This will be a one-way south to north hike on the Appalachian Trail along the NC/Tenn border. So, it will require an auto shuttle. 

We shall begin our hike at Brown Gap (3500 ft) and have about 3.7 miles of gradual up to Max Patch (4629 ft). Max Patch is a large grassy bald. From there we will have great views of the Smokey Mountains National Park to the south and Mt. Mitchell to the east.

From Max Patch we will begin a long moderate descent to Lemon Gap.(3550 ft).

On the descent we will see buckeye trees near Max Patch. Further into out descent we shall see both fraser and cucumber magnolias, as well as sourwoods, oaks, and hemlocks.

Plan to spend 6 hours on the trail for this hike.

We will be meeting at the Standing Bear Farm Hostel the morning of the hike. We plan to leave the hostel for the trailheads at 9:00 AM sharp. Please plan to arrive earlier for directions. The address for the hostel is 4255 Green Corner Rd., Hartford, Tennessee 37753. The phone number for the hostel is (423) 487-0014.

There is no restaurant at the hostel. The nearest restaurant in the area is 4.8 miles away in Hartford, Tennessee.