Art lobe trail - Appalachian Trail

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#1

Has anyone hiked the part of the art lobe trail that starts at the Davidson River Campground? Was it very crouded? What is the difficulty? How would you rate it overall? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks

brown bear

#2

I did the lovely Art Loeb two falls ago.

I was still fit from a Long Trail hike, and found it to be surprisingly tough, but you know, that is all relative. It’s a 30-mile Trail; most do it in 2.5 days. No hand-over-hand climbing, just ascending, ascending… you’re over 5,000 feet for alot of it - not a bad place to be when temps in the lowlands exceed 90 degrees.

I thought the fall was a superb time though, with no bugs, lovely foliage, minimal tourists, crisp air and views of Looking Glass Rock; the blueberry bushes on the upper section were turning burgundy and the moutain ash was orange - very pretty.

Starting from east end, the Davidson River campground, you’ll be climbing uphill much of the way. This is not bad, it’s my preferred way. Trail is marked with white blazes, like the AT. The lower reaches are interesting, some stunning rock monoliths looming above you, with good water in one spot (marked on map). There are some shelters (two) on the trail, but we did not use them.

You climb Pilot Mountain, cross the Blue Ridge Parkway and enter the 6K Black Balsam area; this can be somewhat crowded as it has BRP access - again, “crowded” is relative. (I found I could have as much solitude or company as I wished. if you hike mid-week, the crowd thins out considerably.)

Here the views really come out. The area is sparse foliage and grassy balds for lots of this section. It goes without saying that the weather on these 360-degree-view open areas can be unpredictable - part of its charm. You’ll bag a couple of 6K-ers (Tennent Mt. comes to mind) and enter the Shining Rock Wilderness area. Here the blazes and trailmarkings become a bit hard to follow. Be sure to take a map, possibly and when in doubt, cross the clearing and look right… LOL. I didn’t find it hard to find suitable campsites.

Loved the thin-bladed ridge “The Knife Edge” - views to both sides.

The trail up to Cold Mountain is worth taking. There’s an awesome, icy spring near the top. But that trail isn’t really marked, just a track that goes uphill, and I remember some dithering as to which way to go to get down to the far end of the trail.

The descent to the terminus is rocky; slow going if wet or leaf-covered (it was both for me, that last day).

Here are some photos of a hiker’s trek along The Art and the MST- pretty good idea of the scenery, plant life and terrain:
http://gallery.backcountry.net/artloeb

Here’s a webcam to whet your appetite for the scenery:
http://webcam.srs.fs.fed.us/index.asp
Not bad, eh?

Here are some more photos:
http://www.romanticasheville.com/coldmountainphotos.htm

Just shots of the area. Technically, Cold Mountain is not part of the Art Loeb trail, but since you’re already there, consider adding a half-day to see this beauty.

“The Art” is also an alternate route for part of the 900-mile “Mountains-to-Sea” trail, North Carolina’s answer to the AT - a trail my '03 AT hiking buddy “Chief” is gearing up to tackle. I expect he’ll be keeping a journal here. That route (alternate MST) is marked with light blue dots.

Well, sorry to be so chatty. Can you tell this little mountain jewel of a trail pulls my chains? A taste of the AT in miniature - in just 2-3 days!

Have a great time.
Jan

Jan LiteShoe

#3

It’s worth scouting first on a day trip, if you can swing it. Here are some really good photos taken on my scouting trip two weeks before the actual 30-mile hike:

http://www.ncgarden.com/Fieldtrips.htmlThese really hit the highlights, and show the difference in the fall.

You’ll also either need two cars, or a shuttle to place a car at your end point (Camp Daniel Boone, in my case - the west end)then drop you off at the start point.

There’s an outfitter that does shuttles (in Brevard, I think - anyway, at the intersection of US highways 276 and 64, at the entrance to the park, but before the park and the ranger station).

I knew I’d saved directions there:
Directions to Davidson River Campground, Art Loeb trailhead:
“From Asheville, take I-240 west to I-26 east to the exit for the Asheville Airport (exit 9). Turn right onto NC 280; follow this 4-lane highway for 16 miles toward Brevard. At the intersection with US highways 276 and 64, turn right onto US 276 west (follow signs for Pisgah National Forest). Enter Pisgah NF; turn left at the campground, about a mile past the National Forest entrance. Park in the Art Loeb Trailhead parking area, on the left just before you cross the bridge.”

Water can be hard to find on the ridge between Shining Rock and Cold Mountain. I’d tank up on the way up to Deep Gap, before Pilot Mountain. There’s a shelter and spring there.

I think I camped on Silvermine Bald the second night (hardwoods giving way to upland balsalm fir), no water there, but some water further along past the Black Balsalm parking area (johns there too, but no running water).

Alright, enough.
:wink:

Shoe