Page Type Page Type: Mountain/Rock
Location Lat/Lon: 35.70200°N / 83.122°W
Additional Information Elevation: 5842 ft / 1781 m
Sign the Climber's Log

Overview

One of the great views of the... Grandstand.
I had long heard that Mount Sterling offered one of the finest views of the northeastern end of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Smokies is such a vast and varied park that I managed not to climb Sterling over the past 30 years. At last, I made the trek to the summit. While the highest parts of the peak are clothed in fir trees which allow no long-distance views, an old fire tower remains there. It is from the stairs of this fire tower that, indeed, one can have what has to be one of the finest grandstands in the Great Smokies. The climber will be rewarded (on a relatively clear day, of course) with the vast wilderness that makes up the eastern half of the GSMNP.
The shortest route to the... Trail to summit.

Getting There

 
My truck awaiting me as I... Returning to the parking area.
I used the Mount Sterling Trail which has a trailhead off of Cove Creek Road. To get to Cove Creek Road, take I-40 West to the NC176 exit. Take an almost immediate right onto Cove Creek Road. Once inside the park, travel for about six miles to Mount Sterling Gap where the trailhead is well marked. There are also other routes to the summit. Principally from trailheads located in the Cataloochee Ranger District and from the Big Creek Ranger District. Other routes are much longer and gain more elevation. A really nice map of the trail system in the GSMNP can be seen here.

Red Tape

 
My pack leaning against the... Camping area on summit.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park remains unique (as far as I know) in the national park service in that there are no fees. It costs nothing to enter the park but a backcountry permit is required to camp anywhere within the boundaries of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including at CS38, and there is a $4 per person/per night fee associated with those permits.  Information about camping in the backcountry can be found at: https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/backcountry-camping.htm. People can obtain a permit online at smokiespermits.nps.gov or by contacting the Backcountry Office by phone at 865-436-1297 (open 8am-5pm, daily).

When To Climb

All year.

Camping

 
A downed tree across the... Trail.
Mount Sterling has a back country campsite on its summit. No fees, but permits are required. This is campsite #38 and is a combination hiker/horse camp. So be prepared to deal with gnats if horses are about, and with the generally horrible trail conditions created by horses.

Mountain Conditions

Check the Great Smoky Mountains National Park website for up to date information on weather conditions inside the park. Also for road and trail closures, and for campsite closings due to bear problems. A NOAA site for Smoky Mountains snow cover can be found here. Information on road and trail closures can be seen here.

External Links

  • Great Smoky Mountains Home Page. Almost everything you need to know about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Additions and CorrectionsPost an Addition or Correction

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gwave47

gwave47 - May 23, 2005 12:46 am - Voted 10/10

Untitled Comment

Another trail leading to the summit of Mt. Sterling is the Baxter Creek Trail. The Baxter Creek Trail is 6.2 miles and starts at a campsite just across the Tennessee/North Carolina border. This trail is rugged and extremely demanding, sometimes there can be over 20 full grown trees fallen across the trail that you will either have to climb over or crawl under. It is very tough to cross many of the trees. This trail is the hardest to ascend to the Mt. Sterling summit, if you're looking for something challenging this is definitely the best trail to take up. You can access this trail by taking the Waterville exit #451 off I-40 just on the Tennessee side. You want to take the exit going towards the river, cross the river and continue driving straight. Once you are driving parallel with the river continue straight until you see signs guiding you to the trail head. There is a ranger station at the campsite and the trail head is within two miles of the interstate exit.

bdreese2

bdreese2 - Jan 29, 2023 11:45 am - Hasn't voted

Fees for Parking

The creator of this page states "The Great Smoky Mountains National Park remains unique (as far as I know) in the national park service in that there are no fees." This will no longer be true beginning 3/1/23, a charge to park will now be required of $5/day, with a few other options also available. An end to an era in the GSMNP, one I have mixed feelings about.

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Children

Children

Children refers to the set of objects that logically fall under a given object. For example, the Aconcagua mountain page is a child of the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits.' The Aconcagua mountain itself has many routes, photos, and trip reports as children.