| Date | Distance | Time | Elevation Gain | Average Moving Time | Year to Date Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/22/2021 | 5.7 miles | 3 hours 19 minutes | 718' | 1.8 | 395.3 |
- Shining Rock and Middle Prong, Pisgah Map Co (better)
- National Geographic Pisgah Ranger District (less detailed)
Parking: Black Balsam Trailhead
Carolina Mountain Club Challenges:
Carolina Mountain Club Challenges:
- Pisgah 400 Challenge (Art Loeb Trail #136, Ivestor Gap Trail #101, Art Loeb Spur Trail #108)
- South Beyond 6000 Challenge (Black Balsam Knob 6,214', Tennent Mountain 6,040')
Directions: From the parking area, head down rough gravel road. Turn right onto the Art Loeb Spur Trail. Turn Left onto the Art Loeb Trail. Hike over Black Balsam Knob (6,214'). Hike over Tennent Mountain (6040'). Continue past first intersection with Ivestor Gap Trail. Continue to Ivestor Gap. Turn left onto Ivestor Gap trail and return to the trailhead.
I took the day off work to go hiking with Krummholz. He was bouncing off the walls yesterday. I wanted to go to Graveyard Fields for leaf peeping. The drive along the parkway was so pretty. Things are still pretty green in Asheville, but Graveyard Fields looks great right now. Even though it was a weekday, everyone else thought visiting Graveyard Fields was a good idea too. The parking lot was full. Turns out I could have parked on the grass, as when I passed the parking area on the way back, there were cars lined all along the street (be careful for some no parking areas though). I didn't have a plan B, so I stopped at the next overlook and took out my map. I decided to try the Black Balsam Trailhead. I've heard this area fills up very early too, so its a good area for a weekday. The parking lot was full here too, but this time I did park along the road. The Black Balsam area is a bit past peak, but still has some good views with red leaf color from blueberry bushes.
Four trails start from the trailhead, but I was having a hard time figuring out where they were. So I headed down a dirt/gravel road, which turns out to be the Ivestor Gap Trail. I saw a sign for the Art Loeb Spur trail on the right, and I headed up it. Once I knew where I was, I took out my map and figured out a route. I have heard that the Art Loeb Trail is tough but one of the most popular trails in the area. A lot of people backpack the 30 mile trail. I would like to someday too. Today I did just a small portion of it. At the end of the spur trail, I turned left onto the Art Loeb Trail. I quickly reached Black Balsam Knob. Views galore! This reminds me of my AT hike on Roan Mountain. The hiking wasn't very difficult, and once you are on the Art Loeb Trail, you are hiking along a ridge with views. There were a lot of hikers for a Friday, and many of them didn't look like experienced hikers (inappropriate footwear) - so I knew the hike wouldn't be that hard. I continued on to Tennent Mountain. There were lots of people on the summit, but there are several areas along this hike, where you can stop at an overlook away from the crowd. From there I went down to Ivestor Gap. There was a trail kiosk at the trail intersection there. I wanted to continue on to Grassy Cove Top, to get another 6,000 footer. There were a bunch of trails at the intersection. I had problems finding the right one! First I took the Ivestor Gap Trail north. I wasn't climbing, so I knew it was wrong. I turned around. I saw a side trail, and it led to a sign that said trail closed due to erosion. I headed back to Ivestor Gap. Then I took the Art Loeb trail - but it wasn't really what I wanted. I tried cutting across, and ended up again at the sign that said trail closed due to erosion. So, yes, the trail I wanted to take is closed. I decided to return to Ivestor Gap again, and just finished my hike. From Ivestor Gap, I took the Ivestor Gap Trail (pretty much a dirt/gravel road) back to the parking area. The Ivestor Gap Trail doesn't have the views that the Art Loeb Trail has, but it was a relaxing walk. There were also way fewer people on it, probably because the views are all higher up.
After looking at the CMC site, I see they recommend taking the Art Loeb Trail north from Ivestor Gap, and approach Grassy Cove Top from the north on a trail off of the Art Loeb Trail. I'll come back again sometime to visit Grassy Cove Top with Glen.
I took the day off work to go hiking with Krummholz. He was bouncing off the walls yesterday. I wanted to go to Graveyard Fields for leaf peeping. The drive along the parkway was so pretty. Things are still pretty green in Asheville, but Graveyard Fields looks great right now. Even though it was a weekday, everyone else thought visiting Graveyard Fields was a good idea too. The parking lot was full. Turns out I could have parked on the grass, as when I passed the parking area on the way back, there were cars lined all along the street (be careful for some no parking areas though). I didn't have a plan B, so I stopped at the next overlook and took out my map. I decided to try the Black Balsam Trailhead. I've heard this area fills up very early too, so its a good area for a weekday. The parking lot was full here too, but this time I did park along the road. The Black Balsam area is a bit past peak, but still has some good views with red leaf color from blueberry bushes.
Four trails start from the trailhead, but I was having a hard time figuring out where they were. So I headed down a dirt/gravel road, which turns out to be the Ivestor Gap Trail. I saw a sign for the Art Loeb Spur trail on the right, and I headed up it. Once I knew where I was, I took out my map and figured out a route. I have heard that the Art Loeb Trail is tough but one of the most popular trails in the area. A lot of people backpack the 30 mile trail. I would like to someday too. Today I did just a small portion of it. At the end of the spur trail, I turned left onto the Art Loeb Trail. I quickly reached Black Balsam Knob. Views galore! This reminds me of my AT hike on Roan Mountain. The hiking wasn't very difficult, and once you are on the Art Loeb Trail, you are hiking along a ridge with views. There were a lot of hikers for a Friday, and many of them didn't look like experienced hikers (inappropriate footwear) - so I knew the hike wouldn't be that hard. I continued on to Tennent Mountain. There were lots of people on the summit, but there are several areas along this hike, where you can stop at an overlook away from the crowd. From there I went down to Ivestor Gap. There was a trail kiosk at the trail intersection there. I wanted to continue on to Grassy Cove Top, to get another 6,000 footer. There were a bunch of trails at the intersection. I had problems finding the right one! First I took the Ivestor Gap Trail north. I wasn't climbing, so I knew it was wrong. I turned around. I saw a side trail, and it led to a sign that said trail closed due to erosion. I headed back to Ivestor Gap. Then I took the Art Loeb trail - but it wasn't really what I wanted. I tried cutting across, and ended up again at the sign that said trail closed due to erosion. So, yes, the trail I wanted to take is closed. I decided to return to Ivestor Gap again, and just finished my hike. From Ivestor Gap, I took the Ivestor Gap Trail (pretty much a dirt/gravel road) back to the parking area. The Ivestor Gap Trail doesn't have the views that the Art Loeb Trail has, but it was a relaxing walk. There were also way fewer people on it, probably because the views are all higher up.
After looking at the CMC site, I see they recommend taking the Art Loeb Trail north from Ivestor Gap, and approach Grassy Cove Top from the north on a trail off of the Art Loeb Trail. I'll come back again sometime to visit Grassy Cove Top with Glen.
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