Soon you are out in the open climbing several balds the views in all directions are spectacular. Youll begin the hike on the north side of the river, crossing almost immediately and continuing to climb your way up in elevation and out of the davidson river valley. Begin the sam knob trail 617 blue blaze on the right near the pit toilets. There are three main access points for trails within the wilderness. Starting at the davidson river near the davidson river campground, near brevard, nc, section 1 of the trail climbs shutin ridge and.
The trail is primarily used for hiking, running, and camping and is best used from december until february. The trail also passes the base of cold mountain, made famous by the novel and film. At black balsam, the trails high point at 6214 feet, is a plaque commemorating art loeb as well as the trail. Its steep, conical summit rises high above the surroundings and can be seen from many viewpoints along the blue ridge parkway and in the pisgah ranger district.
We followed and art loeb trail up to the summit of black balsam knob from the trailhead off black balsam road. The art loeb trail crosses the blue ridge parkway at milepost 421. Recommended hike to some of the best views on the parkway. Any information on reliablesemi reliable water sources would be great. Trails are often made up of several connecting paths which may have different characteristics, allowed uses, and seasons. Anyone who has hike this trail, please respond to this posting about the availability of water on the trail. The adventure begins at the art loeb trailhead, located just off the blue ridge parkway at milepost 420 view maps and driving directions. Hike the cat gapart loebbutter gap loop in pisgah national. We passed several forest service roads and made our way up stony knob and then a fairly difficult ascent of chestnut knob.
The trail has seen recent trail maintenance and is a wide gravel path. Shining rock wilderness loop via art loeb trail north. Art loeb trail shuttles, permitted through the us forest services, pisgah ranger district, we supply transportation to the trail head at daniel boone campground. The trail has seen recent trail maintenance and is.
Below are weather averages from 1971 to 2000 according to data gathered from the nearest official weather station. Although one of the longest and more difficult trails in north carolina, the 30. The northern end is at the daniel boone boy scout camp near cold mountain, while the trails southern end is near the davidson river campground, near brevard in transylvania county. Pilot mountain is a notable landmark on the art loeb trail in pisgah national forest. Art loeb hiking trail western nc hikes visit nc smokies. The cold mountain trail is a strenuous spur trail that leads off from the art loeb trail. Art loeb spur trail, located near haywood county, north carolina is a 0. Description although one of the longest and more difficult trails in north carolina, the 30. Hiking shining rock wilderness, art loeb trail and cold mountain. Feb 10, 2019 if you are looking for a solid prep hike for the appalachian trail or just want to hike one of national geographic adventures top north american hikes, look no further than the art loeb trail in brevard, nc. You will take the blueblazed butter gap trail that goes downhill on your right. The northern terminus is at the daniel boone boy scout camp in haywood county, while the trails southern terminus is located near the davidson river campground, near brevard, in transylvania county.
Weighing in at just 4 grams, this waterproof, durable map features a map of the art loeb trail on one side and an elevation profile with altitudes and trail datainformation on the other. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash. Caz art trail maps map of 2019 cazenovia art trail. Due to tree cover there are no views from the 6030foot summit. Feel free to include specific directions to help us understand where you are in reference to the trail.
Hikers should bring a good trail map with them before venturing out. While the art loeb trail is challenging, it is doable to complete in a weekend, if so desired. Map of 2019 cazenovia art trail printed maps were available at all art trail studios and locations during the event which was held september 28th and 29th, 2019 from 10 am to 5 pm. This trail is divided into multiple segments as follows. Art loeb trail topo map in transylvania county, north carolina. The challenging art loeb trail is a 30mile hiking trail located in pisgah national forest. Several trails intersect bradley creek, so check your map for loop. Please use the perspective of the hiker exiting the trail to describe how to get to your facility. If you are looking for a solid prep hike for the appalachian trail or just want to hike one of national geographic adventures top north american hikes, look no further than the art loeb trail in brevard, nc. Soon the trail crosses fsr 816 and climbing to the very popular black balsam knob. The hike departs on the art loeb trailhead at the southern end of the daniel boone boy scout camp view maps and driving directions, catching views of the tumbling little east fork pigeon river beside the trailhead parking area. Trail was only difficult to follow around the shining rock area, but if you download the all trails map and have battery on your cell phone you. Hikers on in the northern part of the trail in the shining rock wilderness will find unmarked trails, so bring a map.
Art loeb hiking trail, north carolina romantic asheville. This trail is a memorial to art loeb, who was an activist from the carolina. Water is sparse on this trail for most of the year, though it was plentiful during my hike because the snowmelt supplied springs along the way. Water is sparse on this trail for most of the year, though it was plentiful during my. Art loeb trail shuttle pure vida adventures guides.
Some of the art loeb trail is featured in the hiking guide book hiking the blue ridge. Stay on the art loeb trail until the very confusing intersection with butter gap. Rather than a loop trail, the art loeb trail runs northbound for 30 miles from the davidson river campground to the daniel boone boy scout camp. Sprout and i met on the at back in 2011 and have remained close friends we now find ourselves living in the same area near asheville, north carolina and both craving adventure. Cold mountain nc on the art loeb trail asheville trails. Im still shaking down my new gear, so i thought this would be a good test. Balsam spring gap black balsam rd jct hiking art loeb trail 0. Guide to hiking the art loeb trail in one weekend the trek. The only problem was it didnt tell us where water sources were. The art loeb trail leading to shining rock crosses black balsam knob and tennent mountain, all grassy balds with panoramic views. But, the gpx file lines up with the nat geo map for the pisgah forest so im sure its good. The trail is named after arthur loeb, a conservationist and avid hiker who deeply loved the. Given the number of trail intersections in this wilderness, we highly recommend hiking with an official trail map.
This is a popular mountain biking trail, so keep an eye and earphone out for them. The art loeb trail alt pocket profile map is another great map to show the elevations of summits and gaps as well as water sources on the trail. Hammock camping can also easily be done along this route due to the abundance of trees. Along the way, the trail traverses several significant peaks, including black balsam. The art loeb trail is one of the longer and more difficult. Printed maps were available at all art trail studios and locations during the event which was held september 28th and 29th, 2019 from 10 am to 5 pm. The art loeb trail is a 30 mile difficult trail, but this shorter 9. Listed as one of national geographic adventures 30 best hikes in north america, the 30. Description shining rock via art loeb trail hike best. Hike profile the hike is an out and back hike to shining rock following the art loeb iii trail with the option to do a loop hike by returning on the ivestor gap trail, bypassing grassy cove top, tennent mountain. I did a 24 hour hike of the art loeb trail several.
Black balsam knob on the art loeb trail asheville trails. Shining rock mountain on the art loeb trail asheville trails. To see all the other connecting trails, see the davidson river and shining rock wilderness maps. Pull into the campground and make an immediate left into the art loeb trail parking lot.
Art loeb hiking trail, north carolina romanticasheville. The northern terminus is at the daniel boone boy scout camp in haywood county, while the trail s southern terminus is located near the davidson river campground, near brevard, in transylvania county. The art loeb trail uses the same path as the mountains to sea trail along portions of its length. Looking at a topo of the trail, water sources along the trial look sparce. Dec 06, 2017 the art loeb trail was wellmarked with white blazes and numerous wooden signs. Guide to hiking the art loeb trail in one weekend the. The 34 mile art loeb trail is one of the most popular weekend backpacking trails in the asheville area. The hike ventures northbound from the road, trekking through tall grasses and diving into a grove of balsam fir. See photos and hike details for the art loeb trail in north carolina in the. Got a group of 4 doing the art loeb trail april 69. The trail is named after arthur loeb, a conservationist and avid hiker who deeply loved the mountains of north carolina. The trail is well worn and goes uphill at a pretty steep pace.
Shining rock wilderness loop via art loeb trail is a 9. Section hiking the art loeb trail appalachian voices. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from march until november. The art loeb trail can be hiked from north to south or viceversa.
Being such a long trail, it is divided up into 4 sections by the forest service, which we use on this site as well. The whole trail is 30 miles, so you can go out as far as youd like. There are forestry roads here and hikingmountain biking trails. Hike profile the hike is an out and back hike to shining rock following the art loeb iii trail with. All satellites, w smoke, modis, viirs 375m, viirs progression, ir progression. The nearest weather station for both precipitation and temperature measurements is pisgah forest 1 n which is approximately 9 miles away and has an elevation of 2,110 feet 2,335 feet lower than art loeb trail.
Once at high knob the trail meanders on level ground through shutin ridge. Greetings, little bear and i are planning to hike the art loeb trail in the pisgah nf, just southwest of asheville, nc. Art loeb trail brevard 2020 all you need to know before. Oct 06, 2016 once at high knob the trail meanders on level ground through shutin ridge. Hiking the art loeb trail in pisgah national forest.
The trail descends quickly to catpen gap and then rises to sandy gap and amazing views of cedar rock mountain. Art loeb trail hiking trail, brevard, north carolina. The art loeb trail was wellmarked with white blazes and numerous wooden signs. Trailhead information and parking for a shuttle vehicle are available here as well as a lovely creek to cool off in after a completed thru hike.
Most of the trail is overlapped by the mountainstothe sea trail which is blazed with 3inch white dots. During easter break april 1216, 2006, dave, ben, and i hiked the art loeb trail in western north carolina. The art loeb trail crosses four 6,000foot mountains, including black balsam knob 6,214 ft near the blue ridge parkway. However, if you backtrack about 10 yards down the trail from the top youll find a short spur trail on the left that leads to a rock ledge that offers an incredible 180degree view towards the. If you cant make the higher mileage for this loop at least climb up to the summit of black balsam knob. Also includes cold mountain, old butt knob and shining creek spur trails. The trail begins at camp daniel boone and travels through the high balsams of the shining rock wilderness area and drops into the forest covered lands along the last two thirds of the trip ending at davidson river campground. The art loeb trail crosses four 6,000foot mountains, including black balsam knob 6,214 ft near the blue ridge parkway and tennent mountain 6,040 ft. I was pleased to find the big hike app i used on the at had the art loeb trail as well. Im still shaking down my new gear, so i thought this would be a good test i allowed myself 3 days and nights to complete the hike, but i really hoped to complete it in 2. She looks over with a hint of amusement in her eye and says, i was thinking about hiking the art loeb on monday, wanna. I also used gps mapping on my phone and had a paper map and a compass as backup. Along the way, the trail traverses several significant peaks, including black balsam knob 6,214 ft, tennent mountain 6040 ft and pilot mountain 5095 ft. At black balsam, the trail s high point at 6214 feet, is a plaque commemorating art loeb as well as the trail.
You can access the peak and make a loop using the art loeb trail and fr 229 from gloucester gap on. Many turn this trail into a multiday trip, but be aware of other trail users who break the trail into segments for day use. Many hikers use the art loeb for extended backpacking trips, while others use shorter sections for day hikes, or use connecting trails to form several outstanding loop hikes. Art loeb trail hiking trail, brevard, north carolina hiking project.
Much of the trail still had standing water and lots of mud. Art loeb trail running trail, brevard, north carolina. Art loeb and north slope loop north carolina alltrails. In my planning for the trip, i was dissatisfied with the amount of information available about the art loeb trail, including any information about hikers completing the trail in one weekend.