Panoramic fire tower views. Rocky ledges overlooking deep river gorges. Endless green tunnel dotted with pink lady slippers, goldenrod, and monarch butterflies. The Albert Mountain – Standing Indian Loop is one of the best Appalachian Trail backpacking trips in North Carolina.
This 20-25 mile backpacking trip is ideal for a weekend getaway. It’s one of the easiest AT hikes in the Southern Appalachians, but the views are among the best in the region.
In this post, I’ll give you all the details to plan this iconic Nantahala National Forest backpacking trip!
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. If you decide to purchase through these links, I receive a percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you.
Quick facts about the Standing Indian Loop
Most of this loop is on the Appalachian Trail, which forms a horseshoe shape between Albert Mountain and Standing Indian Mountain. A couple short connector trails make it a full loop. This hike is sometimes called the Nantahala Headwaters Loop as well.
Length: 21-25 miles, depending on your exact route and side trips.
Elevation gain: 3,300 feet
Difficulty: Easy-moderate
Time needed: 1.5-2 days
Best time to hike: Fall
Starting point: Standing Indian Campground
Permits: No permits required
Trailhead and parking logistics
The hike begins from Standing Indian Campground, a few miles off Highway 64 outside Franklin.
Driving down the (tarmac) access road, you’ll reach a fork just outside the campground. If you go to the right — into the campground itself — you can park for $2 a night (cash/exact change only). If you go to the left, you’ll reach a spot with a small trail sign and a pull-off with space for about 10 cars. This is the free parking area; the trail begins on the other side of the road. You can fit a vehicle as large as a campervan, but there’s no space for RV’s.
Overflow parking at the free lot is possible on the gravel road beginning at the trailhead. Just make sure you park far enough to the side for other vehicles to get by.
The campground itself has a small, seasonally open store, but you’re better off packing in everything you need. There are no public restrooms at the trailhead.
Want to stay at the trailhead the night before you start? Spots are first-come, first-served at Standing Indian Campground. It’s consistently full by noon on Fridays between May and October, and spots rarely open on Saturdays, but it’s quiet during the week.
Which direction to hike?
The Standing Indian Loop is an easy-moderate backpacking trip no matter which direction you choose. If you have any experience hiking in the NC mountains, it’ll feel like a walk in the park. The difficulty level is similar to Carvers Gap to 19-E.
I’ve done the hike multiple times and prefer to go clockwise. In this direction, the majority of the hike is a gradual climb toward the summit of Standing Indian. (Naturally there is some up and down on the way — this is WNC, after all!) For the final descent, you can choose either short and very steep, or long and brushy.
It seems like most hikers go the opposite way. There are a couple benefits of going counter-clockwise:
- If you are splitting the trip over 2 nights/3 days, counter-clockwise allows you to camp on Standing Indian.
- Water access is marginally more convenient.
- You ascend the toughest part of Albert Mountain — which is better if you have bad knees.
In either direction, you’ll get an amazing view on both your first and last days. I’ve always had better weather at Albert Mountain than at Standing Indian, the latter of which tends to be clearer late in the day. But I personally like the view better at Standing Indian so I always want to end with that one!
The route
I’m going to describe the route going clockwise below. If you want to go the other way, simply reverse these directions.
Starting from the parking area, cross the road and head uphill on the Long Branch Trail. This connector runs about two miles through green tunnel, occasionally crossing a small creek. It’s a very gradual, easy ascent. There are a handful of campsites and a couple intersections, but generally the route is very clear and easy to follow.
At the two-mile mark, you’ll hit the clearly marked intersection with the Appalachian Trail. Turn right and begin the climb up Albert Mountain, which gets steep in the final stretch.
Albert Mountain Fire Tower is the first major landmark on the Standing Indian Loop. From here, you can see 180 degrees across Nantahala National Forest and North Georgia. A sign points out the peaks on the horizon — you get a particularly nice view of Yellow Mountain. This spot makes a good lunch break.
Next, continue along the AT, which quickly gets rocky and very steep. Descending Albert Mountain is honestly the hardest part of the hike, and trekking poles make it much easier! You’ll walk through the forest for awhile, occasionally intersecting a gravel road, before eventually hitting a road crossing. The only good water source in the area is immediately before the crossing.
Side trip to Pickens Nose
When you hit the gravel, you have the option to take a side trip to Pickens Nose, a rocky outcropping with excellent views of a few river gorges. The side trip adds around 3.5 miles, but half of it is a road walk.
If you want to do the side trip, turn left on the road and walk along it until you reach the obvious Pickens Nose Trailhead. The trail goes to the right and climbs steeply for the first 0.4 miles or so, before leveling out in a rhododendron-filled forest.
The turnoff to Pickens Nose itself can be a little hard to find. It’s easiest to start by hiking all the way to the end of the trail, where you can get a nice view of the Nose from the cliffs. Backtracking from there, you’ll see a small opening in the trees to your left. (There are a few of them — some lead to campsites — but none of them are long if you try the wrong one first.)
It’s a short and easy path down to the Nose, which you can walk out on for great photo ops. This is one of those “looks much sketchier than it is” spots, but it still would be a Very Bad place for a fall, so don’t do anything reckless. If you’re anything less than extremely comfortable with your sense of balance wearing a pack, I’d recommend taking it off and leaving it on the main trail while you explore.
Head back down Pickens Nose Trail and turn left on the gravel road to get back to where you turned off the AT.
Back on-trail
Next, the trail meanders through a wildflower-strewn section of green tunnel. After about a mile you’ll come to Betty Creek Gap — the most popular tent-camping area on-route. There is a water source here, but it sucks to hike down to. If you choose to continue, you’ll find a handful of more secluded dispersed spots on the climb up Little Ridgepole Mountain.
At this point you’re on a few miles from the border with Georgia. The next major landmark is New Carter Gap shelter, which has tons of space for tent campers, a privy, a water source, and lots of activity. Most people spend the night here.
Now begins the final climb to the Standing Indian summit. Water is more prevalent on this stretch, and there are a few other — very remote-feeling — dispersed campsites. It’s a few miles of gradual climbing before you hit the spur trail to the summit.
The views from Standing Indian are the best on the whole trip — if you can actually see anything. This mountain is often shrouded in fog; I’ve never not had to wait awhile for it to clear out. Camping is possible on and near the summit, but there’s no water and Standing Indian consistently has some of the lowest temperatures and strongest winds in Nantahala National Forest.
Options to descend
Now you have the most important choice of the trip: Go down the fast and painful way, or the slow and easy way.
If you choose “fast and painful,” take the Lower Trail Ridgeway that starts immediately opposite the Standing Indian Spur. It’s a very unpleasant 3.3 miles of straight down, through intense brush, to reach Standing Indian Campground. Walk through the campsites to reach your car.
The better way is to continue on the AT until you hit Kimsey Creek Trail. This route is 5.1 miles long, and it does get tedious at the end, but at least you get to walk along a beautiful backcountry creek. You lose most of the elevation on a set of switchbacks coming down from Standing Indian, so the Kimsey Creek Trail itself is relatively flat. There are a few options to walk through the campground or take a longer, pointless up-and-down route that spits you out closer to your car.
Bear safety when backpacking in Nantahala National Forest
If you’re going to backpack the Albert Mountain-Standing Indian Loop, chances are very good you’ll encounter black bears. I’ve never not seen a bear on this trip.
The bears along this stretch of AT are not aggressive, but they will get into your food if you give them any opportunity to do so. The Forest Service claims bears in the area have figured out the PCT hang.
Bear canisters are strongly recommended for this section of trail, especially in spring when the thru-hikers — aka walking vessels of easy food — come through. If you do want to hang a bag, stay at a dispersed site instead of the shelters and stick to by-the-book trees and techniques. There’s plenty of tall hardwood, and I’ve done this hike with people who hung bags without incident, but they were very careful with their choice of trees.
Beyond the risk of stealing your food, bears in Nantahala are pretty harmless.
Water access on the Albert Mountain-Standing Indian Loop
The only challenge of this backpacking loop is the availability of water. Since most of the hike is on the ridge, you’ll have to do a couple long carries. I always bring capacity to carry three liters when I’m doing this trail.
Heading clockwise from the parking area, your sources are:
- Frequent creek access along the Long Branch Trail
- Descending Albert Mountain, there’s a large pipe feeding a clean source right before you cross the gravel road. IknowIknow long water carries suck, but if you plan on camping before Carter Gap Shelter, I’d recommend filling up here with all your drinking and cooking water for the night/morning.
- Betty Creek Gap does have a water source nearby. It’s hard to find — you’ll need to ID it on Gaia in advance, because the tiny blue dot on the tree is only possible to spot if you already know it’s there. There’s no identifiable footpath down to it. And, the source is a ridiculously steep, brushy, gnarly bushwhack from the trail. This is a last-resort option, but I’ve been desperate enough to use it.
- Carter Gap Shelter has a water source.
- There are reasonably frequent (every 2 miles or so) trailside water sources between Carter Gap and the final climb to Standing Indian. If you camp at the last dispersed site after Carter Gap Shelter — near where the Indian Ridge Trail intersects — there is a source that’s a reasonable trip from camp to collect cooking water.
- Once you hit Kinsey Creek, there are plenty of options to fill up.
Water in the Southern Appalachians is easy to source in winter-spring, moderately difficult to find in summer, and scarce after August.
Seasonal and weather considerations
Standing Indian and Albert Mountains are two of the highest peaks in Nantahala National Forest. The region is characterized by deep gorges, so with such dramatic altitude variations you get a lot of microclimates.
If you’re reading this post, chances are you already know mountain weather is unpredictable. But I’ve seen some truly bizarre stuff on Standing Indian. I’ve watched insane heat-lightning storms get stuck on the summit for hours, seen 75+-mph winds rip the ridge, been poured on when it was sunny less than a quarter mile away, and no matter how good the forecast is, I’ve been stuck in a cloud every single time I’ve been to the summit.
The good news is Standing Indian itself is uniquely horrible, weather-wise. The Albert Mountain side of the loop is much sunnier and more protected. And if you stay at Carter Gap you’ll get to sleep in a nice protected swath of forest. (It’ll still probably rain on you though.)
Nights in the region drop into the high 20’s between October and May. In winter, deep snow is possible. Spring is known for extreme winds and frequent rain. You’ll have to contend with daily lightning storms and deluges in summer. My best weather luck was in mid-October, and I still had a below-30 night with winds gusting above 50 mph and rain throughout my second day. That’s a “good” day in Nantahala National Forest! I always check wind speeds on Open Summit before heading out.
The other seasonal consideration is thru-hiker season. From March-May, Appalachian Trail thru-hikers descend on the Southern Appalachians, and locals avoid the AT like the plague. If you don’t mind crowds or want a party vibe, this could be a decent time to hike the Standing Indian Loop weather-wise. But expect crowds at shelters and much higher bear activity.
A few other random tips for backpacking in Nantahala National Forest
- I’ve done the Standing Indian Loop both solo and with friends. I’m a confident solo backpacker, but this trail felt very safe by any standard — the terrain is easy and there are loads of other people around.
- This hike largely runs through the Southern Nantahala Wilderness. This is one of the wildest sections of forest east of the Mississippi — but the Standing Indian area is fairly busy and developed. You may go a few hours between seeing other hikers once you clear the Albert Mountain area, but you definitely won’t be out here alone.
- Never head out into the backcountry without a map or app you know how to use, even on a trail as straightforward and busy as this one. I recommend Gaia for Nantahala National Forest, but AllTrails is fine if you aren’t relying on your map to find water sources.
- Want a beer stop after you hike? Check out Lazy Hiker in Franklin.
Like this post? Pin it!
Read more about Western North Carolina here
