We did this hike on July 31, 2006.
Out-and-back hike from the parking lot at Newfound Gap to the Icewater Spring shelter. We started hiking around 8 AM and didn’t see many people on the trail until we got close to the shelter.
Icewater Spring Shelter
We saw bear cables near the shelter and there was a sign warning people about recent bear activity.
We did not see any bears but we did see several small piles of scat on the trail. We did, however, see several salamanders on the trail.
Salamander
On the way back to the parking lot, we met a ranger-guided hike on the way to the shelter. The ranger was very nice and asked if were enjoying our hike.
It was high noon by the time we reached the parking lot and it was really hot!
Newfound Gap
Tennessee-North Carolina State Line
We got back into our air conditioned car and headed back to the motel in Gatlinburg.