Content from A Classic Hike in the Smokies

Since I answer the question differently every time it’s asked, the notion of a classic hike, obviously, is difficult to pin down. In essence, I define it as a hike that you could do 100 times, and every time will yield a unique experience. Some of that has to do with the trail itself. A lot has to do with the season. A lot, too, with the weather.

When I first hiked the Mt. Sterling/Cataloochee Valley area in 2005 — Trips 17 and 18 if you’re following along in “Backpacking North Carolina” (2011, UNC Press) — it was on a late November day. There were light, indifferent clouds overhead, the landscape had turned from predominantly green to predominantly brown and gray. The landscape was stark, the air cold. The sky, while not threatening, suggested I not overstay my visit atop 5,843-foot Mt. Sterling. A decade later, I still have vivid memories of that trip, though not of the reality TV variety.

This weekend, I made my first return visit, with GetHiking! North Carolina’s Classic Hikes. This time it was early spring in the high country. Wildflowers were prolific. The hardwoods had budded in the valley but not at elevation. It was cloudy with a light rain falling most of the day, with late day reports of sleet and fat snowflakes from the summit. The world was a shiny, wet green, with flashes of color — blinding white dogwood blooms in the understory, the forest floor peppered with white, yellow and purple blooms — popping in contrast.

Memorable in a different way than my first visit. Not necessarily better, different. And, I’m sure, it will be different the next time I visit.

Despite the fact I use the word “classic” liberally despite an imprecise definition, it’s not a word I use lightly. Maybe I can’t define a classic hike, but I know one when I hike it.

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Cool, cloudy, chance of rain. Some people see that as a forecast for a Netflix weekend. We see it as a trail fix weekend.
Three weeks ago, we spent a cool, wet Sunday hiking 12 miles on the Tanawha Trail at the base of Grandfather Mountain. Perhaps a little wetter than we would have preferred, but one thing is for sure: for the 25 or so folks on the hike, it was one memorable day.
The forecast for this weekend isn’t quite as wet. It is, however, supposed to be cool, with mountain temperatures expected to stay in the 60s. A good weekend to kick off your fall hiking season.
Where might I kick it off? you inquire.
Here are five hikes we especially like on cool, wet days. Included are links where you can find more information on how to plan and execute your hike.

1. Price Lake Loop, 2.7 miles. Blue Ridge Parkway, Milepost 297. This easy hike hugs the lake on a rhododendron-lined trail. Even if you can’t see Grandfather Mountain (which you can on a clear day), the fog-shrouded lake is a nice treat. More info here.
2. Cataloochee Valley, various lengths. Great Smoky Mountains National Park. When clouds settle into the valley, the sense of isolation felt this long-abandoned community must have felt is underscored. Hike among the buildings remaining from the valley’s pre-park days — the church, the school, various homes — or do any number of circuit hikes, including a 9.5-mile hike including the Rough Fork, Caldwell Fork and Big Fork Ridge trails. More info here.
3. Linville Gorge (east rim),14.1 miles (shorter options available). Pisgah National Forest near Linville. Descending into the gorge on a rainy day can be scary — and dangerous. But stick to the east rim between Table Rock and Shortoff Mountain and you’ll get a sense of the foreboding below, but on a relatively flat stretch of trail. More info here.
4. Schoolhouse Ridge, Wilson Creek, 5.6-mile loop, Pisgah National Forest near Mortimer. Unless you’re into multiple creek crossings with moving water above your knees, Wilson Creek is an area to avoid when it rains — with the exception of Schoolhouse Ridge. There’s water and a waterfall at the trailhead, but from there the trail takes the high road, climbing through a drainage, returning along Schoolhouse Ridge. More info here.
5. Basin Cove, 10-18 miles, Doughton Park, Blue Ridge Parkway. The hard-core turn this climb from the base of Doughton Park to the top and back into an 18-mile ordeal. The soft-core opt for the 10-mile out-and-back to the Caudil Cabin along a trail that follows Basin Creek the entire way. Unless the rain is torrential, the creek handles water well, and the climb through rocks and pines is especially memorable in the rain. More info here.

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Come summer, with its 90/90 days (heat/humidity) the last thing on most of our minds is a long hike in the woods. Oceans of sweat, acres of trail-clogging cobwebs, no hydration pack big enough to sate your insatiable thirst. Very understandable, this hike aversion — if you don’t know where to go. For if you do, there are plenty of trails — from North Carolina’s steamy coast, to the stuffy Piedmont to the sun-drenched high country — ideal for summer exploring.

At the coast, you’re wise to incorporate a really large body of saline water in your hike plan. Water is likewise a key ingredient in the Piedmont, though the occasional alpine anomaly also offers relief. In the Appalachians, refreshing waterfalls and elevation combine to offer escape.

We’ve compiled a list of 25 hikes that are especially well-suited to a North Carolina summer, five at the coast, 10 each in the Piedmont and the high country. You can find additional information on each at the links provided and in the references mentioned, “100 Classic Hikes in North Carolina” and “Backpacking North Carolina.”

Let your summer hiking adventure begin here.

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