September 10, 2024
Appalachian Trail - Tellico Gap to Wesser Bald & Beyond
Near Franklin, NC
Yes, it is a long drive, but there really are some beautiful 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains and valleys from the Wesser Bald Fire Tower. The Tellico Road is actually in good shape making travel to Tellico Gap not difficult. The AT is not well marked at the trailhead. We mistakenly started up an old road to the fire tower rather than on the AT. While shorter than the AT, this road was steeper and quite rocky, although a bit shorter. After taking in the views from the fire tower we continued on to Fork Mountain to add a bit of mileage to our hike before turning back. There are a few views of the surrounding terrain from the trail this time of year but the best but the best are at the fire tower. Regardless of the time of the year, this is a moderately difficult hike with several strenuous sections. We saw just a few varieties of wildflowers today, mostly along the western slope of the AT after departing Wesser Bald.
Today's Hikers: Matt Henderson & Toby, Sherry Fields, Roger Willis, Shelia Getman & Mike Bell.
The route
5.6 mi · 1,319 ft climbing · 3h 35m out, 2h 47m walking · 1.6 mph moving
Elevation
Hover over the profile to see the elevation and steepness. Your position will be shown on the map.
- Steepness
- Gentle under 5%
- Moderate 5–10%
- Steep 10–15%
- Very steep over 15%
21 photos are shown on the map where they were taken — click one to see it full size.
Photos (21)
A beautiful view to the east from the Wesser Bald Fire Tower. Today's Hikers (L-R): Matt & Toby, Sherry, Roger, Shelia & Mike Toby seems a bit anxious to get going today. There seems to be a difference of opinion on which way to go, but the ladies are correct. Unfortunately we took the right-hand trail since the left trail wasn't obvious or blazed. Oops! How about this Pipevine Swallowtail on Thistle seen at the trailhead? Going up with an average slope of 16.2% over the first 0.9 mile. Way to go Sherry! An occasional view through the canopy on the hike up Wesser Bald. Another view to the east from the trail. Just a sampling of the few late-season wildflowers along our trail up Wesser Bald. Hey, it's the fire tower. Matt & Shelia enjoying some of the views from beneath and on the fire tower. Quite a difference in sky clarity. Top: Westward and upwind; Bottom: Eastward and downwind. Just a curiosity, but most of the steel still shows Forest Service markings after all these years. Heading down the AT after Wesser Bald and past a side trail for the Wesser Creek Trail not shown on AllTrails' maps. Just a quick group photo at our turnaround point on Fork Mountain. Checking out the Wesser Bald Shelter off the AT. A nice surprise of Soapwort Gentiana ?? on our way back down Wesser Bald. Seems like a great day for lavender flowers on this side of the mountain. In this case, Great blue lobelia, I believe. My botany professor, Dr. Patton, would have given me an "F" for this guessing. This large tree with a very long split in its bark caught our attention. One more nice view to the west. And we're back.