Smokey Mountain Loop Trail
2.95-mile loop trail in Alabama with 1,285 ft elevation gain.
- 3.0 mi
- loop
- 801 ft
- climb
- 1,866 ft
- high point
- Loop
- route
Best time to visit Smokey Mountain Loop Trail
Best months: February–June and September–December. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
53° / 30°
13 wet
Feb
58° / 33°
12 wet
Mar
66° / 39°
11 wet
Apr
73° / 46°
10 wet
May
80° / 55°
10 wet
Jun
85° / 63°
11 wet
Jul
89° / 67°
12 wet
Aug
88° / 66°
10 wet
Sep
84° / 60°
8 wet
Oct
74° / 48°
9 wet
Nov
64° / 37°
9 wet
Dec
56° / 33°
12 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Heflin, AL, 7.9 mi away at 1,000 ft. The station sits about 900 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Smokey Mountain Loop Trail is a 3-mile loop on Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The trail starts at about 1,850 feet and climbs to a high point of 1,866 feet, with a total elevation gain of 801 feet. The route also descends to a low of 1,012 feet, and the steepest stretch comes at about 1.9 miles in, with a grade of 29 percent. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Heflin show October highs around 74°F with lows near 48°F, and April is similar at about 73°F by day and 46°F at night. That station sits roughly 866 feet lower than the trail's high point, so temperatures on the loop run cooler. The trip takes about 1.5 hours. Morton Mountain Trail and Boundary Trail both lie within a mile, and Contour Line Trail is about a mile away. For time on the water, High Rock Lake is about 7 miles off.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
Photo: Martin Haeusler, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Cave Creek Trail - Talladega
~26 min drive
2.60-mile out-and-back trail in Alabama with 351 ft elevation gain
Boundary Trail
~1 min drive
3.99-mile out-and-back hike in Alabama with 1,177 ft elevation gain.
BLUE HORSE TRAIL
~19 min drive
34.44-mile out-and-back trail in Alabama with 2,679 ft elevation gain/loss.
YELLOW HORSE TRAIL
~19 min drive
24.1-mile out-and-back trail in Alabama with 1,911 ft elevation gain and loss.
Morton Mountain Trail
~1 min drive
0.45-mile out-and-back trail in Alabama with 43 ft gain.
Silver Ridge Trail
~3 min drive
2.30-mile out-and-back trail in Alabama with 599 ft elevation gain.
Pinhoti Trail
~37 min drive
7.62-mile out-and-back trail in Alabama with 1,766 ft gain.
Pinhoti Nrt - Alabama
~26 min drive
12.3-mile moderate forest trail through Alabama's Appalachian foothills.
Contour Line Trail
~2 min drive
1.80-mile out-and-back trail in Alabama with 728 ft elevation gain.
North Fork Trail
~3 min drive
0.79-mile out-and-back trail in Alabama with 78 ft gain.
