Big South Fork Backpacking – June 2019
Big South Fork Backpacking – JUNE 2019
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JUNE, 2019
In June 2019, I joined Carl and Travis for a 3-day, 2-night hike in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. That’s a long name, so most refer to the area as simply ‘Big South Fork.’ My two Labs, Jaden and Bailey, joined us for the trip, which was a bonus. This was my third hike in the Big South Fork. Like I had done on my previous two hikes, we planned our route so that we could stay the last night in the magnificent Charit Creek Lodge. If you’re planning to do a Big South Fork hike, I highly recommend you stay one night at Charit Creek Lodge. It was a great hike despite biblical levels of ticks and non-existent campsites.
Meeting Travis at the Super 8 in Caryville
Big South Fork is quite a ways off the ‘beaten path,’ and there aren’t many good lodging options close to the trailhead. So I ended up staying at the dog-friendly Super 8 Motel in Caryville, Tennessee. I met up with Travis there. Carl would meet us at the trailhead the following day. I had time before Travis arrived, so I took the dogs to Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park. The Park is only a two-minute drive from the Super 8. It’s a nice park and the perfect place to walk the dogs. As a bonus, Rickard Ridge BBQ is located right at the Park. I bought some carry-out for Travis and me. After Travis arrived, we ate barbeque and talked about the hike. The following day started with a great Waffle House breakfast.
Meeting Carl, shuttling cars, start of Big South Fork hike
We met Carl at the Charit Creek Trail trailhead, located quite a few miles down a dirt forest road. That trailhead is where we would be ending our hike in three days. The hike would begin on the John Muir Trail on the western side of Big South Fork. The ‘trailhead’ was a tiny pull-off down the Divide forest road. The roads heading back to the trailhead were not marked, and all looked the same. There were a couple of wrong turns at the confusing ‘Three Forks’ intersection. Carl and Travis’s skillful map work eventually got us to the right spot. After a few minutes of final gear preparation, we started hiking.
Lots and lots of ticks in the Big South Fork! Yikes
It only took about 1/4 mile of hiking to realize we were sharing the trail with a LOT of ticks. By far the worst I had ever experienced. Travis told me to check my pants because he saw ticks. I pulled 13 off my pants and another three off my ankles! We hadn’t even been hiking for 10 minutes. Checking for ticks would be a big part of this hike.
The Big South Fork hike begins on the John Muir Trail
The start of the hike on the John Muir Trail was mainly flat and wound through a dark, deep green forest. There were numerous cliffs along the way, with tiny waterfalls coming off the vegetation on the top. The sound of running water was everywhere. The trails were wet and muddy, but wood boardwalks had been erected in the worst areas. The ridge became more narrow, and there were breaks in the forest with great views of the valley and river below. We would soon be descending steeply down to that river far below. Just before the descent started, the ridge narrowed to a ‘knife edge.’ It was only a few feet wide, with steep dropoffs on both sides. It was a little sketchy with the dogs, but they didn’t wander off the trail.
Near catastrophe – Jaden falls down steep stairs
The steep descent to the river began at the end of the knife-edge section. And it began with a large section of very steep stairs. It was going to be tricky descending it with the dogs, but I wasn’t overly concerned. I would go down underneath and support them as they came down. I wanted to catch the scene on video, so I started to set up the tripod for the shot. Carl had gone down ahead of me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jaden beginning to go down the ladder behind Carl. I knew his bag legs were too weak to support him for the descent, so I tried to stop him. It was too late. I watched in horror as he went straight down the ladder. He hit hard at the bottom, but miraculously he was not injured. My heart was beating out of my chest. It took a few minutes to recover, but we soon kept hiking down to the river.
Looking for a campsite on No Business Creek
After about a mile of steep downhill switchbacks, we reached the bottom of the descent. There had been a couple more sketchy spots for the dogs, but we had learned our lesson from the stairs. There was no more ‘excitement’ on the trail down. We came out of the dense woods and intersected a very wide trail along No Business Creek. Here we took a short break. We had already hiked nine miles for the day and felt worn out. At this point, the search for a campsite began. Our route the next day to Charit Creek Lodge required a left turn at the intersection. But we found no campsites in that direction. We backtracked and headed the other way down the creek. About 1/2 mile from the intersection, we found our camp.
First Big South Fork Camp on No Business Creek
Our camp was on the other side of No Business Creek, so we had to get our feet wet to get into camp. We were also going to have wet feet to start the hike tomorrow. But it felt great to be in camp. It had been a long day, and we had seen no campsites all day. Our campsite was the only one we found, and we felt lucky to find it unoccupied. After 11 miles of hiking we were whipped. An appetizer of Packit Gourmet cheddar cheese spread revived us. A little bourbon helped too. Ticks fell on us constantly, likely from the trees above. The dogs were covered with ticks. It proved to be a long and uncomfortable night pulling ticks off that were crawling on me. At one point, I got my headlamp out and pulled 12 ticks off Bailey.
Hiking in Big South Fork on day #2 to Charit Creek Lodge
It was overwhelmingly green hiking on the second day. The entire hike was in deep woods forest, and it was fully leafed out. The ticks were just as bad as they were on the first day. We continued on the John Muir Trail down No Business Creek for about 1.5 miles. At that point, we turned right and ascended to a saddle south of Burke Knob. We continued for two miles until we reached the Big South Fork River. We turned right and proceeded three miles to the Station Camp Creek Trail. That trail would take us one mile to Charit Creek Lodge. Station Camp Creek Trail was a busy horse trail. It was a muddy mess! There were bridges in a couple of spots, but mostly it was creative route finding to work around the mud.
Charit Creek Lodge – A lodging gem in the Big South Fork
It’s hard to beat the Charit Creek Lodge for a backcountry lodging experience. It’s ‘primitive’ in that the only way to get there involves hiking, plus there is no running water, modern heat, lighting, or air conditioning. But aside from those minor inconveniences (incredibly minor when you’re already on a backpacking trip), a stay at Charit Creek Lodge is pure 5-star luxury. A night at Charit Creek comes with a gourmet dinner, and breakfast included. The rooms (and cabins, if you prefer) are large, clean, and comfortable. There are showers with hot water. You can purchase beer, wine, and snacks at the kitchen building. But best of all is the porch. Oh, the memories I have of that porch! Our modus operandi is to purchase a craft IPA, find an available rocking chair, and relax the evening away, rocking and talking.
Lodging options at Charit Creek Lodge
There are many options for lodging at Charit Creek Lodge, and all are generally $125 per night during the regular season. Their website shows the prices ranging from $40 to $125, so I imagine rates can vary by season. It’s always been in the $100 to $125 range when I’ve stayed. Remember, that includes a killer dinner and breakfast. There are several private rooms attached to the main cabin. There are two detached cabins along a stream with sleeping room for up to 12 people (I think you need a minimum of four people to reserve a cabin). A smaller detached Corn Crib cabin can sleep up to 3 people. Their newest addition is four rooms at the Horse Barn, located about 1/4 miles from the main compound.
Like LeConte Lodge, only better in many respects
The proprietor of Charit Creek Lodge, Greg, worked at the iconic LeConte Lodge in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for many years. If you’ve never been to the LeConte Lodge, you need to! It’s a bucket-list type of place that everyone should experience at least once. Greg took over the Charit Creek Lodge and modeled your experience after the LeConte Lodge. But having been fortunate to stay at both places, Charit Creek Lodge has the LeConte Lodge beat in many respects. It is less crowded and easier to get to, the food is much better, the rooms are larger and more comfortable, the atmosphere is more relaxed, Charit has hot showers, and Charit has that porch! OK, the mountain views are better at the LeConte Lodge, but the scenery around Charit Creek Lodge is pretty special too.
Dinner and breakfast are included, and the meals are special
The meals at Charit Creek Lodge are certainly a highlight of any stay. Greg prepares everything himself, and he is an excellent chef. Meals are served family-style, which, in my opinion, adds to the ambiance. You quickly start to feel like you’re part of a family when staying at Charit. Dinners are typically some well-seasoned and prepared protein – pork, beef, chicken – combined with potatoes, vegetables, macaroni and cheese, and homemade bread or biscuits. Breakfast consists of eggs, bacon, sausage, cereal, milk, biscuits or toast, coffee, and tea. Don’t expect unlimited servings. From my experience, Greg typically makes enough for one serving of everything per person. And that’s just fine.
Uphill to the trailhead
One downside of a stay at the Charit Creek Lodge is that all trails leading to your car are steeply uphill. That climb up the hill after stuffing yourself at breakfast is not something I look forward to! The upside is that it’s a beautiful hike and it isn’t long – about one mile. The hike out starts with a pleasant, level stroll along Charit Creek. That first part of the hike out has always left me reflecting on the stay that I just had. I’ve been to Charit Creek Lodge three times now and I’ve been blown away each time by the power of the positive ‘energy’ there. During each stay, people have come to ‘hang out’ there just to be recharged by the energy. It’s a brutal climb out, but it doesn’t last long. Very quickly, we found ourselves back at the trailhead and car.
Conclusion – Big South Fork Backpacking
The Charit Creek Lodge is a place that is very special to me. I took my first trip there during my 2015 Big South Fork hike, and the experience blew me away. If I could, I would go back many times per season. If you ever plan a hike to Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, I highly recommend that you plan your hike around a night at Charit Creek Lodge or otherwise just plan to spend a night there. I can guarantee you won’t regret it.
I am a ‘content creator’ with a passion for backpacking, creating videos, photography, and writing – with a healthy dose of all things outdoors on the side!
