Mingus Creek and Cemeteries, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, MST Segment 1, miles 25.4 - 26.6

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
11/17/2021	4.9 miles	2 hours 38 minutes	715'	2.0	460.6

Map: 

• 100 Favorite Trails of the Smokies and the Carolina Blue Ridge (for directions)
• National Geographic Great Smoky Mountains National Park (not really useful for navigation)
• Hiking Trails of the Smokies book (has a very useful detailed description of the Mingus Creek trail)
• More interesting reading: 7 Facts About Mingus Mill - Grist Mill in the Smoky Mountains (greatsmokies.com)

Parking: Mingus Mill

Carolina Mountain Club Challenges:

• 100 Favorite Trails #17 Mingus Creek and Cemeteries

Directions: See 100 Favorite Trails Map

I originally took the day off to hike to Mount LeConte in the Smokies, but I decided there wouldn't be enough daylight hours for us to do the hike. I'm glad I decided not to go, because I felt very fatigued today. But, we had a dog walker booked, so we headed out to Smokies to do some easier hikes. You can't hike with dogs in the Smokies, so there are a few hikes we want to do where Krumm can't come along.

Our first hike of the day was the Mingus Creek trail. It is not far from the Oconoluftee Visitor Center. There is a fair sized parking area, with most people parking here stopping to see the mill. We chose to hike first and then stop by the mill when we were done. At the end of the parking lot, right before the gate at the start of the Mingus Creek trail, is an unmarked trail on the right side which takes you to a small slave cemetery. There are no tombstones, just rocks marking the head and the feet of the graves. People leave upside down pennies on the stones.

We walked back and walked along the Mingus Creek trail, which is also part of the Mountains to Sea Trail. The trail is wide and pleasant, following the creek. The trail passes by a field on the right which is a target range for park rangers. The trail goes uphill, but the climb is very gradual, barely noticeable. At about 1.2 miles, we turned right onto another trail (looks like the original sign saying "Cemetery" is no longer there, but another sign marking the main trail is there at the intersection. We continued for another mile on a trail to another cemetery. At the end of this trail, a small uphill trail takes you to a larger slave cemetery, where one of the graves is marked -Polly Mathis (1888-1934). This seems like a long time ago, but also far too recent. The trails have a number of water crossings, but they are all bridged.

 
I wish we had read the trail description in the Hiking Trails of the Smokies book ahead of time. Apparently we passed by the ruins of a Civilian Conservation Camp(1933-1935), without realizing it. If we hike this trail again, we'll have to look for the ruins.

 
After returning from the hike, we stopped by to visit the mill. The mill building was closed, but we spoke to another couple there who said the mill is operational, and you can buy cornmeal there when its open. I would love to see it in operation! The mill has a flume - it's really fascinating. The mill was built in 1886.