Pilot Rock is another of the granite plutons found in the Pisgah Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest. Not as spectacular as it’s more famous cousin, Looking Glass Rock, Pilot still offers remarkable views of the Blue Ridge Parkway and national forest, including the Cradle of Forestry National Historical Site. It’s a short mile climb of almost 700 feet from the valley floor to the southern face of Pilot Rock. The forest changes along the way; from birch saplings to oak and maple, and the omnipresent laurels that embrace Western North Carolina. This hike occurred on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 from 11:30am to 1:00pm. My plan was to climb the Pilot Rock Trail to the pluton, then make a visit to Bradley Creek, farther down Forest Road 1206.

Are you looking for a short hike to get a great view of Pisgah National Forest from above? Well, Pilot Rock is your ticket to a pleasant and enjoyable forested hike that climbs nearly 700 feet in just one mile. From the rock there are unobstructed views of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Cradle of Forestry National Historical Site, as well as a wide expanse of beautiful, lush, protected forest lands.

The trailhead for Pilot Rock Trail is one of many great hikes that begin on Forest Road 1206 otherwise known as Yellow Gap Road, less than a half mile beyond the Forest Discovery Center and Pink Beds off Scenic Highway 276. Once on the gravel forest road, it is four miles to the trailhead, located on the left side of the road. There is parking available for 3-4 cars.

Take note of a confusing turn in the trail just a hundred feet up. The trail appears to go straight ahead, but instead bears to the right. The straight ahead trail goes to a campsite. So bear right, and you will immediately cross Bradley Creek on a log bridge. Once across the creek, the trail begins a steady climb through an amazing forest of thin and numerous birch saplings.

This is an enjoyable area no matter the season. In winter, when the trees are bare, you can see through the forest to the base of Pilot Rock. In late September look for the bright yellow leaves to signal the start of a brand new autumn, and in spring and summer the birch is alive with a vibrant, verdant showcase. The National Forest continues to recover from the logging of the early 20th century.

You will cross an old logging road (stay on the orange blazed trail straight ahead), and the trail begins to climb in earnest. Next comes the first of two series of switchbacks that make the ascent more moderate. Watch your step, especially in late autumn when the trail is covered with fallen leaves. There are roots and loose rocks hidden beneath those leaves that will easily twist an ankle.

Once the trail straightens out again, it enters a boulder field and a change in the makeup of the forest. Look for oak here, and maple, poplar and of course mountain laurel. I was lucky to find this stretch still rocking the bright autumnal hues, so I paused for a break on the boulders and snapped off a few pictures.

Not long after clearing the boulder field you’ll hit the 2nd group of switchbacks, this one just a little bit tougher. If you start to breathe hard, fear not, you are almost to Pilot Rock. As the trail makes a sharp easterly turn, it will pop out of the forest with the granite of Pilot Rock to your right and just below.

You will notice immediately that the face of Pilot Rock is very steep. Hopefully, you have hiking shoes with good grip because you will need it as you inch your way down to take in the scenery. If this rock is even the slightest bit wet be very, very careful. If you slip and begin to slide downwards, you won’t stop for a very long way. If icy in winter, I would recommend that you not even set foot on the rock face. Just enjoy the view from the trail.

Again I was lucky, as on this bright sunny day Pilot Rock was completely dry and I was able to navigate its surface with ease. If you go down the face about 30-40 feet you’ll clear the trees completely and have a 180° view of the surrounding mountains. A light breeze helped dry the perspiration from my face as I took out a snack and the tripod.

Straight ahead, to the south, is the Cradle of Forestry. It is nestled in a large valley that is filled with every color of tree imaginable (well, maybe not blue). You can barely make out the ribbon that is Yellow Gap Road slicing through the forest. There are pockets of pine and stands of spruce surrounded by the hardwood, remnants of the experimental forests that were planted in the heyday of the forestry school.

The westerly view is perhaps the most spectacular. That’s the photo at the top of this post. Click it for a larger image. You can follow the Blue Ridge Parkway as it winds its way from ridge to ridge nearly 5000 feet high. Starting from the northwest there is Fryingpan Mountain with its trademark fire and communications towers. Next is Beech Knob and then the junction where Hwy 276 meets the Parkway. Continuing southward, through Wagon Road Gap you can make out the 6000′ summits of the Black Balsam area far in the distance. You’ll then see the Parkway make a sweeping hairpin turn at Pounding Mill Overlook (the one I take care of as a Park Service volunteer), and continue its journey toward Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The eastern view from Pilot Rock is the most difficult to see because of the angle, but you can make out Funneltop Mountain across the valley. The face of Pilot Rock continues around the mountain to the east so you can eventually see Slate Rock, but it’s a dangerous proposition. I vote for safe rather than sorry.

I stuck around for about 20 minutes taking pictures and enjoying the beautiful scenery and weather. There was not a cloud in the sky. The fall foliage was perhaps a week to ten days past peak color, but it was still a delight. It sure beats working.

When finished, I resumed Pilot Rock Trail for an additional tenth mile or so. It continues uphill for another two miles before eventually coming out at the parking area and trailhead for Mt. Pisgah. If you want to make a complete day hike of it, combining these two hikes would be a fantastic way to take in this section of Pisgah National Forest. But I wanted to get back to Yellow Gap Road and spend some time on Bradley Creek.

Because I was hiking at midday, on the way back down the sun had changed directions and was now casting a fabulous glow on the colorful trees in the boulder field. Bright orange and yellow were all the rage as I rustled my way through the thick bed of recently fallen leaves. There wouldn’t be any wildlife today. The swish and crackle beneath my feet made too much noise.

It’s about another three miles east on Yellow Gap Road to the trailhead for Slate Rock Creek. At that trailhead, Slate Rock Creek meets Bradley Creek in a picturesque deep forest setting that always lures me whenever I find myself near there. It is unbelievably green. I have been there in December and seen the rhododendron leaves still totally green. The hardwood trees were just barely showing color to indicate they were willing to shed their leaves. It’s amazing what water will do.

It was still fairly early in the afternoon, so I walked up the Slate Rock Creek Trail about a quarter mile just to enjoy the rushing sound of the stream and the solitude of the forest. I pulled up a rock on the creek bank and sat for awhile, splashing my face with the crisp, clean mountain water and giving thanks to those a century ago who had the forethought to protect this wonderful wild place for you and me and those who come next. I am so very fortunate to live where I do.

Eventually my mind returned to now and I headed back out Yellow Gap Road to Hwy 276. I stopped a few times alongside Looking Glass Creek to take some pictures and pulled into Sliding Rock just to see what it was all about. Even though I’ve lived here for half a dozen years, I’d never managed to check out Sliding Rock. It was closed for the season, of course, which meant I could explore the grounds and see what I’d been missing. I can see it being fun summer family water entertainment that for just $1 per person would be quite refreshing on a hot muggy day.

In summary, the Pilot Rock Trail is a moderately steep trail to a fantastic view of Pisgah National Forest. At an easy pace, you can make it to Pilot Rock in 30 minutes. Depending on how long you stay, you can be back in an hour ready to tackle one of the other trails on Yellow Gap Road. If you want to make a full day of it, Pilot Rock Trail continues up Slate Rock Ridge for another couple miles to the Blue Ridge Parkway where you can then hike to the summit of Mt. Pisgah if you desire.

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.

Hidden deep within the Mills River area of Pisgah National Forest, the Pilot Cove/Slate Rock Creek loop trail is primarily a water feature hike. There are two notable waterfalls and several cascades on Slate Rock Creek, and views of Slate Rock through the trees. We encountered several creek crossings (some wading, some with log bridges), and a relatively young forest. This hike occurred on April 14, 2011 beginning at 10:45AM and ending about 2:15PM. The plan was to take the Pilot Cove Trail through Pilot Cove then up on the rim overlooking Slate Rock. From there it meets the Slate Rock Creek Trail for the descent along Slate Rock Creek on the back side of Slate Rock. The eastern and western trailheads are then about 1.5 miles apart on Forest Road 1206.

View Pilot Cove/Slate Rock Creek Trails, in a larger map

There are a lot of trailheads on Forest Road 1206, but they are not always easy to find, so keep your eyes peeled. The Pilot Cove Trail is 5.25 miles in from Scenic Highway 276, then it is another mile and a half to the Slate Rock Creek Trail. We chose to start at Pilot Cove and take the loop clockwise. Research indicates that mountain bikers like to do this loop from Slate Rock Creek though. The first mile and a half took us through Pilot Cove, a flat, forested area with views through the trees of Slate Rock to the northeast. Seasonally, when the leaves are on the trees, these views would not be available. At ground level we saw bluets, trillium, and asters.

After getting through the cove and beginning to gradually climb, the forest changed to young saplings. The forest was quite full, so at some point a few decades from now there will be a battle for sunshine and who can grow fastest. For now, it makes for a very pretty scene. Even without their leaves, this thick wooded area has a remarkable peacefulness and beauty. It is also, I suspect, quite colorful in autumn. The next half mile is a fairly steep climb of 400 feet to the ridge above. This is the only section of the trail that is moderately difficult, the rest is either flat or downhill. There was a lot of galax, ground cedar and moss along the side of the trail. At the top, the trail forks. The Pilot Cove Loop goes right, to the rim of Slate Rock, and a return to the Pilot Cove trailhead. Straight ahead, and down, is the Slate Rock Creek Trail. That’s where we went.

It didn’t take long before we encountered Slate Rock Creek. Over the course of the three miles down, I lost track of the number of times we crossed the creek, but it was more than six and less than 12. Some crossings had log bridges, others were a hop-skip-and-jump across. At times, the trail would hug a hillside while the creek plunged below, but much of the downward hike followed along the creek bank. There were two significant waterfalls on the trail. The upper falls was about a ten foot cascade that didn’t have much water yet. The trail crossed a log bridge right at the base of the falls. Not long after the upper falls, we found some nice logs on the side of the trail and had our lunch. The sounds from the creek and the breeze were quite refreshing. The lower falls, another mile and a half downstream, can be heard from several hundred yards away. This one was a twenty footer, and flowing quite freely. The trail was probably 50 feet above the base of the falls, so I scrambled down the steep hillside to get a better view and a few pictures.

There appear to be natural springs along the Slate Rock Creek Trail. There were a few stretches where the trail was quite puddled, and obviously stayed that way, because trail maintenance volunteers had made efforts to improve the trail condition with strategic log placement. There were a few rocky surfaces that were a bit slippery, so be careful. Between the two waterfalls is another cove-like area with beautiful mountain meadows, where the creek slows to a crawl and there is a backside view of Slate Rock. The photo at the top of this post is the scene. We paused for several minutes at a spot along the creek where the bank was covered with bright green moss, and the water showed some evidence of minerals. Some of the rhodos stood 20 feet tall.

The last mile along Slate Rock Creek was relatively flat, with the creek continuing on our right. There was the occasional cascade to fill our ears, along with the sounds of the forest. 5.3 miles from the beginning of our hike, we came back to Forest Road 1206 at the Slate Rock Creek Trailhead. There were a couple guys getting out of their car who were probably heading up the way we just came. Across the gravel road was a beautiful scene where Slate Rock Creek plunged further down the forest for its eventual meeting with Mills River.

We still had 1.8 miles to go on the forest road back to the car. It was mostly uphill, about 300 feet in total, but gradual. The forest was very thick here and water was everywhere. There are any number of creeks running through this area, as the water finds its way off the mountains that are 3,000 feet above along the Pisgah Ridge. This hike was a refreshing one with meadow, forest, and water. We lucked into a beautiful day as the weather has been quite stormy here the past couple weeks. This is a mostly easy stroll through the forest with only light pack requirements. If I were to do this hike again, I think I would start at Slate Rock Creek and go counterclockwise, because it enables you to also take the trail to the rim of Slate Rock without doubling back. If you give it a try yourself, let me know what you think.

Update. I had a chance to revisit this hike on May 16, 2011 to try it in a counterclockwise direction. I also took the Pilot Cove Loop Trail to Slate Rock which did, in fact, turn out to be the highlight of this hike, as I suspected. Slate Rock curves around Slate Rock Ridge for about 210 degrees and offers terrific views of Pilot Rock, Pilot Mountain several miles in the distance, and Pilot Cove down below. The climb up Slate Rock Creek Trail is longer than the Pilot Cove Trail, but no more steep, still a gradual climb that follows the creek nearly the entire way. We paused several times to daydream alongside the fresh, clear water of Slate Rock Creek. The addition of the Pilot Cove Loop added a bit more climbing to the hike, but probably no more than 100 feet. The forest had greened considerably since I visited this area a month before. My brother and I stayed nearly an hour on Slate Rock taking in the beautiful scene and enjoying the crisp, spring-time air. It was a great spot for lunch and conversation.

Update Meanderthals visited this hike again on Thursday, July 19, 2012. The summer season makes quite a difference in the surroundings and scenery. The forest is full of lush, green ferns — frankly, a quite amazing display. You can no longer see through the forest to get a glimpse of Slate Rock from below, but the smells and sounds of the forest are invigorating.

This time we took the inner loop, climbing up the Pilot Cove/Slate Rock Trail, then connecting with the Pilot Cove Loop rather than the Slate Rock Creek Trail. It takes about two and a half miles off the hike and offers the opportunity to visit Slate Rock, a must see. From the edge of Slate Rock we could view the 6,500 acre Cradle of Forestry area where the U.S. Forest Service first began training its conservation management employees a century ago. The Blue Ridge Parkway is also visible as it winds along Pisgah Ridge, but the highlight is across the cove. Looking from one pluton to another, Slate Rock has a wonderful view of Pilot Rock and the ridge that runs down to it.

I’ve added a GPS tracked map below, and a new photo gallery so you can compare the seasonal changes.

Update Meanderthals visited this hike again on Friday, April 11, 2014, this time taking the loop counter-clockwise, starting up Slate Rock Creek first. At this time in early spring, the trees weren’t out yet, but there were a few wildflowers announcing their presence, mostly violets and bluets.

I also decided to check out the manway that climbs from the creek crossing up to the Laurel Mountain Trail another thousand feet above to the north. It’s a very tough climb, finally popping out at Sassafras Gap after an additional mile and a half. I continued west on Laurel Mountain Trail to Good Enough Gap, turned around, and returned back down the manway to the creek crossing. This little excursion added a total of four miles to this hike.

From there it was up to Slate Rock Ridge, then on to Slate Rock for one of my favorite views in all of Pisgah National Forest. The scene from Slate Rock of Pilot Rock, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Cradle of Forestry, and Pilot Mountain far in the distance is one that I enjoy thoroughly. It’s a quiet moment of solitude that leaves me pondering the upheaval that took place eons ago creating these massive granite plutons.

The good news about doing this loop counter-clockwise is that the final 1.8 miles trudge on Yellow Gap Road is downhill. As a result, I recommend taking this hike from the Slate Rock Creek end first. It’s good to get the majority of the climbing out of the way first, when your legs and lungs are fresh. That way you can relatively coast on the way back down.

I’ve added another GPS tracked map below, and a new photo gallery so you can compare the seasonal changes. Look for the manway to Laurel Mountain Trail in the far north portion of the map.

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.