Great Hiking Trails Close To Home

[DapperD]

I know living in the country and being able to walk out one's door and immediately start climbing mountains with great trails is truly a blessing for us hiker aficionados. The ability to hike so close to home whenever we so choose on steep mountainous trails that are always there for us is a way to keep in great shape and to fulfill our hiking needs and challenges. I was wondering how many other's are blessed with great hiking trails that are so close to home

[MedicineMan]

Good timing. I usually travel a ways from home to hike. Last week off I went to the Unaka Wilderness just outside of Unicoi and went up the Rattlesnake Ridge Trail...very nice hiking....this wilderness area is 8-10 miles as the crow flies from the house so sometimes the 'backyard' is the place.

[fiddlehead]

Having two homes, location and closeness to hiking trails is important to me.
SO, when i am in PA, I walk out my door, out my driveway and walk on a two lane road aprox 200 yards to a state game land blocked gate dirt road that goes through a beautiful patch of woods for about 3 miles. It is rare that i see anyone else in there.

When in Thailand, I have to get on my 100cc motorbike and drive aprox 1 1/2 miles to the closest point of the trail that I have been designing for the past 3 1/2 years.
It is at this point that the trail is at it's best.
I can totally get away from tourists and anyone else for a good 4 or 5 mile section with some good climbs.

We do have another house in northern Thailand but i have to drive about 20 kms to get to any trail there. There is a great Nat park there and i've found that almost no one goes on their trails. Good stuff.

[fiddlehead]

Having two homes, location and closeness to hiking trails is important to me.
SO, when i am in PA, I walk out my door, out my driveway and walk on a two lane road aprox 200 yards to a state game land blocked gate dirt road that goes through a beautiful patch of woods for about 3 miles. It is rare that i see anyone else in there.

When in Thailand, I have to get on my 100cc motorbike and drive aprox 1 1/2 miles to the closest point of the trail that I have been designing for the past 3 1/2 years.
It is at this point that the trail is at it's best.
I can totally get away from tourists and anyone else for a good 4 or 5 mile section with some good climbs.

We do have another house in northern Thailand but i have to drive about 20 kms to get to any trail there. There is a great Nat park there and i've found that almost no one goes on their trails. Good stuff.

[10-K]

I think I'm the luckiest guy on earth.

I have my Lazy-Boy setup in the living room so I can look out of a big picture window at the mountains.

Should I get the urge to hike, which I do almost daily, I can grab my daypack out of the coat closet, walk out of the front door, down the sidewalk, up a street, into the woods and be standing on the AT in 1 hour and 30 minutes. ;-))

I can drive to the AT in about 5 minutes if I don't hit a redlight!

The Unaka Mt. Wilderness that MedicineMan mentioned is less than 3 miles away and is loaded with trails - there's 1 left that I haven't hiked yet.

If I get bored with this, I own property in Flag Pond which is about 15 miles from here and I can stay in my cabin over there... The Shelton Laurel backcountry area is right across the street which is in the Pisgah National Forest with trails going every which way, including up to the AT.

Up until last summer I lived most of my adult life at the beach. I got the hiking bug in 2007 and knew pretty soon I had to get out of there and to the mountains for the second half of my life. I feel blessed beyond belief to live where I do.

Plus, Erwin is a great place to live anyway.. It's small, friendly and has everything you need. Asheville is an hour down the road (never go there) and Johnson City is 20 minutes up I-26.

[10-K]

Good timing. I usually travel a ways from home to hike. Last week off I went to the Unaka Wilderness just outside of Unicoi and went up the Rattlesnake Ridge Trail...very nice hiking....this wilderness area is 8-10 miles as the crow flies from the house so sometimes the 'backyard' is the place.

I love this trail.. Did you notice how much faster it is to come down than it is to go up?

The only marked trail I haven't hiked over there is the Stamping Ground Ridge trail. Drop me a line if you ever want somebody to roam around with you over there.

[jdb]

My house is on the boundry of a state park. There is an old fire road that no one really knows about. I just finshed making a 1 mile trail that links my house to this trail so the total is 4 miles to the end of the trail. I can get in an 8 mile hike with hills and even a few stream crossings whenever I want.

[Mags]

This view is accessed from a trailhead that is less perhaps a 20 minute BIKE ride away..



I won't show what views are less than an hour's drive away.

[jdb]

Yea thats what mine looks like too

[peakbagger]

View out the window from my home office, Mt Madison on the left and Adams on the right. The closest official trail is a Randolph Mountain Club Trail (Church Path). Its about a 15 to 20 minute walk to RMC trailheads for the northern presidentials.

[Ashevillian]

I built a rudiment trail out of my backyard to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Within a ½ mile I hit the Mountains to Sea trail. Southbound is a nice hike for the family down to the Folk Art Center, Northbound 40 miles and another 3000’ in elevation gain to Mt. Mitchell and beyond. Within a reasonable driving distance (and walking) we have many trails in Pisgah and of course straight up the new I-26 I can hit the AT crossing in less than an hour or Hot Springs in a bit more than an hour. I feel very lucky.

[Hobbler]

I am so fortunate, to live in the Rockfish Valley and be so close to to Rockfish Gap. I have but a 5 minute drive to the A/T, and can see the Gap from my back porch. From the Gap the access to the trail south is via numerous points for some 90 miles along the Blue Ridge Parkway and via numerous NFS roads and trail head parking areas. Go north on the Skyline and there are dozens more A/T crossings in SNP. Of course, I buy a yearly pass, and the convienience gives me the added ability to use Blue Blazes and the A/T to make circuits easily. Also there are lots of out and backs to escape the crowds, along with easy short shuttles using my 2 vehicles. So Lucky?...Not really! I chose to move here from the Northeast some 27 years ago precisely to be close to hiking the A/T and for Motorcycling down the Blue Ridge Parkway. Despite utilizing the mountains so much, I never get tired of any of it.

I also own a small cabin at the foot of Humpback Mountain that I have accessed the trail from on some little used footpaths.

I can choose to hike up there anytime I want and can use the spring and fall to get my trail "Ya-Yas" out, thereby avoiding the summer crowds and heat by taking overnight rides on my touring bike. Sometimes in the 90+degree days, when the mass of sweaty and trail-worn NOBOS come through I drive to remote A/T access points with my vehicle and supply some relief and trail magic for those less fortunate than myself to have the choice. Maybe look for me at road crossings along the Trail south of Rockfish Gap during May and June.

Again, Lucky? of course, but planned for. I love it here in Virginia!

[Cookerhiker]

For 2 1/2 years, I lived within an easy walk of the Great Allegheny Passage which is more of a cycling trail although one can hike on it. In warm weather, I never missed a day cycling uphill past the PA/MD line to the Big Savage Tunnel. If I was there now, I'd be walking on it in the snow or perhaps skiing.

[jethro]

DapperD, where are you in PA? I grew up there and there are just an embarrassing number of trails once you get an hour and a half out of Philly. It was a great place to be a kid.

Now my kids are growing up within walking distance of 120 miles of trail in 3 states.

[jamarshall]

Can you still access the AT from Humpback Gap? I don't have a good map showing the trail relocation around Humpback rocks.

Thanks.

[garlic08]

Every Tuesday morning I cycle down to South Mountain Park in Phoenix and meet some AZT folks for a half day of hiking. Camelback Mt Park is a few minutes away by bike. When I lived in Colorado I hiked 14,000' Mt Evans from my front door. So yes, hiking from the house is important to me (here's a quote in my signature line to that effect), and I've found that I don't even have to live in the country.

[scudder]

Can you still access the AT from Humpback Gap? I don't have a good map showing the trail relocation around Humpback rocks.

Thanks.

There are at least three ways to do it. Shortest is heading east .3 miles down the blue blazed old Howardsville Turnpike road.Steepest is heading south( and pretty much straight up) about a mile on the humpback rock trail . You can also head north on a portion of the Albright Loop. There's a big map posted at the parking lot.

[jamarshall]

Thanks! The Howardsville Turnpike sounds like what I want.