Can I use HFS+ External Drives with High Sierra?

BACKGROUND: I'm about to update my mid-2015 MacBook Pro from Yosemite (10.10.5) to High Sierra. Due to a number of old things no longer working out, once the update is complete, I plan to then create a bootable external volume, then completely wipe the MBP and do a fresh install of everything. (NOTE: I *cannot* simply restore everything from Time Machine because the backup would simply recreate 2 of the 3 major problems I need to correct... but I *do* keep a current Time Machine backup "just in case" anyway).

PROBLEM/QUESTION: I know High Sierra uses a new file system, and the large external drive I have to hold all my personal files, copies of libraries, etc. is formatted HFS+ (*not* journaled HFS+, just plain HFS+). So far everything I've read refers to Journaled HFS+ being alright (like the smaller external drive I use for Time Machine), but I haven't been able to figure out if the updated MBP will be able to read the external drive.

Thanks in advance for any info/advice...!