First Timer! Smokies?

I live in Florida. I am new to backpacking but am really intrigued and excited by it. After just a few hours of making this account I have already gained some real insight that I am really pumped on:
I learned things like not being so gung-ho at the start to where I go drop $600 on gear before I need to, to get a good handful of day hikes under my belt before I tackle an overnight, and other mistakes that beginners make. However, one thing I have not found insight on is where exactly I should go.

Obviously, Florida is not very conducive to the kind of sights I want to see. I can do some of my shorter day hikes here, but I want mountains, waterfalls, and the like. I travel to the North Carolina/Tennessee area with somewhat regularity and don't mind the drive at all. Ideally, I would like to do my first real overnight in this region. I really just need suggestions or some sort of direction. Not a newbie to google, I have spent a couple days searching for beginner/moderate difficulty trails with campsites but nothing seems to jump out at me! If you guys have any recommendations on where I should go I would love to hear it.

Note: After navigating my way through some blogs and websites, a lot of people rave about the GSMNP as a great place to backpack despite fees and potential crowding. However, I seem to get mixed reviews on whether or not there are trails in the park that are okay for a beginner to traverse. Its like as soon as I get excited about trying to map out an itinerary for an overnighter, I read someone say the smokies are tough to backpack through. Any feedback on whether or not certain trails in the GSMNP would be a good fit is much appreciated!

I'm on the left coast, so I can't give you specific recommendations however a good option for a beginner is an "out and back" preferably up a mountain. You start hiking up a mountain and when you get tired you stop. The next day you have a leisurely walk down the mountain. You don't have to figure out before hand how far you can go. If you want to go out for two nights, spend the second day day hiking and then return to the same camp in the evening.

It is never easy to figure how far you can go and even more difficult for a beginner. Reading trip reports from highly experienced people who put in 15-20 mile days (with highly refined equipment) can give you a poor set of expectations.

That's awesome, thank you so much for the input.

I had seen so much about specifics and planning, planning, planning so I never really thought about tackling it like that. But I'm glad you mentioned it. I suppose my best bet would be to take that approach the first few times and get a feel for what I can actually do and then start planning more specifically as I go.

Thanks!

We have a member here, PerryMK, who backpacks in Florida! It may not be hilly, but there's the Florida Trail, which certainly should be more suitable than the Smokies for winter backpacking.

ETSU Pride does a lot of trips in the Smokies and hopefully can give you some answers.

I'm also out on the left coast so have no personal experience.

Thank you OM!

I will have to hook up with both of them and pick their brains about their trail experiences. So excited to get started!

Maybe I missed it, but when are you wanting to make the journey? Since Halloween night, the high elevation Smokies got hammered with 22 inches of snow. It sure was beautiful sight to see while driving down the road, the valley had fall color and the mountain back drop was white.

Ideally I would like to get a handful of Florida day hikes under my belt over the course of the next few (very bearable) winter months, and then hit the smokies sometime in the spring, if possible!

and by a handful, I mean as many as possible!

My first true backpack trip was 11 days solo in the Smokies 5 years ago where I did 5 different "trips" all over the park totaling over 100 miles. Started easier at first since I didn't know what to expect or how my body would hold up. There are so many 1 or 2 night trips you could do there, and just stringing together 2 or 3 to fill what time you have may be easier than 1 longer one. There are only a few trails there that are "tough" (going up Baxter Creek for example) but in general I wouldn't worry about what route you may select if you keep the mileage lower to start.

I partnered up with someone for my first trip to the Rockies the following year since I was again not sure how I'd handle it, and it was much more remote and rugged than the Smokies. Now I'm fine doing 7 day loops solo out there.

If you come early spring you may be dealing with high creek crossing from snow melt! There are really quite a few options in the Smokies and like Topshot said, keeping mileage manageable is way to do it. Don't try to push 15 miles in the Smokies for your first time (I can imagine 15 miles in Florida would be easier than here.), I'd say keep it around 6-8 miles a day with light as possible backpack, and you have all day to move that far. One option you should look into is maybe keep your first couple days long and final day short. For instance you're going to do a 3 day hike for 20 miles, on day one do 7 miles day two you will do 8, and final day will be easy 5 mile stroll to the car. Philosophy behind this: is day one be the ease your legs into the trail kind of day. Middle of the trip will be the gauntlet day of hardcore hiking, while final day when you're tired you'll have low mileages to the car and can take it easy. It's just something to consider when mapping out mileages when you get a route since if you do it hardcore on day one, you will probably be super tired the remaining of the trip. After all it's a marathon not a sprint!

Also, when reading trip reports online about difficulties in the Smokies, take it however you want. I ignore them (well, I do look at the sweet pictures!). Why? i can't tell you how many times i been day hiking and ran into exhausted tourists biting off more than they can chew. Why? They may walk several miles on a flat track while their kids are playing ball, or walk the dog down the street, walk around outside on their lunch break, etc., then think they could do a 4 miles 1,600 feet climb with no problem. They go and do it only to be in sheer exhaustion due to elevation and uneven terrain as well as factoring in pack weight. Therefore, that's extreme difficulties to them, where to me, a difficult trail in the Smokies is mostly long mileage. All of the climbs in the Smokies are tamed to me unless I carry an enormous pack weight which I have no intention of trying. I can do a 13 mile hike in 6 hours with less than 10 pounds on me. I've done 17 in a single day with 20 pound pack in about 8-9ish hours of walking time. And I've been doing this for quite a few years as well as riding mountain bikes regularly. When I go out west to the Rockies or Sierra i'm going to get my butt kick badly, and will be just like those tourists that come here once a year

If you have any specific questions regarding backpacking in this area, feel free to PM me. I can also help you with gear selections in this area if you want an input, and others here can help you get started as well. I've learned a lot from these folks on here. I might be hiking somewhere in Smokies when you decide to come up. I'm either in the Smokies or in western Carolina.

Please, at least one pic of a really tall snow drift. I really loved playing "king of the mountain" as a kid.

...although, I think those drifts were created by a caterpillar plow

The Smokies have great wildflowers in spring. Check the park's website, and note there are several 2- and 3-day and longer options out of Big Creek, a beautiful campground convenient to the interstate. Note there are also many mountain hiking areas closer to Florida, where you don't need reservations, such as the Foothills Trail, north Georgia, Panthertown Valley and the Standing Indian Loop area. Though flat and requiring reservations, Cumberland Island also is beautiful.