If Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a geographic heart and soul aside from its great crest, perhaps it can be found on the park’s North Carolina side in the form of Thomas Divide.
A long, crescent-shaped ridge that extends from near Newfound Gap to the Deep Creek area, Thomas Divide loftily separates the watersheds of two storied streams that eventually flow into the Tuckasegee River: Deep Creek and Oconaluftee River. Thomas Divide Trail, one of the park’s longer paths at nearly 14 miles, traces most of the divide’s crest that rises to roughly a mile high atop what is now a forested Nettle Creek Bald. Combined with Kanati Fork Trail and a short car switch along Newfound Gap Road, a hike of slightly less than five miles offers one of the best wildflower treks in the Smokies park in mid to late April.
The divide is named for William H. Thomas, one of the most compelling figures in the annals of Western North Carolina. Thomas, the adopted white son of Cherokee Chief Yonaguska (Drowning Bear), was chosen by a dying Yonaguska in 1839 to become chief himself of the remnant Quallatown Cherokees after the merciless Trail of Tears removal to what is now Oklahoma. Nicknamed “Wil-usdi” or “Little Will,” Thomas later was deeply engaged in acquiring land for what would become the core of the 56,000-acre land trust now known as the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Largely because of its length and range of elevations, Thomas Divide features an impressive diversity of wildflower and tree species. Over the years I’ve also seen a variety of wildlife along the divide, including several bears, boars and turkeys (though just one of the latter at a spot called Turkey Flyup, about a mile from the trail’s northern terminus). As for elk, the park’s largest animal is more often seen in the Oconaluftee River Valley.
Although the entire Thomas Divide Trail is enjoyable to hike, my favorite part—especially in spring and fall—is the upper section starting along Newfound Gap Road. Lovely spring ephemerals are especially showy in late April within a mile of the path’s northern trailhead. After a brief descent from the trailhead there’s a steady climb of a half mile or so, but the trail is easy on the feet with a good tread and few rocks and roots. The trail then tops a ridge and produces very little elevation change for the next mile, all the way to its junction with Kanati Fork Trail.
Although decidedly undramatic, the Thomas Divide/ Kanati Fork trail junction happens to be one of my favorite places in the entire park. It’s an open, flat, peaceful spot featuring a good sitting log, large standing hardwoods and a scattering of red spruce confirming that the elevation is about 5,000 feet. In addition to the junction’s trail sign, there’s another manmade structure nearby: a rusty boar trap that apparently hasn’t been baited for many years. All told, the setting makes for a wonderful rest stop before you begin hiking on Kanati Fork Trail.
The word kanati has been said to mean “lucky hunter” in the Cherokee language. True or not, hiking the trail down to Newfound Gap Road in mid to late April will make you feel lucky for a couple of reasons. First, you’re descending rather than climbing one of the steepest trails in the park, one with a hefty elevation change of more than 2,000 feet in slightly less than three miles. Even better, once you get within a mile or so from the road, you’ll see a remarkable profusion of trilliums—hillside after hillside blanketed with blooms as nearby Kanati Fork rushes down the mountain. Paired with Thomas Divide Trail, Kanati Fork Trail is a richly rewarding path in spring.
- Trails: Thomas Divide, Kanati Fork
- Trailhead: Parking area along Newfound Gap Road, about 3 miles south of Newfound Gap itself
- Length: 4.7 miles with car switch; second car parked at Kanati Fork parking area
- Difficulty: Moderate