Great Smokey Mountains Trails - Difficulty/Extras required?

[cafecito820]

My wife and I are planning to drive up to the Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion later this year. While we're there, we'd like to hit up a couple of trails around the area.

Just curious if anyone who is familiar with the area has been around it enough to know if it's mostly stock-friendly, or if having a lift/tires would be worth doing before going? (We have a 2-door Rubicon, for reference.)

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[2DR OVRLND]

With a rubicon you should be fine as long as you are smart about the lines you take. You may want to invest in a winch.

 

[Shibadog]

What he said. A stock Rubicon (heck a stock Sport with decent rubber) will go pretty well anywhere you want to go if you watch your line. Be sure to take self rescue/basic survival gear with you whenever you are going off the beaten track. (You take it for the same reason ya carry a spare-you don’t an on using either one, but if you need it, you need it badly. Being properly equipped means you can get yourself back home (or spend a night in the toolies) if the worse happens. Remember, when you are off the beaten track it’s on YOU, you cannot count on somebody else bailing you out if things go bad. We’ve solo’d off road for years with NO issues, but our Jeep is “ready” and the basic gear stays on board ALL the time. Winch on my JL has never yet been needed to help ME (it has helped others?). Remember, you CAN get hung up with any vehicle-be smart off road-stupid causes problems.

 

[GATORB8]

We've been twice and spent a good amount of time in the general area otherwise.

There's not much trail wise in the immediate area of Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg. GSMJI will have a charity trail setup on private land near the event, and you'll be fine there.

If you want to do some badge hunting, I'd recommend hitting a few en route.

If you run up 95 to 26, you'll drive right by Gulches Off Road Park in SC. Gulches has a nice range, you'll want to stay off the difficult stuff, but you could definitely ride around on the easy trails for half a day.

If you extend your stay in TN, you can hit Windrock which is a an hour and a half NW. Similiar to Gulches, you'll be okay if you stay on the easier stuff. Three badge trails there.

If you run through Atlanta, you'll come across the GA/TN border pretty close to Beasley Knob. There are a handful of trails in that area along the border as well as Iron Mountain off road park near Dahlonega, GA. In the dry, most of Beasley shouldn't be bad stock. It's also home to the hardest trail we've ever run, 93B.

If you run through Asheville on 26/40, you can hit Hurricane Creek that is right off the interstate near the border of TN/NC. You should be good stock in the dry. We hit it on the way back last year and there were a handful from the Invasion doing the same.

It's hot that time of year, so it should be relatively dry, but everything in the area gets tougher in the wet. Like Florida, expect the possibility of a pop-up afternoon storm, it's happened at least once each time we've gone.

 

[GATORB8]

FYI, read through the thread from last year for some good info:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...mountain-jeep-invasion-pigeon-forge-tn.99148/

 

[cafecito820]

Appreciate the info and links gents!

 

[Shibadog]

You may want to ck out the Kentucky Adventure Trail or the Easter section of the TAT.

 

[Red Willy]

We went HERE while up there last year. They have some very nice trails around the mountain.

 

[cafecito820]

We went HERE while up there last year. They have some very nice trails around the mountain.

Dude, yes. This is what I needed to see. Thank you!

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