Lynn Camp Prong Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features River/Creek

The trailhead for the Lynn Camp Prong Trail is located at the end of the Middle Prong Trail in the Tremont area. Park at the end of the Tremont Road, run the 4.1 miles to the end of Middle Prong Trail, and from there start your journey. The trail climbs roughly 1200 feet in 3.7 miles, although 1,000 feet of that is climbed in the last 2.25 miles.

As it departs the Middle Prong junction, the trail is fairly flat as it follows a logging grade for the first 2 miles. The Lynn Prong is off to the left as you go through the woods. Around 1.5 miles, you arrive at Campsite #28 where campsites are spread out over a wide area. Buckeye Cove Branch flows through the site, and is easily crossed by rock hops. The trail turns right and begins to climb more steeply as it moves away from the campsite and becomes more rocky. It crosses Buckeye Cove Branch again.

The trail works its way toward Miry Ridge through an area that gets a lot of moisture thanks to small branches and seeps that pass through the area. The trail can be very muddy at certain times of the year, so make sure you watch where you step and wear appropriate footwear. At 2.8 miles, the trail traverses it's last water crossing via rock hop.

The trail continues to climb, although through drier environs. It's a young forest thanks to the logging efforts of the Little River Lumber Company, which logged the area heavily in the middle to late 1920s before the area became the National Park. The trail finally ends at the junction with the Miry Ridge Trail. At this point, you can return via the path you took or explore the Miry Ridge Trail. If you take a right on the trail, it leads up to the Appalachian Trail between Silers Bald and Derrick Knob shelters. If you take a left, the trail descends toward Jakes Gap where Panther Creek Trail and Jakes Creek Trail meet. If you take Panther Creek Trail, you can return to the Middle Prong trail and return to your vehicle.

Bears, deer, and other small mammals can be seen along the trail.

A wide variety of new growth trees can be found throughout the trail as the area recovers from the extensive logging that happened here in the 1920s.