The old cabin above was built by the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club in the 1930s on the site of the old Whaley homeplace. The cabin was constructed from timbers gathered from the original two cabins built by the Whaleys. In 1975, the clubs special use permit ran out, and the cabin was taken over by the National Park Service. It's still in good repair and is especially beautiful in early spring when the 'Flats' are covered in wildflowers.

Campsite #31, at the official end of the Porters Creek trail in Greenbrier Valley, is surrounded by tall hemlocks. It sits on a pretty knoll overlooking the creek below. It's a peaceful spot that gets little use during the winter months. It's also one of the first spots to start having bear/human conflicts each spring. Please, if you stay there, take the trouble to maintain a clean camp.

To see a ton of photos from the days before the Great Smoky Mountain Park was established, be sure to check out the galleries at the Albert 'Dutch' Roth website. Dutch was one of the early members of the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club and took hundreds, if not thousands, of photos of the backcountry of the Smokies and of the folks in the Hiking Club. It's well worth your time to spend a few hours browsing the photo collection. There are photos of the old cabin while it was under construction, photos of the Wall way back in the early 20s, and hundreds of other great pix from around the Great Smoky Mountains. Click here to view the Gallery...