re: Looking for a backpacking destination idea...

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I went on the AT around the Smokies back 6 years ago. There weren't any lakes, just the ridge with vistas on both sides. I went first week in April. It was brutally cold (for me, i hate being cold) and even had snow fall on us the second night.

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The Appalachian Trail cuts across Fontana Dam on the southern border of the Smokies National Park in North Carolina. You could probably find a few places alongside Fontana Lake near the dam.

There's also another trail that intersects the AT that appears to follow Fontana Lake in the national park. I haven't really explored the southern parts of the national park, but the entire area is amazing.

Edit: TRUERockyTop identified the Benton MacKaye Trail, which is the trail I was talking about.

Great Smoky Moutains National Park Trail Map