevation gain: +50 ft / +15 m
Elevation loss: -4,100 ft / -1,250 m
Itinerary is subject to change depending on campsite availability and the securing of permits. Itineraries will be finalized 25 days at the latest before the trip departure.
Born and raised in South Carolina, Amy grew up hiking in the Carolinas. Her love for backpacking started on the Appalachian Trail with her first overnight trip in 2012. Since then, she has thru hiked all of the triple crown trails - Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Pacific Crest Trail - along with other trails throughout the US, totaling over 8,000 miles of backpacking.
Born and raised in Georgia, Hannah’s love of the outdoors began while digging for worms in the mud and playing in the red clay. Her passion for being in nature has grown since then and she has backpacked over 3,500 miles including a southbound thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2013, sections of the Pacific Crest Trail, and many smaller backcountry trails in between!
Born in the Catskills of NY and raised in the Blue Ridge of NC, Adam has always called the mountains of Appalachia home. Having survived a childhood of blissful, unsupervised galavanting through the local woods, he derives great joy in sharing his love of the natural world with others, and has yet to meet an outdoor activity he doesn’t like!
Heidi grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and after graduating from Winthrop University with a BFA in Painting and Printmaking, she found herself falling in love with hiking and the outdoors. She thru-hiked the A.T. in 2018 and kept a detailed sketchbook of watercolor paintings to document her travels. She has since hiked a number of shorter trails and enjoys finding new ways to incorporate her creative practice into hiking.
Mel set up a great hike for my husband and myself. We had never been to the area so great to have a local lead the way. Beside reaching out to us a couple days before she also gave us some great tips to the area. Would definitely use BRHC again and certainly reach out to Mel.
If you want to start hiking but not sure where to start, I recommend Blue Ridge Hiking Company. Special shout out to Amy our host at the bunkhouse and Jenn Gift our guide. We had the proper equipment and necessities for our trip thanks to these two ladies. We had a great time hiking, enjoyed spectacular views, made new friends while creating great memories. Jenn guided our group and was attentive and informative to each hiker. It was a lot of fun and I hope to enjoy another hike soon!
What you get on this adventure:
What’s not included:
If you’d like to join this Great Smoky Mountains waterfall backpacking trip, you should have previous hiking experience as well as good fitness. This means that you’re active 3-5 times a week (like walking for 30 minutes) or you’re someone who works an active job. It’s also useful if you’ve already backpacked or camped before, but it’s not required.
Over 3 days, you’ll cover approximately 18 miles (29 km), and you can find day-by-day distances in the itinerary. Keep in mind that you’ll be carrying a 25-30 lb backpack, including food and water. The itinerary is considered moderately difficult, with lower mileage and higher elevation gain (5,200 ft / 1,585 m). It’s a good first backpacking trip for people with hiking experience or a regular fitness routine.
Hikers joining this trip should be confident enough on trail that they could spend some time separated from their guide if needed (for example, if the group separates because hiking paces are different).
You will receive a detailed packing list for this Great Smoky Mountains waterfall backpacking trip a few weeks before the trip, but here’s a good overview of what you need to bring:
You will not need a new set of clean clothes for each day, make-up, hair products, scented products or deodorant. Just bring a toothbrush and toothpaste and enjoy going all natural for the trip!
Group sizes and pricing
Great Smoky Mountains waterfall backpacking trips can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements
If your group has hikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
To get to your Great Smoky Mountains waterfall backpacking trip, you first have to get to Hot Springs, NC. To get there, most people fly into Asheville Airport (AVL).
You’ll meet your guide a day prior to your hike (on Day 0), in the afternoon/evening. The exact point is Blue Ridge Hiking Company’s Appalachian Trail-er Bunkhouse (200 Lance Ave, Hot Springs, NC 28743), also your lodging for the night.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with both emergency medical and travel insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, we partnered up with Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner!
Redpoint tailors their insurance packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations. Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
Once your booking is confirmed and your trip is paid in full, you will be offered to purchase Redpoint’s insurance. If you need any help or require more information, let us know and we will be happy to help!
Deposits
Secure your spot with a 30% deposit upon booking! The remaining 70% of the trip price must be paid 90 days prior to departure at the latest. If booking within 90 days of departure, the full amount is required at the time of booking.
Cancellations
Booking fees are non-refundable after a 48-hour grace period. During checkout, however, you can choose one of 57hours’ flexibility options—Basic, Flexible, or Super Flexible. Depending on which one you choose, a different cancellation policy will apply to your booking.
Basic
Flexible
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Early Bird booking
Want to be the first one to know when we publish new dates or secure your spot well in advance? Select a future month that suits you best and lock in your Early Bird spot in time with just a 10% deposit.
As soon as our guides publish new tour dates, you’ll be the first one to know. We’ll hold your spot for 2 weeks until you choose the date that suits you best.
More about how Early Bird bookings work below:
5 stars all the way. Registered for my first overnight. I was beyond excited to experience the feeling of carrying a packed backpack and spending the night in the forest! Bev was our guide. What a wonderful experience she made this. Kind, caring and friendly! Equipment was well kept and up to date. I highly recommend this company and Bev. One of the greatest experiences of my life! Thank you! My heart is full! Kim Smith