SMOKY MOUNTAINS SHUCKSTACK FIRE TOWER HIKE 5/9/21

THE PLAN – Stay in Gatlinburg (kind of off-season so it wasn’t too bad and I like the multitude of restaurants there) and get up on the morning of May 9 and check out Shuckstack tower. I also wanted to check out Fontana Dam.

Here are the trails I took – keep in mind mileage isn’t perfect.

PARK – LOST COVE TRAILHEAD (ALSO APPALACHIAN TRAIL)

HIKE – LOST COVE TRAIL / APPALACHIAN TRAIL 3.5 MILES TO SHUCKSTACK TOWER

HIKE .2 MILES LOST COVE TRAIL TO SASSAFRAS GAP

HIKE HEAD EAST ON LOST COVE TRAIL AND HIKE 2.7 MILES TO JUNCTION BENTON MACKAYE / LAKESHORE TRAIL

HIKE 5.2 MILES BENTON MACKAYE / LAKESHORE TRAIL TO LOST COVE TRAILHEAD / PARKING LOT

Shuckstack mountain is located in the Great Smoky Mountains of Swain County, North Carolina. It has an elevation of 4,020 feet above sea level, and rises approximately 2,300 feet above Fontana Lake, to the south. On top of this mountain is 60 foot high Shuckstack fire tower which is no longer in use as a fire tower and in a bit of disrepair. I’ve been up in some of the other fire towers but I just wasn’t feeling it when I stood at the bottom and looked up to the top of the tower. My nephew went up to the last landing – the top platform was blocked off I believe. I know it’s only 60 feet but when you’re standing on top of that knob it feels much higher. Then factor in the fact that the railing is missing on one side up to the first landing and it’s not not a good start.

This turned out to be a great hike in a section of the Smoky Mountains that I don’t get too very often. There were some things that I knew I wanted to see and a few things that were unexpected.

The first part that I hadn’t even considered were the elk. Most of them were quite a distance away from the road except for a few in the woods that I caught a fleeting glimpse of as we drove by. In either case, they are very big animals. Now, they aren’t nearly as big as moose but still they are very big animals if you’re used to whitetails. I hadn’t visited that side of the Smoky’s so that whole new territory thing was definitely awesome.

The part that I did expect was the fire tower which was outstanding! Not exactly beautiful if you don’t go up in the tower but I just like to see them and the surroundings. There was still remnants of the old foundation from the old ranger cabin next to this tower.

The third and fourth were Fontana lake and Fontana dam which were both great parts of this trip, the dam being the better of the two. I can’t recall if I’ve ever crossed over Fontana Dam. It’s humongous and concealed in what seems like the middle of nowhere on some back country mountain roads.

More of unexpected – old cars in relatively decent shape along the Lakeshore trail; hog traps and hog hair. Good stuff!

Fontana Dam is 2,365 feet long and 480 feet high and is the tallest dam in the Eastern U.S. Fontana Lake has 238 miles of shoreline and 10,230 acres of water surface. The parts of it that I’ve seen from the dam; Lakeshore trail and roads it’s quite beautiful and just beckons a kayak and fishing pole.