Nowhere. At least not in North Carolina and southwestern Virginia. For one, you’d be hard-pressed to find a trail that’s passable. More on that in a sec. 

The main reason you shouldn’t hike in the mountains this weekend: You’ll only be in the way. 

Most of the roads in western North Carolina remain closed, and of those that are passable, use is restricted to emergency vehicles and the recovery effort. Gas is still in short supply and what gas there is is desperately needed by locals. Same for food and water. Rule of thumb for North Carolina: avoid travel west of I-77.

Then there’s the matter of the trails themselves.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, which oversees the AT including its passage through four heavily affected states — Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia — reports the following as of Tuesday:

• The AT between Springer Mountain, Georgia, and Rockfish Gap, Virginia. Or the 846.6 southernmost miles of the trail, is closed.
• The Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests in North Carolina are closed. 
• The Blue Ridge Parkway and its associated trails in North Carolina, closed. 
• All North Carolina State Parks west of I-77 are closed.
• In Virginia, 5 state parks are completely closed, 4 state parks are partially closed. 
• Much of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closed or entry is discouraged.
• Some trails in Shenandoah National Park are closed, travel is discouraged on others.

What this means is, it will be a while before we will be able to hike in the mountains again. In fact, your best bet for a visit in the near future may well be as a volunteer to help clear trails. But that could also be a while. 

For the foreseeable future, focus on your favorite trails in the Piedmont. Fall is unfolding and the region is full of great hikes. As fall advances, head to the coast and coastal plain, an often overlooked fall hiking destination.

As for what you can do now to help your favorite mountain hiking destination? Think about the place you most love to hike in the high country, the place that has given you so much over the years. Then Google the various options for helping that community. You won’t have to look hard. 

For instance, every November our GetHiking! crew spends a weekend hiking the Appalachian Trail out of Hot Springs. We base camp out of the Hot Springs Resort & Spa, which is along the French Broad River and was hard hit. The town of Hot Springs, a two-minute walk away, was likewise hit extremely hard. When we checked the resort’s Facebook page, it said the best way to help the town is by donating to the Friends of Hot Springs Library. Which is what we’ve done. 

When the mountains reopen, we will return full force. But not until then.

About the photo: The photo above was taken on the AT at Lover’s Leap, just above the town of Hot Springs. We won’t be there this fall, but hopefully next.

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Trail status

Keep tabs on your favorite areas by checking in with the appropriate land manager.

National parks

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park 
• Shenandoah National Park
• Blue Ridge Parkway 
• Appalachian Trail Conservancy 

State parks

• North Carolina State Parks 
• Virginia State Parks

National forests

• Nantahala National Forest
• Pisgah National Forest 
• George Washington & Jefferson National Forests

The post Let the mountains recover appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

It was a sign, a sign I always look forward to come August: that fall is on the way. 

It’s also a sign that summer will soon be over. 

While I so look forward to fall hiking after a summer of sweaty heat, I also get a bit nostalgic over the passing of summer. Especially if I haven’t taken one of my go-to summer adventures. That is, an adventure that’s best taken in the heat. Maybe because there’s an abundance of water to play in. Maybe because the elevation lets you escape the heat. Or it may be as simple as the fact the trail can be challenging to reach in the snow and ice of winter.

So what are my summer go-tos? Glad you asked. 

Here, in no particular order, are five of my favorite summer adventures — adventures you might consider putting on your list before summer bids farewell.

Wilson Creek

Water, water everywhere could be the slogan for Wilson Creek, which resides at the base of Grandfather Mountain’s southeast flank and is catchment for the massif’s ample runoff. Wilson Creek proper gets most of the summer attention: avoid it. Rather, take FR 464, a windy gravel road to two trailheads in the Lost Cove region:

• Hunt-Fish Falls Trailhead. Pick up the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and head downhill 0.8 miles to the trailhead’s namesake falls, a double drop that results in a sizable rock-rimmed pool. Continue downstream on Little Lost Creek on the MST, then upstream on Gragg Prong for about 2 miles where you’ll begin to encounter a series of falls and pools. So many that even on a gorgeous summer weekend you’ll have one to yourself. Challenging hiking with a more than ample pay-off. Details here.
• Big Lost Cove Trailhead: About 4 miles up from the Hunt-Fish Falls trailhead you’ll find the Big Lost Cove Trailhead. It’s a 1.7-mile hike in, with elevation in the first half mile. From there. it’s mostly ridgeline hiking before a minor descent and short hike to one of the best views in the state, including the valley below and Grandfather Mountain beyond. Details here.

Note: Because navigating the area can be tricky, you might make your first stop the Wilson Creek Visitor Center, 7805 Brown Mountain Beach Rd., Collettsville, 28611, and get directions for the 25- to 30-minute drive to the featured trailheads from there. Find a map to the VC here.

Mount Mitchell

Elevation and access drive the desire for a summer visit to Mount Mitchell, at 6,684 feet the highest point east of South Dakota’s Black Hills. Two recommended adventures

• Mount Mitchell Trail. Looking for a good workout and some climbing cred? The 5.6-mile Mount Mitchell Trail gains about 3,700 vertical feet in 5.6 miles, making it one of the more stout climbs in the Southeast. Yet with the exception of one short stretch two-thirds of the way up, well-designed switchbacks make the climb less onerous than it might sound. Start in a robust Southern Appalachian hardwood forest outside the Briar Bottom Group Campground, end in a boreal forest more common to Canada than the Carolinas. Details here.
• Black Mountain Crest Trail. If you’re not so much into a workout, drive to the top and, from the snack bar parking lot in Mountain Mitchell State Park, head north on the Black Mountain Crest Trail. Five, 6,000-foot peaks await in the first 3+ miles, to Deep Gap, but don’t expect to summit them all: hiking along the spine of the highest range on the East is slow going, with lots of up-and-down over rocky terrain. So many great views, though, and the best is the first, from Mount Craig, a mile in. Details here.  

Mount Mitchell State Park address: 2388 NC 128 (Burnsville is listed as the mailing address; it is, in fact, a good 45-minute drive, so don’t be deceived). Here is a Google Map .

Rocky Knob Recreation Area

Possibly my favorite summer hike is the 10.7-mile Rock Castle Gorge Loop in the Rocky Knob Recreation Area along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. For maximum enjoyment, start at the base, on the trailhead off VA 8 (CC Camp Lane), and hike counterclockwise. This gets the bulk of the climbing out of the way in the first 4 miles — though you likely won’t notice it as you start in a stunning mature Southern Appalachian hardwood forest, then hit the mountaintop meadows with miles of views (and cows). Several great places to stop for lunch before a rocky descent down to Rock Castle Creek. Your legs may be screaming uncle at this point, but worry not: the last three miles is a gentle descent on old roadbed back to the car. Details here. 

The trailhead has no address and can be tricky to find: Here are the GPS coordinates  — 36.80806, -80.33087 — and a map.

Mount Pleasant National Scenic Area

Have you ever been on a hike and thought, “Man, this is darn-near perfect”? That’s what you’ll find in the 7,580-acre Mount Pleasant National Scenic Area in Virginia’s George Washington National Forest. The-hills-are-alive meadows, tranquil forest, quiet and a great view from atop 4,071-foot Mount Pleasant make this a summer must (mainly because the Wiggins Spring Road access is windy, gravel and can be a challenge in snow and ice). From the main trailhead, you have two options:

• Mount Pleasant Loop. This 6.3-mile loop includes the view: about mid-way through there’s a short but challenging spur that leads you to the outcrop summit of Mount Pleasant. The rest of the hike ain’t too shabby, either, consisting mostly of intimate forest passage. Details here. 
• Cole Mountain Loop. From the same Wiggins Springs Road trailhead, hike west a short distance on the road to where the Appalachian Trail crosses, then head south. Switchbacks take you up to Cole Mountain, where you’ll hike a ridge for a bit before dropping down to the Hotel Trail. A mellow drop to a stream, a rise to a grassy meadow, a gentle drop back to the trailhead. Details here.

For more about the Mount Pleasant National Scenic Area in general, go here.

Appalachian Trail at Hot Springs

To be honest, we hike and backpack this stretch year-round — Hot Springs’ comparatively low elevation of 1,332 making it inviting regardless of the season. Two things we like most about the AT at Hot Springs: the classic AT experience, and the carrot at the end, which is Hot Springs and it’s brew pub, it’s great outfitter (Bluff Mountain Outfitters), and its diverse dining options, from burgers to bourbon glazed salmon. Our two favorite hikes:

• AT: Garenflo Gap to Hot Springs. Catch a shuttle from Hot Springs (lots of options; Bluff Mountain Outfitters can hook you up) to Garenflo and hike 7.4 miles back into town. There’s a little climbing, mostly at the beginning, but mostly classic southern AT beauty on a downhill-trending hike. Note that that “trend” becomes pronounced on the steep drop into town. Details here.
• Rich Mountain Loop. Starting and ending in Hot Springs, we suggest hiking this loop counterclockwise, sticking with the AT after crossing the French Broad River. There’s a good but short climb (0.8 miles total) up to Lover’s Leap, with great views of the French Broad valley, then more mellow climbing past Tanyard Gap (mile 5.5) and up to Rich Mountain. After checking the fire tower view atop 3,668-foot Rich Mountain, retreat a half mile and pick up Roundtrip Ridge Trail for a welcome descent back to the valley floor. A 12.3-mile loop that can be amended in various ways, including shuttling the short distance up to Tanyard Gap and hiking mostly downhill for 5.5 miles back into town. Details here.

Learn more about Hot Springs here.

Only 21 days remain until Labor Day weekend and the spiritual end of summer. Make the most of it.

The post Summer’s Last Call appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Today’s 90-Second Escape: A Classic Weekend on the AT

Have you ever had great expectations for a hike — and the resulting experience ended up exceeding those expectations?

Such was the case this weekend for our GetHiking! Southeast’s Classic Hikes crew. Twenty-seven hikers descended on our base camp, at the Laughing Heart Lodge in Hot Springs, N.C., expecting three good days of hiking. We were hoping for good weather; we had about the best hiking weather you can imagine, with temperatures in the upper 50s under clear (if smoky) skies. We were hoping for a little remaining fall color; we were treated to a surprising amount of eye-popping reds, oranges, yellows and peaches below 4,000 feet. We knew we’d be in good company, and we were.

Click on the above photo (or click here) and enjoy more scenes from our three days hiking roughly 35 miles on the Appalachian Trail, from Max Patch north to Rich Mountain (and back to Hot Springs on 3.1 miles of “ghost” AT).

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Today’s 90-Second Escape: GetBackpacking! in Winter on the Appalachian Trail.

Mountain weather is a game of chance, the stakes elevated in winter. In the case of backpacking, it’s a matter of hoping that the forecast for snow comes through — to some extent. An inch or two covering the land, throwing a blanket of quiet over your world is the ideal. Much more than that and you begin confronting a series of potential problems, from simply being able to follow the trail (especially when an icy coat sticks to trees, obscuring blazes) to being able to trudge through a deep, heavy snow.

This weekend, our GetBackpacking! group lucked out with snow on the light side. Not even an inch, but oh what a glorious portrait it painted on the 20.7 miles of Appalachian Trail between Max Patch and Hot Springs, N.C.

Here’s 90 Seconds of our wintery weekend. Brew a cup of tea and enjoy.

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Coast

Last weekend, our GetHiking! Triangle group explored Goose Creek State Park. Few had previously visited the 1,208-acre park on the north bank of the Pamlico River downstream from Little Washington. Many hadn’t even heard of the park. But all came away big fans.

Hence, our recommendation for Saturday’s Live Oak and Huckleberry Trail Hike at Goose Creek. The hike will explore two of the park’s ecosystems: a Live Oak river community and a pine woods savannah. Coastal hiking is at its best on a clear, cool late fall day, which is in the cards for Saturday (see below).

Logistics: Saturday, Nov. 22, 2 p.m., Goose Creek State Park, Washington. For more info, call 252.923.2191.

Saturday forecast: Sunny skies, high of 52.

Piedmont

We’re entering the season of, ‘tis better to give than receive. What’s best, though, is to give and receive, which is what will happen if you take part in Umstead State Park’s Can You Dig It? volunteer workday. Show up with sturdy boots, work gloves, water and the will to work hard for two hours and you can help improve the quality of Umstead’s over-loved trails.

No special skills required, just the ability to take direction and, again, work hard.

Logistics: Saturday, Nov. 22, 9 a.m., Harrison Avenue/Reedy Creek entrance (off I-40) to Umstead State Park, Raleigh. Reservations are required, by calling 919.571.4170.

Saturday forecast: Mostly sunny, high of 52.

Mountains

Here’s a hike you probably haven’t done but should: the Appalachian Trail north of Hot Springs. The climb up Lovers Leap Ridge offers repeated views of the French Broad River and Hot Springs below. Then, the way the Carolina Mountain Club plans to hike it on Sunday, interconnecting trails will provide more intimate streamside hiking.

And there’s the apres hike in Hot Springs, one of the classic AT trail towns. Be sure to include a visit to Bluff Mountain Outfitters,  where you can score just about everything a hiker could need — and more importantly, want.

Logistics: Sunday, Nov. 23, 8:30 a.m., Appalachian Trail, Hot Springs. For specifics on meeting time and location, contact Paul Benson at 828.251.1909 or pdbenson@charter.net.

Sunday forecast: High of 55, chance of rain.

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Those are our thoughts on the weekend. Find more options at the sources listed below.

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