Bradley Creek Trail, Squirrel Gap Trail, Poundingmill Trail, South Mills River Trail, Pisgah National Forest

After a mile we came to a trail junction, the first of many on this day. To the right was the Riverside Trail, one that continues to follow the river bank. Some day I will take this trail, but it has six river crossings, so I think summer will be better. The air temperature was in the thirties. I may be a Meanderthal, but I’m not going to wade in a cold river. Instead we took the left fork, the orange blaze Bradley Creek Trail, and for the first time began climbing. Up we went, just over a quarter mile, to Pea Gap and our next trail junction.

We had another choice at Pea Gap. The Bradley Creek Trail continues to the right, and way on up north into Pisgah Forest. Again, some day I will try this trail as well. There are so many good trails to choose in the South Mills River Area. But on this day we went left on the Squirrel Gap Trail. The trail blaze changed to blue. Since we had climbed a few hundred feet, the leaves were really off the trees and covering the trail. We made a swishing sound as we climbed the ridge. Surely there wouldn’t be any wildlife for us to see. They could probably hear us coming on the other side of the ridge.

About 3/4 mile along the Squirrel Gap Trail we reached Mullinax Gap. Yes, there are a lot of gaps and trails to deal with, and you know what else? Another decision. Do we take the Mullinax Trail back down off the ridge to the river, or do we keep going up the mountain on the Squirrel Gap Trail? My companion had a meeting later in the day, but we still had plenty of time, so we decided to continue exploring. Mullinax Gap has a handful of very nice primitive campsites, so keep that in mind if you find yourself in this area late in the day.

The next section of the Squirrel Gap Trail was the steepest we encountered, though still not overly so. When we reached Poundingstone Mountain after another 3/4 mile, we had climbed a total of about 1200 feet from the river, but weren’t tired at all. The grade is gradual and the scenery is terrific, so we weren’t even breathing hard. The trail winds around the mountain from the east, and then from the north, before reaching the top and the junction with Poundingmill Trail. There are a couple of large logs strategically placed at this junction that made an ideal location for lunch. This spot has a southern exposure, so it gets more sun, and the forest still had its colorful leaves… just a preview of what was to come next.

The orange blazed, 1.5 mile Poundingmill Trail was the most interesting on this hike. Dropping down the south side of the mountain, the trail lead us through a young sapling forest displaying perhaps the best autumnal brilliance I saw this season. With a crystal clear mountain blue sky in the background, the forest was like a color wheel with every shade imaginable. We were fascinated, and dawdled so the experience would last.

The Poundingmill Trail drops 1200 feet as it approaches its namesake, Poundingmill Branch. The lower we got, the more colorful the forest got, until the creek showed up on our left and the forest changed. Suddenly we were back in with firs and rhododendron. The vegetation thickened as well, sometimes overgrowing the trail a bit, the only place on the hike where we experienced that. The trails on this hike were in outstanding condition.

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