Sugarland Mountain Trail from Little River Road to the Junction with Huskey Gap Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

This Hike has been on my radar for a while now. I did the upper part of Sugarland Mountain Trail last year. I still lack the middle section then I will have the entire trail done. That will have to be a through hike with a partner and 2 vehicles. This hike was a good selection for my first solo adventure of the year. The trail head for this hike shares parking on Little River Road with the immensely popular Laurel Falls trail, so one issue I’ve had every other time I have started out with this hike in mind is the lack of available parking.

On this cool January day, January 14, 2021, parking wasn’t as much of an obstacle as it has been before. The parking area, a good sized one, is usually full to overflowing with vehicles lined up and down the sides of the road on either side. This was not the case on this day. I parked in a pull off a little past the main parking area, and I was the only vehicle in the pull off. I got there around 10:30 in the morning after a stop at Sugarland Visitor Center where I re-upped my membership in Friends of the Smokies. The Smokey Mountains has the distinction of being the most visited National Park. It is also one of the few National Parks that does not charge an entrance Fee. Straddling two states the flow of traffic through this beautiful landscape seems to never stop rolling. The Visitor Center under the Covid restrictions limited access and enforced the mask edict. I completed my purchase and paid for my membership renewal as quickly as I could. I am not a fan of the masks. My membership fee along with sales of merchandise and other fund raisers is the primary revenue collected for the park, in the park. I contribute by maintaining my membership in the group and I also have a Friends of the Smokies license plate on my Jeep, the extra I pay for the vanity tag also supports this national treasure.

The day was cool, not cold. The sky was a magnificent blue, the air crisp and clean. The smells of these mountains is refreshing and revitalizing. As I shouldered my backpack and retrieved my walking stick, I breathed in the mountain air. I strode up to the trail head. This little hike is a good in and out hike when there is not a lot of time available to spend in the backwoods. In sharp contrast to Laurel Falls Trail, which had its share of foot traffic from the full parking lots, Sugarland Mountain Trail was blissfully empty of crowds. The hike was marked out as 3.1 miles from Little River Road to the Junction with Huskey Gap, so the total trail mileage was 6.2 miles for the day. Being January, a short hike was preferable. I watched people head up towards Laurel Falls across the road from Sugarland Mountain. I only met 2 other hikers throughout my hike.

From the trailhead, one begins to climb. It is a fairly steep little climb and as I gained elevation, I found icy, snowy patches some of which were difficult to navigate as I had no spikes and they were quite slick. Luckily, they were not lengthy. The snow was in the shady parts of the trail where the sun, shining brilliantly on this day, could not reach it. Once I topped out, I found the sun, it warmed me enough so I removed my toboggan. I broke out in a light sweat from the exertion of the climb and the warmth of the sun as I walked easier terrain kept me from chilling. There were green tunnels of Mountain Laurel, and the moss shown brightly against the brown of the winter landscape. There were gaps in the trees and the vistas were stunning.

I haven’t solo hiked in a while having found some fantastic hiking partners. It felt good to be out on the trail. I enjoyed the challenge of the climb and the contrast of the greens with the wintry browns and the snowy patches. The stretch from where I topped out to the Junction with Huskey Gap rolled up and down finishing with a gentle incline. The intersection of trails was familiar as I had hiked the length of Huskey Gap with my sister and her husband before. I snacked at the intersection and reminisced about the last time I was here. I left my walking stick at this intersection on my last visit, picking it back up on our way back through. The upper half of Sugarland Mountain Trail was closed at that time due to the effects of the Gatlinburg Fire. I have seen the effects of this fire on other trails and witnessed the land healing as time passes.

The hike back out, retracing my steps was pleasant. The trail is never the same. What catches the eye in one passing won’t be what catches the eye on another passing. On an in and out hike the change in direction changes what one perceives. It is almost but not quite like a different trail. This hike of 6.2 miles took me almost 4 hours to complete. It was a perfect length for the time I started out. This trail is relatively lightly traveled, so if you want some ‘me time’ in the Mountains it is a good choice. Happy Trails!