Rattlesnake Lodge to Bull Mountain, Mountains to Sea Trail, Section 3, miles 41.7 to 44.1

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
5/28/2024	4.9 miles	3 hours 41 minutes	1,559'	1.5 mph	379.2 miles

Parking: 

• Blue Ridge Parkway, Tanbark Tunnel, milepost 374.4

Map:

• Gaia GPS app. 

Directions:

• Take Rattlesnake Lodge Trail uphill. Turn right onto the MST. Pass the Rattlesnake Lodge Trail again but stay on the MST. Hike over Rich Knob and then up Bull Mountain (next peak). Turn around and hike back over Rich Knob. At the intersection with the Rattlesnake Lodge Trail, turn right onto the Rattlesnake Lodge Trail. Pass through another intersection, continuing to follow the Rattlesnake Lodge Trail downhill to the Tanbark tunnel.

Another MST hike today, doing a section we haven't done before. Lots of climbing, and lots of huffing and puffing. The altitude in Colorado didn't magically help me get in shape, lol. Too bad. I spotted a lot of varieties of wildflowers on the hike. We saw a handful of people, most doing the Rattlesnake Lodge loop. The trail was quite overgrown past Rich Mountain - we had to push our feet through the dense grass. We found 2 down trees to report to the CMC maintainers for this section. 

Roadside parking at the Tanbark tunnel.

Beautiful signs made by the CMC I presume.

Mountain laurels are finishing blooming. Many flowers littered the trail.

Galax

Solomon's Seal

 

White Clintonia

Woodland Stonecrop

Flame Azalea

Bear corn

Bull Mountain summit