Craggy Gardens and Craggy Pinnacle

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
3/30/2026	0.9 miles	51 minutes	204'	1.6 mph	63
Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
3/30/2026	0.8 miles	53 minutes	179'	1.6 mph	63.8

Parking: 

• Craggy Gardens Visitor Center, then Craggy Pinnacle, Blue Ridge Parkway

Map:

• Gaia GPS app

Directions:

• Craggy Gardens: Take the trail on the left side of the parking lot. Turn left after the pavilion. Continue past open field to bench at the end of the trail. Return the same way.
• Craggy Pinnacle. Take the trail uphill, ignoring side trails on the right. Hike to the summit. Return the same way.

The parkway has re-opened! That means it's time for a trip to Craggy Gardens & Craggy Pinnacle. You never know what kind of weather you'll get up there, but we got lucky, with partial cloud coverage and no fog. We started out hiking to Craggy Gardens. There were already people hanging out at our favorite sitting spot, so we continued on to the end of the trail (not a place to catch a sunset). We hung out for a while, then returned to the field (which is excellent for catching a sunset), but the people were still there. We had a long time to wait, so we decided to hike out and then hike up to Craggy Pinnacle. At Craggy Pinnacle we hung out at the top with several other people and watched the sunset. Looking forward to many more trips up there this year. One of the most beautiful spots in Western North Carolina.

First trailhead

Posing

Second bench

We arrived to find sunbeams in the meadow

The end of the trail

Sporting his resistance hat

Returning to the meadow

Craggy Pinnacle Trailhead

The base of my favorite tree on this trail. You can find many photos and sketches of this tree.

Waiting for sunset at Craggy Pinnacle

Trying to get a quick sketch in with just ink, before the sun sets.

Cedar Rock, Dupont State Recreational Forest

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
3/29/2026	5.1 miles	2 hours 58 minutes	757'	1.8 mph	62.1

Parking: 

• Corn Mill Shoals Access

Map:

• Gaia GPS app
• Pisgah Map Co. Dupont

Directions:

• Cross the street and start on the gravel Corn Mill Shoals Trail. Pass the Longside Trail and then turn left onto Big Rock Trail. Hike to Cedar Rock, where there is a sign on the rock face. Turn left onto Cedar Rock Trail. Follow it downhill to the Little River Trail. Turn right onto Little River Trail. Pass a turn for the Cedar Rock trail. and follow Little River Trail until it reaches the intersection with the Corn Mill Shoals Trail. Turn around and head back on Little River Trail. Turn left at the first intersection with Cedar Rock Trail. Climb steeply back uphill. At the top, turn left onto Big Rock Trail and return to the parking area.

One of my favorite hikes in Dupont. We've done a variation of it before in January a couple of years ago. It was a weekend, which meant more people, and we did see a fair number of mountain bikers and a few hikers, but it wasn't too bad. Still, a better hike for a weekday. And definitely not a hike for the summer due to sun exposure. The hike up Big Rock Trail is pretty rocky. I'm amazed that mountain bikers do this. Maybe they only do it going downhill. Along the way to the intersection with the Cedar Rock Trail, you'll hit other views. And then the top of Cedar Rock is so pretty. Cedar Rock is considered part of a pluton. It reminds me of some areas in NY, but in NY the rock faces were caused by glaciers, not volcanic activity. My understanding is that the plutons were caused by cooling magma, hundreds of millions of years ago. Our mountains are so old! There are beautiful, stunted pines along the trail - I believe they are Table Mountain pines, Pitch pines, and Eastern White pines. The Little River Trail is flat and easy. The last time we hiked it, it was very overgrown - I think we ended up bushwhacking! I heard that they put some money into fixing it up, and it's now a very clear trail.

Starting out at the Corn Mill Shoals trailhead

Big Rock Trail

Big Rock Trail

Potholes in the rock

Taking a lunch break in the shade

One lonely dwarf iris

Passing a power cut, after which you make a right turn

Mountains to Sea Trail - Bull Mountain Trailhead to Haw Creek Overlook

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
3/26/2026	3.8 miles	2 hours 20 minutes	506'	1.8 mph	57

Parking: 

• Bull Mountain Trailhead

Map:

• Gaia GPS app

Directions:

• Take the side trail to the MST. Turn left on the MST and hike to Haw Creek Overlook. Return the same way.

It feels like a long time since I've hiked this section of the MST. We used to hike it all of the time. We started hiking it less due to angry bears in the summer & fall. I was feeling pretty out of shape today, but my hips felt reasonable about the elevation gain. We encountered no bears today. We haven't seen our first bear of the year yet. I think they become more active in April. A few wildflowers on the trail, and just a few other hikers.

Although the trail is in good shape (except for a little graffiti), I'm still shocked every time I come, by the devastation from Helene in this section of the MST. Down trees everywhere - except on the trail due to the hard work of the CMC trail maintainers! There's a bench on the trail, and we always would take Krumm's photo on it. He would always jump up on the bench on the way back down the mountain. Well, the bench was damaged by Helene. The wooden seat is now on the ground. Krumm ran up to it and sat on the bench on the ground & turned around and smiled at us. He's so smart and so funny.

We saw many Appalachian Bellwort along the trail

And a few Bloodroot flowers

Hanging out in a shady spot at Haw Creek Overlook

Trailing Arbutus