Sounds like a good starting point for a plan, I’ll just have to pick a weekend and make sure I get campsite reservations.

If you started at the Cataloochee Valley end of Rough Fork, hiked the 3 miles to the loop, then did the 14 mile loop, that’s a pretty healthy adventure. Plus you can expand it more with the Caldwell Fork and Boogerman Trails.

Yeah I mean for shorter hikes it’s probably fine. But when I do my longer drives I prefer bigger hikes. I might look into doing a bigger backpacking loop in this area this summer which will give me more options for parking and start points.

Well, it’s really pretty easy to access. However, if you live more than a couple hours away it seems less so.

That’s a shame, sounds like this area is not the easiest to access

Swag Road is private property. You can, however, drive up Purchase Road to the national park’s Science and Learning Center Monday-Friday from 9:00-5:00 and get on the Cataloochee Divide there. Parking at Polls Gap could be a problem as late as 10:00, especially on a weekend. You could do the loop from Cataloochee Valley, with the added distance of the lower Rough Fork Trail. You wouldn’t have any time or parking issues there.