Hiking among the giants of the East. That’s what you’re doing when you take the Blue Ridge Parkway to Mt. Mitchell State Park for this trek on the Mountains to Sea Trail in the Black Mountains. With fabulous views of the Blacks and the Great Craggy Range, and closeup experiences with gnarly old growth fir and spruce krummholz, this stretch of the MtS is some of the best of the North Carolina high country. The trail climbs through ancient forest, past moss-covered granite outcrops, to the crest of the ridge and Blackstock Knob summit. From here you can almost reach out and touch Mt. Mitchell, the tallest peak in the East. Descend to Balsam Gap, then return on perhaps the most scenic stretch along the entire length of the Parkway. We thoroughly enjoyed this hike on Wednesday, July 30, 2014 beginning at 11:00AM and ending about 5:30PM. Our plan was to take the Mountains to Sea Trail from Mt. Mitchell State Park across Blackstock Knob and down to Balsam Gap, then return along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

This majestic hike could easily be accomplished as a shuttle, or two-car excursion as there is convenient parking at each end of the trail. The big problem, though, is the extreme remote nature of Mt. Mitchell State Park. It is only accessible via the Blue Ridge Parkway, and it’s at least an hour drive from Asheville, or any other town nearby. So using two cars would involve quite a bit of fuel. You decide. It’s 5.9 miles one way, or 11.3 miles as a loop.

We chose to begin the hike from the Mt. Mitchell end as climbing to the ridge crest is more gradual. Once seeing the descent at the Balsam Gap end, I think we made the correct decision. The trailhead for the Mountains to Sea Trail is about a half mile up Hwy 128 into Mt. Mitchell State Park. Look closely to your left as you approach, because it isn’t especially easy to notice. There is a small gravel pullout on the right side of the road with enough room for three tightly bunched vehicles.

The trail starts out heading due south and uphill for a quarter mile, then levels out and makes a hard turn northwestward. We noticed immediately that someone had been through very recently with a scythe or weed eater, making the trail extremely easy to navigate. It was also apparent that a lot of time and love had been put into appropriate rock placement and trail tread leveling to ease the ascent.

On our way up the Parkway from Asheville in the morning, when we reached the high country past Craggy Gardens, the roadway was lined with an assortment of wildflowers that would make the NC Arboretum proud. Our first wildflower on the trail was a stunning Turk’s Cap. Usually orange in color, this one was nearly red and stood almost shoulder height. Obviously, a mature plant. Our wildflower experience was just beginning.

At roughly a half mile into the hike, the trail pops out of the forest and opens up the entire expanse of the Asheville Watershed. To the south are Greybeard Mountain and Brushy Knob. To their west the Burnett Reservoir, and further west the twin peaks of the Great Craggy Mountains: Craggy Dome and Craggy Pinnacle. Climbing a little farther up the face of Potato Knob, we reached a parapet-like outcropping that showed us the winding pathway taken by the Blue Ridge Parkway to reach those landmarks.

While sitting on the outcropping enjoying the grand view and a snack, we could now hear the sound of a motorized weed eater not far above us. Darn! That meant the nicely mown path would be ending soon. Sure enough, 10 minutes later we encountered the intrepid (and tired) worker and thanked him profusely for his efforts. We chatted with Mike Williams of the Carolina Mountain Club for awhile and learned that he is frequently up here in the Blacks doing much appreciated trail maintenance.

As coincidence would have it, we also met the only other hiker we would see on this day, coming the other direction. Thinking our way forward would now be surrounded by waist high grass and weeds, we said our farewell to Mike and pushed onward.

Soon afterward, we re-entered the forest, and were rewarded with short ground cover alongside the trail. And it remained that way throughout. Our timing had been perfect. The worst of the tall grass had already been taken care of by Mike.

We also began climbing again, now rather steeply, up the south face of Potato Knob toward the ridge crest on the knob’s west flank. Rather large outcroppings were scattered about, covered in moss and lichens, a result of the hundreds of inches of rainfall that occur in this region each year. Grace, my companion’s black & tan hound, was thoroughly enjoying herself. The scents were doggie nirvana.

We began noticing teeny, tiny white growths poking just a few inches out of the ground. Seemingly part floral and part fungus, Dave informed me these are known as indian pipe. They grow where the soil is very moist, push their way through fallen evergreen needles and lichens, and stay together in clusters. There were literally hundreds over the next mile of trail. It seems every time I foray into the wilderness I learn about something new, and on this day it was indian pipe. Dave said he had never seen so many in one area before.

When you reach the ridge crest, the trail levels out, then roller coasters for a mile or more. You’re above 6,000 feet now and will likely notice it in your breathing. The forest is amazing here. You’re surrounded by spruce and fir krummholz, and if you look closely, amid the moss and lichens you will find dozens of little micro gardens with various hues of mushrooms and other fungus springing from the moist rotting wood. We also found the first turtleheads of summer and pockets of chickweed hugging the stone outcrops.

Upon reaching the low point along the ridge at Rainbow Gap, we began looking for a meadow off to the north, a tip Mike had given us. He said there is a Cessna crash site less than a hundred yards off the trail. Sure enough, we found the fern and St. John’s Wort adorned meadow, and then the wreckage at the southeast corner. The cockpit and left wing were still somewhat intact, but all the instruments and the rest were long gone. It was obvious the pilot had missed the gap by mere feet.

Returning to the trail, we were now looking for a place to have lunch. The next stretch of trail up Blackstock Knob is the hardest of the hike. It’s about 325 feet of elevation gain from Rainbow Gap to the summit, all steep. By the time we found a nice spot to eat, we were definitely needing the rest, and the nourishment. The moss on the summit is incredible. I found one fallen log that I counted five different species of moss on, and it was more than an inch thick.

Continuing westward, occasionally the forest would open to the north for just a faint peek at the Black Mountains Range nearby. Suddenly the peeking became a full-blown view when we reached what I would call a photographer’s overlook. The trail maintenance crew had carved out a small pathway through the brush right to the precipice of the ridge. The full length of the Blacks was directly in front of us, with the Big Tom Preserve down below. The scene is sensational, and is the photo at the top of this post. Normally I’m not a fan of trail crews destroying living plants, but in this case I think the view was well done.

We were really beginning to wonder when this trail would start heading down. The summit of Blackstock Knob is 6,330′ and the elevation at Balsam Gap is 5,320′. So we had a thousand feet of drop ahead with not much trail left. Sure enough, the descent began in earnest.

A seemingly endless series of switchbacks helped make it easier on the knees and ankles, but this is serious downhill. Dave mentioned that on a previous visit to this trail he had come up from Balsam Gap. Worn out when he reached Blackstock Knob, he decided to turn around. I can see why. I’m glad we started at the other end.

Finally after about 20 minutes of continuous down, down, down we popped out on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Balsam Gap. It had taken us four hours to get here from the other end. Granted we stopped for lots of pictures and such, but four more hours back didn’t seem like a good idea. Dave suggested we walk back on the Parkway to make this a loop, and he didn’t hear any complaints from me.

By the way, there is another trailhead at the Balsam Gap pullout besides the Mountains to Sea. It is called the Big Butt Trail. It follows Brush Fence Ridge to Point Misery and beyond and supposedly has dazzling views of the Black Mountains from across the valley that is the Big Tom Preserve. Just another hike for another day. It is so wonderful to live in Western North Carolina.

Well, we still had nearly five miles back on the Parkway, and then that last half mile up Hwy 128 in the state park back to the car. Might as well get started. Walking on the road is certainly easier, and quicker, than hiking over roots and rocks in the forest, but there’s still quite a bit of stamina-draining uphill. What made it so much easier to endure was all the wildflowers.

Along the way, I saw daisies, and coneflowers, and black-eyed susans; bee balm, and geraniums, and turk’s cap. I even saw the first goldenrod of the season. Yep, in the high country it pops out even in late July. Rounding one curve in mile 357, we could see the outcrop high above where we had stopped earlier for a snack.

The Parkway is very impressive here. The work that was accomplished by the builders more than 70 years ago is truly amazing. I think this 10-mile stretch from Craggy Gardens to Mt. Mitchell is some of the most beautiful along the full 469-mile length. There wasn’t much gas left in my tank for that final trudge up Hwy 128, but six and a half hours after starting, we finished.

Best Hike Let’s summarize. You should definitely do this hike. The high country forest is luscious, and the mountain vistas on both sides of the ridge are stunning. Even if you don’t go all the way to Balsam Gap and back, consider trying at least part of this section of the Mountains to Sea Trail for a fine example of what WNC hiking is all about. I would call this one a Best Hike.

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.

June means catawba rhododendron at Craggy Gardens. Located northeast of Asheville on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Craggy Gardens is loaded with the purple and maroon beauties. There are two short, easy trails near the Visitor Center that access mountaintops for spectacular vista views and bunches and bunches of rhodies. Craggy Pinnacle takes you above 5,800 feet for a view of the Parkway below, as well as other famous landmarks like Greybeard Mountain, the Asheville Watershed, and the twin peaks of Linville Gorge. Just the other side of Pinnacle Gap is the Craggy Gardens Trail to the flowerific heath bald at Craggy Flats. I enjoyed these trails and other nearby features on Friday, June 6, 2014 beginning at 9:15AM and ending about 1:30PM. My plan was to take the Craggy Pinnacle and Craggy Gardens trails in search of blossoming catawba rhododendron. The weather changed my plans, for the better.

For the third year in a row, my venture up to Craggy Gardens in June for rhododendron blooming was met with a cloud. A big cloud. One that had the entire Craggy Gardens area socked in. Three years in a row! Well, this time I was going to wait it out. The fog was bound to lift sooner or later, right?

The Craggy Gardens Picnic Area is a bit lower than the viewing peaks, so I headed there first. The parking lot at the picnic area is surrounded by massive catawba bushes that were probably 75% of peak bloom. It was still foggy, but you don’t need to see far to do closeups of blossoms, so I spent probably a half hour playing among the blooms. The purple ones had opened the most, with the maroon ones still several days away. In the gallery below, these will be the first few photos.

Driving back up the mountain to the Visitor Center, I could see that the cloud was still hanging out, so it was Mt. Mitchell here I come. The tallest point in the eastern half of the U.S. is just 10 miles further northeast on the Blue Ridge Parkway. After half that distance I had dropped far enough in elevation to be below the massive cloud cover, so I found a pullout and got some shots of Burnett Reservoir — part of the Asheville Watershed — Greybeard Mountain, and the Parkway itself.

Once you reach Mt. Mitchell State Park, it’s back up, up, up into the cloud layer. I didn’t really expect to be able to see much from the Mitchell viewing platform, but at least I was killing time waiting for the sun to burn off the clouds. My expectations were realized as the area was surrounded in every direction by the billowing obscurity. I did take a brief walk on the nature trail near the summit to enjoy the krummholz, and found a delightful little pathway that was covered in bluets.

Well, it was now an hour later and still 30 minutes or so back to Craggy Gardens, so I thought I’d give it a shot. When I reached the parking area for Craggy Pinnacle at milepost 363, I could tell the cloud layer was a bit thinner than before. I threw a sandwich and some water in my bag and headed the short distance to the top.

Despite this being a weekday, and despite the fog, there were quite a few hearty souls out doing the same as me. That’s the thing about Craggy Gardens in June. Everybody on the East Coast knows about the rhododendron bloom. I even encountered a couple all the way from Germany. I feel sorry for those who come from out of state, or in this case out of country, and all they find is fog. That’s the nature of the Great Craggy Mountains. They sound a fickle siren song.

The pullout for Craggy Pinnacle is about a half mile northeast of the Visitor Center. You pass under the Pinnacle Gap tunnel to get from one to the other. The Craggy Pinnacle trailhead is adjacent to the parking pullout. It is 0.7 mile to the summit of the pinnacle. Once on the trail, you immediately enter a canopy of mature rhododendron, and pretty much remain there all the way to the top. There are a couple of rock outcroppings, but really not much to see along the trail.

You reach a three-way split in the trail at the half mile point. The right fork goes to an overlook where you can see the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area and Craggy Flats (my destination for later), as well as long distance views to the west and north. The center fork goes to the lower pinnacle overlook, one that doesn’t offer much more than the upper overlook, other than a nice view of the pointy tipped summit of Craggy Pinnacle.

I went to the Upper Overlook first. On the final pull to the top, a couple coming down saw my camera and suggested if I wait, the sun had been making a momentary appearance every ten minutes or so. And so it was. When I first popped out on the pinnacle it was all one massive cloud. So I found a bench out of the wind and enjoyed my sandwich while listening to the other tourists lament their bad fortune with the weather.

About the time I finished eating, sure enough, there was a small patch of blue sky, and I could actually see the Visitor Center down below. So it was for the next 20 minutes as I played leap frog with the clouds as they wafted through Pinnacle Gap. It was actually kinda cool watching the fast moving clouds come up from the valley on the west, hurtling through the gap, and then disappearing back down to Burnett Reservoir eastward.

The layer never did lift enough for me to see all the way to Tablerock and Hawksbill Mountains at Linville Gorge, but I did catch some nice views of the reservoir and Greybeard Mountain standing tall over the little hamlet of Montreat. On the way back down, I stopped at the two lower overlooks, and experienced the same variance of alternating clouds and sun. Perhaps by the time I got to Craggy Flats the sky would be completely clear.

The Craggy Gardens trailhead is on the far southwestern end of the Visitor Center parking area. It heads slightly downhill and behind the stone wall that lines the car park. This trail heads multiple destinations, including Douglas Falls, but if you always take the left fork you will make your way to Craggy Flats, a 10 acre heath bald about half way to the picnic area. This pathway is actually part of the famous Mountains to Sea Trail and bears its white blaze markings.

It is less than half a mile from the trailhead to Craggy Flats. Upon reaching the weather shelter near the top of the hill, you can turn left to enjoy a loop around the heath bald, or you can go through the shelter to continue on to the picnic grounds. Since I had already visited the picnic area earlier in the morning, Craggy Flats was my destination.

I was probably a week early to enjoy the total experience of the catawba rhododendrons in their full majesty. Perhaps 30-40% of the flowers were in bloom, the rest still in bud just waiting for that right moment. Be assured however, that there are plenty of them. So even though I missed the timing by a few days, I still got to enjoy quite a show. They say that the average peak at Craggy Gardens is about June 15, so make your plans accordingly. Also expect there to be massive crowds, the exact reason I went early.

And because of that, I had the heath bald nearly to myself. I didn’t encounter nearly as many others as I had on the Craggy Pinnacle Trail. Keep in mind that these really aren’t hiking trails per se. They are merely a means for the tourist to get out of their car at the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center, and stretch their legs a bit to get to the prime viewing locations. If you want actual hiking, you can continue on the Douglas Falls Trail 10 miles or more into the backcountry. Also, off the road to the picnic area is the Snowball Trail.

As I imagined, the cloud layer had now completely changed. It was high, puffy white clouds, with the Craggy Flats bald totally bathed in sunshine. There is a nice view of both Craggy Pinnacle and Craggy Dome. That’s the picture at the top of this post. I spent a half hour walking around, enjoying the views and the rhododendron, and feeling content that I had decided to stick it out hoping for a change in the weather. As they say, good things come to those who wait.

I did get a little exercise on this day. Counting the mile round trip to the summit of Mt. Mitchell and the nature trail there, the mile and a half round trip for Craggy Pinnacle, and another mile round trip to Craggy Flats, I took a few steps. If you’re a brand new hiker just starting out, this is the kind of thing you can do to begin getting your legs under you. You will see so much more around the Blue Ridge Parkway if you just get out of your car occasionally and go exploring. Look for the trailhead markers.

To summarize, Craggy Gardens is an extremely popular destination on the Blue Ridge Parkway for both tourists and local North Carolinians. Especially in the month of June, the crowds can be quite large, so plan accordingly. Expect there to be fog in the morning. It is the nature of the high country. I’m an early riser, so I tend to get antsy and don’t want to wait until afternoon. But if you do arrive at noon, or later, you are more likely to have a better opportunity at long distance views. Regardless of whether the rhododendron is in bloom, Craggy Gardens is a scenic destination in all seasons except winter.

It’s rare when you can get to Craggy Gardens in winter. Usually the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed. However, with the mild weather this year, the Parkway has remained open nearly the entire season. If you have ever wondered what Craggy Gardens looks like with the leaves down and the plants wearing brown instead of green, take a look.

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.

Nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains near Asheville, North Carolina, YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly is a full-service conference center situated on 1,200 acres of woodland beautified by mountain streams, wildflowers, ridges, valleys and spectacular views. What is little known about the property is the extensive hiking trail system. Primary among these is the High Windy Trail, a 1,600 foot climb to scenic views of Black Mountain, Montreat, Greybeard, and Mt. Mitchell. While you’re there, enjoy the rich history of the YMCA Assembly, built in 1906. The Assembly is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This hike occurred on Tuesday, September 10, 2013 from 9:30am to 1:30pm. Our plan was to take the High Windy Trail up to the overlook on the 4,350′ summit, then return on the Carolina Loop Trail visiting the Mt. Mitchell overlook along the way.

The drive into the grounds of the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly is a beautiful single lane loop surrounded by overhanging trees and manicured lawns that double as a frisbee golf course. I had no idea this large complex was tucked away in the hills above Black Mountain, NC. At the top of the hill stands the massive Robert E. Lee Hall, an enormous dormitory with massive white columns that were so popular in early 20th century architecture. The entire campus harkens back to a quieter time more than 100 years ago.

Park in the lot above the Blue Ridge Center and below Lee Hall. If you walk into the Center, there is a reception desk that has maps of the property and trails. Remember as you set out on your hike that this is private property, owned by the YMCA. So be on your best behavior. Don’t do anything that would ruin the privilege for future hikers, and of course, practice Leave No Trace.

Climb the stairs to Lee Hall and walk around the building on either side on Cottage Circle to the back of the building. You’ll have a remarkable view of this stately old hall. That’s the photo at the top of this post. From the rear of Lee Hall, the road continues up the hill a couple hundred yards past the amphitheater and on to the trailhead, a well-signed location denoting all the trails found on the mountain above. For this hike, we took the High Windy Trail.

There are several trail junctions along the way. If you continue to bear right, sticking with the High Windy signs and red blaze, you will remain on the outer loop that goes all the way to the top. Some of the inner loops make for nice shorter hikes, but we know you want to see the sights from the summit. 3/4 mile up, for example, is the junction with the west side of the Carolina Loop. That’s the trail you’ll be on later for the east side descent.

Not far past this junction you’ll reach a log storm shelter. It’s the only one I saw, so if you happen to get trapped out in bad weather, hope it’s on this side of the loop. The trail takes another right fork up High Windy at the shelter. From here, it’s a long, hard uphill pull. In winter, when the leaves are down, you would be able to see the surrounding mountains off in the distance as you climb. Not so in the green months.

The higher we got, the more wildflowers we saw. Particularly, periwinkle was out in abundance. There were various shades of blue, white and yellow flowers.

About a half mile from the top we reached one last junction, this one with the road that ascends the summit. Originally used by those who maintained the transmission tower that used to top the summit of High Windy, it only sees the footprints of hikers these days. This will be your only left turn on this hike.

When you reach the summit of High Windy, you’ll see the decommissioned transmission tower on your left. The satellite pods have been removed from the tower and simply laid upon the ground, now surrounded by heavy weeds. The summit is 4,350 feet and is relatively flat. On the eastern end is an old chimney, a remnant of a bygone era.

Beyond the chimney is the overlook, with a view to the east of the community of Black Mountain. There’s a rocky outcropping near the overlook, shaded by the trees, that was an ideal spot for us to enjoy lunch. On this day, High Windy didn’t live up to its name, as there wasn’t even so much as a breeze.

Refreshed from our nourishment, it was time to head back down. There is a trail below the summit that descends the eastern slope, but it is no longer maintained. Since we had never been here before, we decided it best to stick with the trails on our map, so we returned on the service road.

Just as on the way up, the idea on the way down is to take all the right forks to remain on the outer loop. There are also signs pointing to the Blue Ridge Assembly. Follow those and you can’t go wrong. About a mile down from the summit you will reach another overlook, this one with a great view of Montreat and Greybeard Mountain across the valley. We hiked there before.

Just a little beyond this lower overlook we took a detour to another overlook. When we reached the orange-blazed Carolina Loop Trail we turned right, up the hill, on an old dirt road. This winds through a construction area for about half a mile. Whatever construction was considered up here, they changed their mind, because now it’s just a torn up mess. The walk is worth it though, for the view of Mt. Mitchell and Greybeard at the end of the road.

Backtrack down the construction road to the Carolina Loop and resume your descent. You will now follow a stream down the mountain, creating a delightful backdrop to the other mountain sounds. We did not encounter any other hikers, but this stretch on the Carolina Loop is where you would be most likely to meet exercise walkers. It isn’t as steep on this side of the loop, so most of the walkers go up the east side.

Near the bottom, the Carolina Loop joins the blue-blazed Wolfpit Circle Trail and crosses the creek that has been following your descent. You will reach a gate in the road that you walk around, and then you return to paved road. Just a few hundred yards more and you are back to Lee Hall.

From the front of Lee Hall, looking north and east is a stunning view of The Great Craggy Mountains, home to Craggy Gardens on the Blue Ridge Parkway. By now it was early afternoon, and the hustle and bustle at the Blue Ridge Assembly had picked up considerably since our morning departure. I am so excited to find this place. I simply had no clue of its existence.

To summarize, when you come to the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly, come prepared for a strenuous hike, and a strong sense of history. The old buildings on the campus are remarkable, and the trail to High Windy is quite enjoyable. It was a wonderful way to spend four hours on a late summer day.

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.

Kind of an unusual name for the mountain this trail is named after, but it is at 5,200 feet, so the snow comes earlier in the season, and more frequently than in the valleys below. North of Asheville, NC on the Blue Ridge Parkway, this hike is in the Craggy Gardens area. There are splendid views of the Great Craggy Mountains and the Black Mountains from the three summits that are encountered along the trail. You cross Snowball Mountain, Hawkbill Rock, and Little Snowball Mountain along a trail that is roller coaster in nature, lots of up and down, and up and down. This hike occurred on Friday, September 9, 2011 from 10:10am to about 3:15pm. The plan was to take the connector on the Mountains to the Sea Trail along the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area road to the Snowball Trail. From there, it is out and back to the remnants of an old fire tower on Little Snowball Mountain, an eight mile roundtrip.

View Snowball Trail at Craggy Gardens, Blue Ridge Parkway in a larger map

After three weeks of overtime at work because we were short-staffed, it was good to put the pack on again. The mountain air smells a whole lot better than office air any day, and just seems to make the lungs open wider wanting more. This particular day was one of those with low valley fog that occur so frequently in the North Carolina mountains. I love it! My companion and I got on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Asheville and headed north to Craggy Gardens. It’s 17 miles through beautiful woodlands on my favorite road as it passes the Parkway Headquarters as well as the Folk Art Center.

The trail for this hike is located on the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area road, at milepost 367.6. It’s just a few hundred yards up the road on the left. Look for the short concrete trailhead marker with a white blaze that designates the Mountains to the Sea Trail. It’s then only a few hundred feet up the MTS to the fork. The MTS goes left and more or less follows the parkway. We took the Snowball Trail to the right. Don’t be looking for a sign; there isn’t one. My trail map said that Snowball has a white blaze, but all the tree markings I saw were yellow.

The first mile is a pretty good climb; it goes from 4,200 feet to about 5,200 on top of Snowball Mountain. The grade is not steep though, so I didn’t really feel tired along the way. All along the left-hand, or southerly, side of the trail we kept encountering spur trails every couple hundred yards. We tried a few of these to see if there were nice views, or campsites. There probably are good views of the Great Craggy Mountains at the end of some of these short spurs in winter, when all the leaves are off the trees. But on this day in late summer, with the trees still fully clothed, we were disappointed and stopped taking the spurs after the third one. The forest is mostly deciduous with some spruce, black balsam particularly. There was even some old growth oak that had survived the logging and blights that had to be a few hundred years old. Some of these trees are huge.

When we reached the top of Snowball Mountain there was a great view to the northeast of the majestic, more than 6000′ Black Mountains. That’s the picture at the top of this post. The clouds were creating quite the entertaining sight. There was the low lying fog still hovering in the gaps between the ridges, then another layer sitting like a hat on the mountaintops. Despite some greyness to the clouds, they weren’t the least bit threatening, the weather was ideal for hiking.

From Snowball Mountain the trail drops down the ridge about 600 feet, then begins climbing again to Hawkbill Rock, a large rocky outcropping that stands at 4800 feet. The climb from the gap up Hawkbill is a pretty steep rock scramble, the only part of the hike that requires the use of all fours. Reaching the summit is definitely worth the effort, as there are great views of the Great Craggy and Black Mountains to the northeast, and the Reems Creek drainage to the south. Directly to the east we could see the ridge we just came down from Snowball Mountain. We were fascinated sitting on the rock watching the wisps of valley fog lift and float away on the air currents. This dance of cloud and forest went on for the 10 minutes we took to get some nourishment and enjoy the scene. We were totally surrounded by forest. There were no roads in sight, no meadow, no buildings; just green, green forest as far as we could see in every direction.

On the west side of Hawkbill Rock, the trail again plunges down to Snowball Gap, a drop of another 800 feet. The trail itself changed to one suitable for all-terrain vehicles. It got wider and smoother in the gap. As the day began to warm, so did I, so I took off my long sleeve shirt. It didn’t take long to get introduced to a plant I had never encountered before. It’s called stinging nettle. I hadn’t noticed it with sleeves, except that my knees had an unusual itch through my pants, but with just short sleeves on I got stung, and stung, and stung. It isn’t an OWWWWWW! screaming kind of sting, but more of a nuisance ouch that definitely gets your attention. In all the hiking I’ve done in western North Carolina for the last four years now, this was the first time I ever experienced the annoyance of stinging nettle.

Down in Snowball Gap, the trail takes an odd little zig-zag as it parallels the private property of the Blackberry Inn. The private land is well marked with red and orange paint and ribbons, so you don’t have to worry about straying where you don’t belong. Just past this point the short climb up Little Snowball Mountain begins, just a touch more than 100 feet more of up. As we neared the top, we began to see broken glass along the trail, a sign that we were nearing the end of the four mile trail.

There used to be a fire tower on top of Little Snowball Mountain. Some years ago it was disassembled and moved to Big Ivy Historical Park near the community of Big Ivy that the tower once protected. The only thing that remains on Little Snowball are the four concrete pillars where the tower once stood, and a lot of broken glass. I would think the tower would have had shatter resistant windows because of the high winds that can howl through the Craggy Mountains, so I was at a loss to explain the broken glass.

Those pillars made great seats for our lunch break. The views on Little Snowball aren’t quite as dramatic as the previous two summits. The area is surrounded by laurels and rhododendrons that have grown high enough through the years to block the immediate vicinity. Still, we could see tops of distant mountains crowned by the ever-present cloud formations. With our bellies full, we were revitalized for the trek back.

The out part of Snowball Trail is easy to moderate. Not so of the back part. It is quite strenuous, and therefore somewhat difficult. The up is a lot steeper going back, and there’s more of it. The climb from Snowball Gap to Hawkbill Rock seems a lot longer after already having five miles on your legs. Hawkbill Rock was a welcome sight, and another opportunity to rest, drink lots of water, munch an apple, and take some more pictures. By now, the morning fog had completely lifted, but the large clouds were still doing their hat routine over the mountains. The super-steep rock that I climbed on all fours going up was quite dicey going down. I even wondered aloud to my friend how many broken ankles there had been on that stretch over the decades. Then it was another 600 feet up to Snowball Mountain. Huff, puff. Huff, puff. I know, I’m just a whining Meanderthal.

The last mile is all downhill a thousand feet. It didn’t seem so bad going up nearly five hours before, but the seven miles already on my tired legs took a toll. The feet and knees and hips were getting weaker with every step down. Y’know it’s funny. I thought this trail was fairly easy going out, but I sure changed my mind coming back. It is quite the workout. What was really nice though, was the late season wildflowers that had opened up in the warmth of the afternoon — and the mountain ash berries bursting with bright red glory.

I really enjoyed the Snowball Trail. It had slipped past my radar until now, and I’m glad I took the time to search the map for a trail I had yet to explore. The views of the surrounding mountains are first rate, and the trail itself is in very good condition. We had it all to ourselves too. The solitude was relaxing for the soul. I would say this would be an excellent trail for the autumn leaf peepers. No need to do the full length — just going to Hawkbill Rock and back would make an excellent excursion.

Update August 22, 2017

Looking for a haven from the heat and humidity of late August, I headed up into the high country of the Great Craggy Mountains to visit the Snowball Trail. It was good timing as the summer wildflowers were in abundance and the early morning air was cool and breezy. Still very humid though. I was lucky enough to see a little bear cub not far from the trailhead and butterflies and mushrooms galore. Here are some new photos of my adventure on the Snowball Trail to Hawkbill Rock.

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.