Pisgah National Forest

[davidlarson]

My daughters, wife and I are planning to hike the Art Loeb trail from Black Balsam Knob parling lot north towards its end and will spend a day at Cold Mountain from 05/01-05/07. Can anyone out there give us any info.

[Chip]

Hello davidlarson,

My name is Chip and live just 24 miles from Pisgah NF. What would you like to know (from Black Balsam hiking north thru the Shining Rock Wilderness), I have backpacked in that area several times as well as a few day hikes. I have lived here since 1965 (moved from Miami with my family when I was 11).
Do you plan to backpack 5/1 to 5/7, looking for campsites, water, trail conditions ???? etc... Just let me know what you are looking for and I will be
glad to respond.
Thanks,
Chip :)

[davidlarson]

Wondering how well marked the trail is ? How available is water, and how crowded is the area? Plan to leave the car at Black Balsam a number of nights. Trip is probably 5 days depending on water.

[Chip]

Ok, based on your reply I would suggest 2 things you might want to purchase(for better details). These items will be alot of help and fun. First, do you have the National Geographic Trails Map of Pisgah NF ? If not buy one ! The trails in the Shining Rock Wilderness are not blazed and there are very few signs. This map will show you the trails you need to take from Black Balsam to Cold Mtn. and there are several trail junctions along the way. The map will help you stay the course along with second item, a copy of "The Best Hikes of Pisgah NF" by C. Franklin Goldsmith,III and Shannon & James Hamrick. From page 3 thru page 26 you will find in detail, excellent descriptions of the trails and where to find water. After much thought I think this book will do a far better job of answering any questions that you may have. This cost is $15 and is a small paperback. I bought a copy years ago to help me locate water along the trails. Crowds -- if any will be at the Shining Rock Campsite. It just depends -- weather etc... but 1st week in May should not be too bad. Your hike from Balsam to Cold Mtn will be moderate to strenuous. Balsam at 6214 ft., Shining Rock 5940 ft., Stairs Mtn 5869 ft., Cold Mtn 6030 ft. You will descend down to the valley floor and climb upwards several times along the way. The nights can be very cool this time of year. At these elevations the temp can drop down in the 40s at night. A jacket (fleece or like) will come in handy. No campfires allowed in this wilderness. You may see a few fire rings from those who have broken the law and may have missed the ranger who patrols and writes a citation for $75 last I heard.
You can order the book from a local book store. If not let me know, send me an e-mail and I will see what I can do (also for the map). I think you will really enjoy this hike. Walking the trail thru spruce/fir, hardwood forest, wildflowers and other plants will add alot as well as the sounds of birds, owls at night and the howl of a fox or bobcat in the predawn hours.

Happy Trails,
Chip :)

[wspartykid]

I love Pisgah!!! I've had the best mountain biking experience of my life there. I'll never again (other than next year during my thru hike), go to the smokies to hike again. It's right next door and it feels like it's a whole other world. In the smokies your garanteed to pass 50 people on a 2 mile trek, but in Pisgah I passed a hanful of bikers the whole day. I think it's beautiful and can't wait to get back there. I'm sure yall will have a blast.
Know if the AT goes thru it??

[Chip]

Hello wspartykid,

Sorry, the AT runs along the NC / Tenn state lines. Is about one hour to 90 minutes drive away from the AT depending which part of Pisgah that you are heading to. I hike and backpack throughout the entire forest. Many trails to chose from. To really get away from it all The Shining Rock or Middle Prong Wilderness sections are very nice and secluded.

Happy Trails,
Chip ;)

[fing genius]

the following is not your hike plan but..


my wife and I hiked up from the northwest terminus of the art loeb to cold mountain at the end of february. we parked overnight at the daniel boone boy scout camp. we were hoping for the snow that was soon to visit but we were a few days early. there was frequent ice in the trail rut and old snow on north faces but the weather was mild. I personally favor the "hike" element of a overnight but we pack for the camping so we poke along. I think we left the car about 10:00 am and were on the final cold mountain slope in the middle of the afternoon. from that direction the trail was rugged but well worn and would be difficult to get lost. I agree with the suggestion for the trails illustrated map of pisgah national forest - shining rock wilderness. It kept us confident about where we were in the woods. we saw five or six people over the two days we were up there. there were three or four opportunities to filter water along the trail in reasonably strong creek flows.

the approach trail to the top of cold mountain is a north fork of the art loeb and is less than an hour from its junction. at this junction is an obvious camp worn area. there is really not much to choose from in flat, off the trail camp sites from this point until you reach the cold mountain ridge. there was good water flowing just a few minutes from the top. the top is not a bald, there is tree cover and several reasonably flat camp sites up there but you would have some exposure to wind. you casually mentioned "spending the day" up there. we were happy to be there and I mean nothing negative but cold mountain is a dead end and may not need a all day visit.

the music cd soundtrack from the movie cold mountain is very good for your drive from florida.

[Moon Monster]

Looks like there are some very knowledgeable folks here about this area--feel free to ask more questions. Pisgah/Shining Rock/Art Loeb are wonderful areas, parts of which are as cool as anything you will see on the AT in the south.

I believe your car will be fine in the paved BBK parking area. There are nice pit toilets there. I second th enotion that Cold Mountain itself may not be a destination to spend any length of time on. It may have a small viewpoint, but it is largely tree covered. Five miles south along the Art Loeb, though, is Shining Rock, which is a lovely place to stop for a bit. There are two large crops of white quartz that you can climb on which give the summit its name. they are neat to see in the sunlight while you are walking north along the ALT.

Crowds can vary and can be quite thick right around Black Balsam Knob--lots of dayhikers. The trail is not blazed frequently, but it is easy to follow and most major trail junctions are marked on metal posts. In some places (like gaps and around summits), the trailway can become pretty braided. Like mentioned above, the National Geo. map is very nice--there is a new full-color version that came out last year. There are gentle horse trails (old RR beds) in the area which skirt most of the climbing so you will have lots of route options.

I recommend going over to Sams Knob also. It is about a 3-4 mile round trip from the BBK parking area and has a steep ~800' climb. You can see the entire Pisgah range, the Balsams, the Plott Balsams, and even the Smokies from that one 360deg. viewpoint.

[Ramble~On]

Judging from the dates you posted you might not get this in time...I wish I'd caught this sooner. The area you are talking about is "my backyard"
I spent three years working at the boy scout camp.
All of the parking areas are great and "no worries"
The hike you talked of and the time frame may be too much time for that hike though. Take a look at looping down into "Graveyards Fields" (mile marker 420) off Blue Ridge Parkway. Small area but a couple of nice waterfalls, easy loop options in many directions and hook up with the Mountains to Sea Trail that (when completed) will run from Clingman's Dome to the beach.
Driving in or out don't miss "Devil's Courthouse" rock formation on BRP.
Park at parking lot and walk paved path to top...well worth it....take you camera.