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Weekend Gem: BSF’s JMT and Laurel Loop 2021

Posted by eriksoltan on Aug 26, 2021 in Weekend Gem | No Comments

Big South Fork is officially my favorite local stomping grounds! With over 300 miles of trails in the Park I have had a great time over the last few years exploring them. This 27 mile trip took me down a new drainage and let me comb over a great JMT section again. The easy going terrain and good trail conditions make BSF an ideal location for beginners and seasoned vets alike. Old timers will find solitude in this remote area, I hardly see anyone out there. Start out your hike at Bandy Creek TH and take the right split of the Litton Farm TR. In a couple of miles, you will pass Falls Creek Falls that has a lovely camp and swimming hole. If you have some time, take a dip here and enjoy. Soon after the swimming hole you will pass the split that takes you back to Litton Farm and the Campground, stay to the right heading to Grand Gap. A slight bit of elevation gain will bring you to a lovely camp by a bored out creek bed, this is the last water for a few miles so grab some if you need it. Soon you will reach an intersection with the JMT, make that left and begin to make your way to a shelf above the mighty Cumberland River far below. Maps of this area show only a couple of water sources, but there is quite a few ones along the way. It is currently late in the summer and most of them are quite small, but where ever there is one around you will find nice camps sprinkled about too. The best ones I saw are mid way on the JMT section when the trail makes a hard left downhill and a small camp trail leads out to a fantastic camp on a ridge above the river. Nice water sources can be found on both sides, before and after the camp. The trail meanders by some awesome rock ledges before dropping down to Station Camp Creek. I decided that with the heat, I had to get down to substantial creek to clean up for the night so I headed down to Laurel Creek for a swim. When you hit the horsey Station Creek, make that left to find a nice camp for yourself along Laurel Branch. Take a sip of whisky and jump on in after this 16 mile day.

Up on the JMT

Great viewpoints and camps above BSF!

A nice tiny swimming pool for a small insect

One heck of a camp spot

After a great night’s sleep get up and make a nice cup of joe and some grits. You will quickly notice that Laurel Branch TR is a used less and receives less maintenance. Skirt a couple of blow downs that have spread their limbs wide across the trail. You spend the first couple of miles above the Creek at it passes mossy boulders strewn across the hillside. The strange part of this trail is that it looks like an old road bed in parts and like a trail in others. I can just assume that this was an old logging road that has gotten washed out in spots. The latter part of this trail has you crossing this unbridged creek several times before getting to the West Entrance TH. Cross the road and jump on the trail that circles you back to Bandy. Be careful here to follow the hiker symbol on the trees so you stay on the trail and don’t veer onto the Collier Ridge Bike Loop. This trail follows a nice rolling grade as it contours pleasant hillsides on the way back to the campground. After a bit of elevation gain, you will pop back out at the TH. Grab that reward beer you stashed in the woods and enjoy it as you leisurely slide into your car for the drive home.