Dispersed camping is allowed anywhere in the Shining Rock Wilderness, but there are some things you should keep in mind. This tour begins with pick up at your hotel in Asheville, North Carolina. Several longer trails head up the into the heart of the wilderness from there, marked by beginnings that are relatively easy, becoming more and more difficult the further you travel. The Art Loeb trail crosses Black Balsam Knob, Tennent Mountain, Grassy Cove Top and Flower Knob, as well as other low knobs in a rather straight line course to Shining Rock. This route has just about everything. See our terms and conditions for information on cancellations and refunds.). It is licensed by Creative Commons Attribution 3.0. Hikers can combine this trail with the Old Butt Knob to create an excellent loop hike. Please complete this form to email us a question. Exposed rock occurs in places on the balds. You can hike to Shining Rock itself via the Old Butt Knob trail out of Shining Rock Gap. Intersection of Art Loeb and Ivestor Gap trail at base of Tennent Mt. KML is the main file type used by Google Earth. Campers can walk from the campground to trails in both the Shining Rock (Fork Mountain) and Middle Prong (Green Mountain, Haywood Gap) wilderness areas. sources, including ensembles of our own GPS tracks, user contributed GPS tracks, official maps and GIS data from Scroll and zoom the map before printing, and that view will persist into the printed image. When approaching the base of Shining Rock, follow the trail to the right that goes along the south face of the rock. Creekside sites can be nicely situated, but be careful of the potential for flash flooding. The Old Butt Knob trail forms a loop with Shining Creek trail on the ridge to its north, providing a ridge-top route. The slopes of Shining Rock Mountain and Flower Knob in the foreground are blanketed by a fantastic spruce-fir forest. Trails starting at this trailhead are all strenuous - it's almost 11 miles round-trip to the summit. There are a couple of ways to climb up onto Shining Rock but the one near the top of the rock is the easiest. The right-hand trail is the Old Butt Knob trail that descends to the Big East Fork trailhead. Looking north at Grassy Cove Top, Flower Knob, Shining Rock and Cold Mountain, View from top of Tennent Mt. Contact Us | FAQs | Travel Info | Packing Lists | Training Tips | EEC's| Site Map | Privacy Policy | Employment Although Black Balsam is not part of the Wilderness itself, the Art Loeb (moderate) and Ivestor Gap (easy) trails lead into the wilderness area from there. Most of the mountains are steep and rugged. We will respond, in the order received, to confirm availability and/or provide other options. Take a right onto the trail to Graveyard Fields and look for the Art Loeb trail on the left a short way down the trail. Finally, for those wishing to summit a 6000 ft peak by starting at its base, try the trailhead at the base of Cold Mountain at Camp Daniel Boone. Our hike then takes us in and out of Balsam Fir groves and along grassy meadows full of blueberry and blackberry bushes to the highlight of the day - the brilliant quartz-capped summit of Shining Rock Mountain at 6,040. Your guide will give you the "inside" tour of this area before we settle down for dinner. Shining Rock and Middle Prong Wilderness maps page. It's a very steep climb to Old Butt Knob, but traverses relatively moderate terrain from there to Shining Rock. Shining Rock itself (a stunning and unlikely quartz outcropping) is extremely unique and tends to "floor" even people who have been there before. Although I've never had a problem with it myself, for a long time I planned on doing a video walk-through of the area to help orient people to the gap before they arrive, but The Foothills Backpacker beat me to it! Here well enjoy a nutritious lunch provided and prepared by your guide, and enjoy being in this magical place. enable JavaScript by changing your browser options, and then try again. As of March 2015, bear canisters are required for dispersed camping in Shining Rock Wilderness. There are three main access points for trails within this Wilderness. Our route back to Asheville takes us along the famous Blue Ridge Parkway where well stop for even more sweeping vistas of these stunning mountains. Speaking of Shining Rock Gap, that area just south of Shining Rock is often considered a rather confusing junction of trails. The Shining Rock Ledge (or ridge) forms the backbone of this area. The trail ends in a field of rhodo bushes featuring a number of smaller quartz rock formations. Hover over a trail to see it highlighted. This excellent, short video lays out which trails go where and is well worth reviewing before heading out: The Big East Fork trail connects to the Mountains to Sea Trail after exiting the wilderness to the south near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Here's a map of the Shining Rock and Middle Prong Wilderness areas. There are many lodging options in the surrounding towns of Canton, Waynesville, Brevard, and Asheville. Receive a PDF info packet via email which includes: A professional, knowledgeable, medically trained, friendly wilderness guide. Shining Creek (Number: 363) 3.4 miles. There you will see a three-way intersection at that point. Base layer images are subject to the respective copyright policies of their owners. On the drive to our trailhead we will pass a spectacular waterfall - Looking Glass Falls - and stop briefly for photographs. This area is closed when the BRP closes late fall through early spring. For more maps, including printed publications, see our Shining Rock and Middle Prong Wilderness maps page. The Old Butt Knob Trail climbs over 1,400 feet in the first mile, and the Shining Creek Trail is incredibly rocky and steep over its last mile. At this point you will see a sign for the Shining Rock Wilderness area at the base of Grassy Cove Top. (Everything beyond Ivestor Gap is inside the wilderness). Feel free to call us at 800-715-HIKE (4453) with any questions or to confirm availability over the phone. government agencies, and field observations. If you have Google Earth installed, clicking the KML link should open the trail or point directly We'll continue our loop, dropping us out of the mountains back to our trailhead. Take the left and follow the trail up Grassy Cove Top. Base layers provided by OpenStreetMap, the US Geological Survey, the US Forest Service, and NC OneMap. View Shining Rock is a 5940 ft. elevation prominent white quartz outcropping the size of a large house and is big enough for a number of people to stand upon. Water can be non-existent during dry periods on these high areas, and they are extremely crowded, so finding a spot to plop your tent can become a challenge! The third day we hike to the top of Cold Mountain, which is relatively challenging, but only with light day packs. This view brought me a heightened wilderness feel absent elsewhere on the hike. The Art Loeb trail leading to Shining Rock crosses Black Balsam Knob and Tennent Mountain, all grassy balds with panoramic views. Approaching Black Balsam parking lot on Ivestor Gap trail, Trailhead on left for Art Loeb spur trail that goes to Black Balsam ridge, Top of Black Balsam ridge from spur trail view spot. The WNCOutdoors Base layer is provided by WNCOutdoors.info. so if you're not sure which one to download, KML is a good bet. Keep food and human waste far from streams to prevent contamination and treat all water before drinking. First and foremost is the Black Balsam area near the Blue Ridge Parkway. It can be combined with Shining Creek farther north via the Art Loeb for a long loop hike. You can hike to Shining Rock itself via the Old Butt Knob trail out of Shining Rock Gap. Sign up to receive our exclusive Wildland Wire emails and stay up to date with Wildland Trekking's promotions, discounts, contests, outdoor tips and tricks, trip reports and more! Shortly below you reach the base of Shining Rock, you will enter a small meadow area. However, it seems JavaScript is either disabled or not supported by your browser. Your spot is not confirmed until you've paid your deposit and completed your registration profile. Art Loeb trailhead - low clouds, high winds, low temps happen at any time! Connecting over to the Ivestor Gap trail on the return has several advantages the Ivestor Gap trail is a level trail that follows a contour line well below the ridge line. A series of high ridges extends east and west from the north-south oriented Shining Rock Ledge. These views are worth the extra time. The second prominent spur trail to the left leads to the proper access point. Helps to see start and end points for an individual trail. JavaScript must be enabled in order for you to use Google Maps. The Ivestor Gap trail will be on the left and another trail to the right goes to Graveyard Fields. The Art Loeb trail makes its final (or initial) pitch up the side of Cold Mountain, and the Cold Mountain trail takes you the final distance to the peak. It is the largest Wilderness area in North Carolina. instead. This will avoid climbing up and down a couple of knobs at the expense of lengthening the hike somewhat. 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