My time in the woods or on the water
On my way to Roan Mountain State Park from visiting my sister in North Carolina, I stopped for a hike to see Elk River Falls and Jones Falls. Elk River Falls is a short walk from a trailhead, while Jones Falls is a few miles away on the Appalachian Trail.
Summary
Distance: 9.1 miles
Elevation gain: 2,400 feet
Type: Out and back
Start: Gravel road (for last mile), passenger car accessible (map)
AllTrails map
This hike on the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina has great views, a mix of forested sections and open balds, and plentiful fall wild flowers.
Starting from this trailhead gives easy access to balds that are away from the very popular area at Carvers Gap. I saw very few other hikers. The trailhead is over 4,000 feet high and it’s less than a mile on a gated gravel road to get to the AT.
Summary
Distance: 6.2 miles
Elevation gain: 1,657 feet
Type: Out and back
Start: Paved lot on Blue Ridge Parkway. (map)
AllTrails map here
We chose Blackstock Knob as our first peak in the South Beyond 6,000 (SB6K) Challenge because it was an easy day hike and we had limited time.
The hike started from Walker Knob Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The parking area was pretty full when we got there, but we were able to sort out a place to park.
The South Beyond 6,000 Challenge involves climbing 40 peaks that exceed 6,000 feet in elevation. The Carolina Mountain Club has information here.
The rules are really simple. You must hike at least 5 miles and gain at least 500 feet of elevation.
There are more than 60 peaks over 6,000 feet, but the peaks that were selected for the list must have a drop of 200 or more feet to a saddle between one peak and another qualifying peak or, there is a distance between the peaks of .75 miles.
All but one peak are in North Carolina or on the North Carolina / Tennessee border. Mt Le Conte is in Tennessee.
Many of the mountains are along the Blue Ridge Parkway. As a note of caution, the parkway may be closed in winter.
Summary
Distance: 9.3 miles
Elevation gain: 3,156 feet
Type: Out and back
Trailhead: Dirt road, passenger car accessible. (map)
AllTrails map
Today was a successful peak bagging day. After a cloudy start, we enjoyed a beautiful spring day in the mountains and climbed Rich Knob at 4,152 feet high and Hightower Bald at 4,588 feet. I think this may be my favorite peak bagging hike so far. The highlight of the day was walking along narrow ridges between Rich and Hightower. After summiting Hightower, we took a short side trip to find Montgomery Corner, a small, but interesting diversion in the Georgia/North Carolina border. Here’s an interesting article about Georgia’s northern border.
Summary
Distance: 6.0 miles
Elevation gain: 1,631 feet
Type: Out and Back
Trailhead: Pull off on dirt road, passenger car accessible. (map)
I’m still working on finishing up the GA 4000 Challenge, and have six peaks to go. All six are in the Southern Nantahala Wilderness, just inside Georgia near the North Carolina state line.
While researching the final six on Peakbagger.com, I found a route that linked all peaks in one long day. So, I decided to scout one end of the route to see what it looked like, and was very pleasantly surprised with the route to Bly Gap that I didn’t know about. Here is an AllTrails link
Steve's Outdoor Life 