Green Knob Tower from Black Mountain Campground

	nce	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
5/4/2022	6.1 miles	4 hours 48 minutes	2,342'	1.9 mph	312.3

Parking: 

• Black Mountain Campground

Maps:

• National Geographic Linville Gorge, Mount Mitchell

Directions:

• Hike from Campground on Green Knob Trail to Green Knob fire tower. Return the same way.

Carolina Mountain Club Challenge:

• 100 Favorite Trails hike #89

We joined the Carolina Mountain Club for a 100 Favorite Trails hike. It was a winding drive but paved until the end. Our GPS didn't recognize the forest service road we drove on, so a paper map is useful for navigation.

This was steep hike, with a lot of elevation gain in minimal miles. It was a good training hike. Pretty much 3 miles straight uphill. We happily stopped for lunch at the Green Knob Fire Tower. The tower cab is closed, but we could go up a few steps for a better view. Heading down was a bit hard on the knees, but I managed not to fall :) We got some great views going downhill from the tower. We drove home on the parkway, hoping for a bear sighting, but no luck.

The trailhead. This is not what the tread looked like on the hike!

Bluets

View from the fire tower

Lunch under the tower

Heading down