Hiking in the Pisgah National Forest
Yesterday I had the most incredible experience of hiking the Middle Prong of the Mountains-To-Sea Trail in the Pisgah National Forest. It is an unmarked wilderness trail riddled with blueberries and blackberries. The sound of silence was refreshing, renewing and inspiring. At times we forget the treasures we have in our own back yard. Below I have given you a glimpse of the origin of the trail.
Transylvania County has 49% of its land mass dedicated to State & National Forest -
the beauty & grandeur is much to behold!
Mountains-To-Sea Trail
Distance: 57.6 miles
Difficulty: Difficult
Blaze: White Dot
Access: There are several access points to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail on the Pisgah District. The most used are the Art Loeb Trailhead, Black Mountain Trail, Shut-in Trail or from NC Highway 215.
Attractions and Considerations: The Mountains-to-Sea Trail will eventually extend from one of the highest points in the North Carolina mountains, Clingman’s Dome, to the lowest elevations on the Outer Banks at Nag’s Head. It will cover almost 700 miles when it is completed. Plans call for completion by the year 2020. This will be a travelway with various sections open to hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and canoeing. The trail is completed through the Pisgah District and covers 57.6 miles. This is a strenuous trail, and after all of the ups and downs you will have climbed over 20,000 feet in elevation! The trail enters the Pisgah District at Haywood Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway and leaves at the French Broad River. You will pass through just about every ecosystem found in the southern Appalachian Mountains from high-elevation grass balds to cove hardwoods forests, and from mountain ridges to thickets of rhododendron. Though mainly a foot trail, some sections are open to mountain bikes. The Mountains-to-Sea Trail overlaps other district trails, listed below. It is identified by 3-inch, white painted dots, with the exception of the Middle Prong Wilderness where routed wooden signs point the way. When overlapping other trails, you will also see the rectangular paint blaze used to identify them.
Trail Section:
Middle Prong – 4.5 miles
Silvermine Bald – 2.0 miles
Art Loeb – 18.5 miles
Sycamore Cove – 1.0 mile
Black Mountain – 7.1 miles
Pink Beds – 3.1 miles
Buck Springs – 5.1 miles
Shut-in – 16.3 miles
