Charlies Bunion — Attraction in Big Cove Community

One of our hikes in the Smoky Mountains was Charlies Bunion. We started from Newfound Gap. Depending on how long you plan to stay, you can either pay for a one-day parking pass or opt for a weekly pass that covers all parking within the Smokies. Keep in mind, this is the only fee you'll need to pay in the park.

Getting to the trailhead is easy—the trail is wide enough and forms part of the Appalachian Trail. Along the way, you'll come to a split where the trail forks left and right (you’ll see a sign indicating 0.3 miles to The Jump-Off Trail). To continue toward Charlies Bunion, turn right. However, if you have time, taking the short detour to The Jump-Off is highly recommended. The view from the rock cliff offers a stunning panorama of the Appalachian Mountains and is well worth the visit.

The hike from Newfound Gap to Charlies Bunion is about 4 miles one way (8 miles round trip). For fast hikers, it typically takes around 1.5 to 2 hours to reach Charlies Bunion. For more casual or slower hikers, expect it to take around 2.5 to 3 hours. Since the trail isn’t a loop, you’ll need to return the same way you came, so be sure to pace yourself accordingly.

As you continue toward Charlies Bunion, you’ll come across the most popular viewpoint right off the main trail. But if you’re up for a little extra adventure, there’s another peak just off the trail that offers similarly stunning views and is definitely worth visiting. It’s less crowded and gives you a more peaceful experience of the surrounding mountains. I’ve attached a map to help you...

Nice overlook 4.1 miles from Newfound parking lot according to our GPS. Parking lot is 5040 ft elevation, but you'll top out at about 6100 ft elevation near the Jump Off/Blvd trail junction with the AT, before descending to the Bunion at about 5480 ft elevation so you get significant uphill in both directions. Pretty rough trail, lots of rocks and roots and log steps. Took us an hour and 40 minutes one way. On the way back we did the Jump Off trail, 0.5 mile one way and that tops out at 6200 ft before dropping a bit to the cliff edge. First part of this trail is worse than anything on the AT to Bunion stretch but doable, just have to slow down a bit. We thought the Jump Off views were better than the Bunion and we saw no one there or on the trail up or down, versus lots of folks on the AT and at the Bunion. Highly recommend taking an empty 1-liter bottle and filling it up at the Icewater Springs water pipe near the Icewater Springs Shelter to take home for later, amazing water! If I was a moonshiner I'd build my still right there lol. We're experience hikers, visiting from Idaho, mid-60s but fit and enjoy overtaking younger hikers, lol. We'd rate this a moderately difficult hike for the total distance (9.2 miles including the Jump Off), the elevation gain of 2000 ft +/- including all the ups and downs, the rough trail surface, and the relatively high elevation for the eastern U.S. (5000-6000 ft above sea level) that will definitely get the attention of...

Amazing hike! 8 mile out and back, mostly densely forested on the way up with lots of moss and old, twisted trees. It was wet and muddy after recent rains. Definitely a strenuous hike, but completely worth it. The views at the top are incredible. You won't see the words "Charlie's Bunion" on most of the signs on your way up (including the first one), so we were grateful to run into some folks at one cross roads who told us which way to go (mostly straight at every signpost). You can scale the first portion of the "bunion" relatively easily for the best view. I went over to the next section, but would only recommend doing so if you are very sure-footed and not afraid of heights. Sheer drop offs all around. We also scaled the pinnacle behind the bunion (a straight-up climb), which was fun but didn't really give any better views than lower down. There's a trail that leads to that part around behind the pinnacle, which makes a circle around it. Took us about 4.5 hours going a...