page_title: Snake Den Ridge Trail
section_title: Inadu Creek to Maddron Bald Trail junction — 2.6 miles
hierarchical_section_title: Snake Den Ridge Trail / Trail synopsis / Inadu Creek to Maddron Bald Trail junction — 2.6 miles
caption_attribution_description: The Snake Den Ridge Trail ascending the crest of Snake Den Ridge in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the southeastern United States. Tree at right side of trail is Pinus pungens, with Picea rubens foliage at the extreme right. The ridgetops are too narrow and the soil is often too acidic to support large wooded plants, paving the way for rhododendron thickets.
context_page_description: The Snake Den Ridge Trail is an American hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of Cocke County, Tennessee. Winding its way up the backbone-like crest of Snake Den Ridge, the trail connects the Cosby Campground to the Appalachian Trail and provides the quickest access to the high peaks of the Eastern Smokies. The trail passes through three forest types— a mixed deciduous forest at its lower elevations, a substantial stand of heath bald on the more narrow sections of the ridge crest, and an old growth northern-style coniferous forest at its higher elevations.
  The trailhead is located at the Cosby Campground across the street from Campsite B51, at the southwest end of the campground. Spur trails connect the trailhead to the Low Gap Trail to the east and the Gabes Mountain Trail to the north. A substantial parking lot for hikers is located on the opposite side of the campground, near the ranger station. The park's Cosby entrance is located just off Tennessee State Route 32, which splits off from U.S. Route 321 in the town of Cosby.
context_section_description: The Snake Den Ridge Trail crosses Inadu Creek immediately upstream from a small waterfall. The creek's streambed, like most streams on the slopes of the Smokies, is filled with boulders. From Inadu Creek, the trail follows a steep incline northward to the crest of the ridge, where it turns westward again to ascend along the ridgecrest. The trail follows a series of inclines and switchbacks as it winds its way across the top of the ridge. Views through the treeline of Cocke County to the north alternate with views of Camel Hump Ridge and the main Smokies crest to the south as the trail switches back and forth across the ridgeline.
  As it ascends the crest of Snake Den Ridge, the trail traverses several backbone formations lined with thick stands of rhododendron and mountain laurel known as heaths (sometimes called "hells" in Appalachia). Heaths often appear on narrow ridges, where the soil is too poor to support larger wooded plants. One of the park's most spectacular examples of heath bald occurs atop Maddron Bald, a mountain rising to the west of Snake Den Ridge.
  At around 4 miles (6.4 km), vestiges of the coniferous forest that blankets the higher elevations in the Smokies begin to appear. The trail passes through a final switchback to the poorly lit western flank of Snake Den Ridge and ascends southward along a steep, rock-strewn incline to its junction with the Maddron Bald Trail. Maddron's heath-covered summit is located along the Maddron Bald Trail approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km) west of the Snake Den Ridge Trail junction.
caption: The Snake Den Ridge Trail entering a stand of heath along the ridgecrest.
exif: {}