kjoyce4
Our Top Tips:
– The lodge is closed due to COVID, so be ready to walk an extra couple miles to the trailhead.
– We went on a Saturday and it was one of the busiest I’ve ever seen a trail, definitely one to get to early.
– Really nice loop trail that brings you to two peaks with great views.
Hike Basics:
Length: 8.2 miles (loop trail)
Elevation Gain: 2,506 feet
Dog Friendly? Yes
Off Leash Friendly? Yes. Dogs can be under voice or leash control, but I saw many dogs on the trail, so only hike off leash if you’re comfortable with you pup around other dogs.
Things to Know: Right before exiting the tree line, it gets pretty narrow so be extra aware of where you pup is. We passed a lot of other hikers in this area. I’d recommend doing the loop since it’s less steep going down and doesn’t clog traffic.
It’s been a busy summer, and this was out first hike in a while. Luckily there were beautiful views to distract from the longer miles.
Chloe tried out her new Ruffwear backpack, but we didn’t end up needing the extra water. Even in a drought, there were plenty of water sources below about 3,000 feet.
This was our first time hiking any part of the AT (it crosses along the ridge line for about a mile), which was a really cool feeling. Hiking the entire trail has been on my bucket list for a couple years now.
Because it’s a fairly easy 4,000 footer, and the a,aging 360 views, it was busy. Like so incredibly busy. I’ve never seen so many cars lining a road out of a trailhead. Because the lodge is closed, I’m sure the lack of parking made it look even busier, but I was disappointed to see a lot of trash and toilet paper, especially along the ridge line. There were a lot of people on the summit who weren’t sticking to the rocks and as someone who has spent a lot of time researching how to hike safely and with minimal impact, it’s disheartening to see how much work and education needs to be done on the trails. Hiking shouldn’t be for a select group of people, but I want to be able to enjoy the trails for decades to come.
