Lower Sidehill, Explorer Loop, Chestnut Cove Trails, Bent Creek

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
1/2/2022	10.3 miles	4 hours 51 minutes	1,150'	2.3	20.5

Parking: 

• Cold Knob Road, Bent Creek. Note my GPS took me a bad way. i.e. a permanently blocked off road. Do not listen to the GPS in Bent Creek! Look at the Pisgah Map and figure out your driving route.

Maps:

• Pisgah Map Co., Pisgah Ranger District

Directions:

• Turn right onto Bent Creek Gap Road
• Turn left onto #145A Lower Sidehill Connector.
• Turn left onto #137A Lower Sidehill 
• At the end of the trail (Bent Creek Gap Road), turn around staying on Lower Sidehill Trail.
• At intersection with #145A, turn left to stay on #137A 
• Turn right onto Laurel Branch Road.
• Turn left to continue on #137A Lower Sidehill Trail.
• At the end of the trail, turn right onto Boyd Branch Rd, and then right onto Bent Creek Gap Rd.
• Turn left onto #337 Explorer Loop. Wet stream crossing (I waded).
• At the intersection of the loop, turn left onto the Explorer Loop (clockwise)
• At the intersection with #337A Alt Explorer Loop, turn sharply left to stay on #337 Explorer Loop Trail.
• Turn left onto #632 Chestnut Cove Trail and take it to its end at South Ridge Road.
• Turn around, and continue back on #632
• Turn left on #337 Explorer Loop. 
• Turn right onto Cold Knob Road. 
• Turn right onto #337A Alt Explorer Loop. Take it to its end at #337.
• Turn around and continue back on #337A.
• Turn right onto Cold Knob Road.
• Turn right onto #337 Explorer Loop. Take it to its T intersection (where we started the loop).
• Turn around and head back on #337 Explorer Loop.
• Turn right onto Cold Knob Road and continue to parking area.

Carolina Mountain Club Challenges

• Pisgah 400, #137A Lower Sidehill
• Pisgah 400, #145A Lower Sidehill Connector
• Pisgah 400, #337 Explorer Loop
• Pisgah 400, #337A Alt Explorer Loop
• Pisgah 400, #632 Chestnut Cove

  

We had a very warm day forecasted - upper 60's. Today was the second day in a row I hiked in a short sleeve shirt after the morning chill wore off. So, I work on several hiking challenges at once. Keeps it interesting. Or maybe I just have a hard time focusing :) So, I randomly chose a trail on the Pisgah 400 Challenge that I haven't done (Chestnut Cove) and planned a 10-mile hike including it. I wouldn't necessarily recommend what I came up with, as it has a lot of backtracking. We could have made it loopier if we added more road walking. Also, the way we approached the Explorer's Loop off Bent Ceeek Gap Rd, we couldn't keep our feet dry. There were submerged rocks for crossing. I ended up just wading through the stream. I had a spare pair of socks in my pack, so after crossing, I changed my socks, and then put my feet in plastic bags before putting them back in my shoes. Ah - nice and dry. Bent Creek is a very popular place for mountain bikers. There were tons of them out today. We just step aside and give them room to pass us.

Laurel Branch Road

Striped wintergreen, or Pipsissewa.
It doesn't smelly mint, and isn't related to regular wintergreen.