Case Camp Ridge Trail and North Face Trail, Pisgah National Forest

[dropcap style="font-size: 60px; color: #9b9b9b;"] T [/dropcap]his is a two-part hike with a short drive on a forest service road in between. Both the Case Camp Ridge Trail and the North Face Trail start on Forest Road 475B in Pisgah National Forest. The first climbs 1000 feet in 1.7 miles to the Blue Ridge Parkway near Cherry Gap at mile 416. It’s a short walk from the trail to the Cherry Cove Overlook and a close-up view of Looking Glass Rock. Return to the forest road down the same trail and drive another three miles toward Looking Glass. The North Face Trail is a 1.5 mile round trip to the northeast base of the Looking Glass pluton, a starting point for the serious rock climbers who embrace the face. These hikes occurred on Thursday, June 28, 2012 from 7:30am to 10:45am. Our plan was to take the Case Camp Ridge Trail from Forest Road 475B to the Blue Ridge Parkway and return, then drive down the forest road to Looking Glass Rock and the North Face Trail.

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First Hike: Case Camp Ridge Hike Length: 3.4 miles Hike Duration: 1.75 hours

Hike Rating: Moderate to difficult Blaze: Blue Hike Configuration: Up and back

Elevation Change: 990 feet Trail Condition: Very good

Starting Point: Case Camp Ridge Trailhead on Forest Road 475B.

Trail Traffic: We encountered no other hikers on the trail.

How to Get There: From Brevard, NC get on Scenic Hwy 276 west into Pisgah National Forest. After approximately nine miles, turn left onto FR 475B (Headwaters Road). Proceed to Case Ridge Gap, an additional mile down this gravel road. The beginning of the trail is marked by a set of steps across from a small parking area.[/box]

Summer has come to the Blue Ridge, and with it 90° daytime temps. With that in mind, we opted for an early start and a couple of short hikes. Hey! I thought it was supposed to be cool in the mountains.

The Case Camp Ridge Trail is one of those shortish leg-stretchers that will have you high-steppin’ as you climb 990 feet to the Blue Ridge Parkway in its 1.7 mile distance. I rate it as a moderate hike simply because it isn’t very long, but it is strenuous. So keep that in mind if you get a late start on a hot summer day. If you’re looking for a longer hike in this area of Pisgah National Forest, you may consider combining Case Camp with the Seniard Ridge Trail, a 3.5 miler that crosses Case Camp after the first quarter mile.

The forestry is interesting here. You will climb moderately on this blue blazed trail before passing through a forest management area. This is a shelterwood cut that was completed in 1991. Shelterwood cutting, also known as the ‘Shelterwood system’, is a silvicultural system in which overstory trees are removed in a series of cuts designed to achieve a new, even-aged stand under the shelter of remaining trees. The desired result will always be a single, or even-aged cohort of trees.

Once you clear the management area, the trail becomes more steep, and provides excellent wintertime views of the surrounding mountains. The star of the visuals is Looking Glass Rock, a geologic pluton that is an ubiquitous sight in this section of the national forest. In summer though, the forest is very dense and quite dark, especially in the morning. We were treated to shade and a wispy breeze that rewarded our decision to start early. No hint of the oppressive heat that has settled over the eastern states.

There is also a sad sight along the ridge as you climb. The effects of chestnut blight are quite evident. Chestnut stumps, a reminder of a once magnificent chestnut forest, are seen throughout the hike. The chestnut blight was accidentally introduced to North America around 1900, either through imported chestnut lumber or through imported trees. This devastating disease of the American chestnut tree caused a mass extinction in the early 1900s. Forestry management is trying to reintroduce hybrid strands of chestnut to areas of the forest. Occasionally we will see some of these “secret plantings” as we explore the ridges and summits. A hundred years later, unfortunately one legacy of the 21st century is the hemlock infestation by the wooly adelgid. Hemlocks in the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains are dying by the millions.

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