Anyone Ever Hiked the Art Loeb Trail in NC


TrailBlazer

TrailBlazer

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I read an article about the Art Loeb trail in NC in a magazine the other day and it sounds pretty cool. It's 30 miles, so you could definitely turn it into a nice muti-day trip/adventure. Wikipedia says Nat Geo Adv ranked it as one of the 30 best hikes in North America(I'll have to investigate that).

Anyone have any experience with this trail?
 
I had not heard of it before but you got me interested so I did a little research. Looks like a moderate to easy trail but pretty country. Let me know what you find. I'm always up for an interesting hike.
 
I've hiked some of it. Good hike. Nice weekend (summer/fall) weather brings out some crowds in places. Didn't see anybody the other day (50 and raining :4:). Be sure to take a good map.
 
I hiked some of it over the 4th of July weekend this past summer. Really great trail and very beautiful scenery. You really can't go wrong with any trail you choose in that area.

If you do go, don't use the National Geographic Map for the area. It's not exactly the most detailed map and makes it a little more challenging. There is a better one that you can get at a few of the towns there that will make your life a little easier.

Shining Rock is a nice hike and there is also a very nice waterfall and a place called sliding rock on a road off the Blue Ridge Parkway heading towards Brevard if I recall correctly.
 
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bradleybuckman said:
If you do go, don't use the National Geographic Map for the area. It's not exactly the most detailed map and makes it a little more challenging. There is a better one that you can get at a few of the towns there that will make your life a little easier.
Click to expand...

Yup. You want a good map :dblthumb:. I've been :confused: both on foot and on a mountainbike in there.
 
I have hiked the entire trail on two separate occasions (when I was living in NC). It is a great hike. As far as it being one of the 30 best, I don’t know about that. I have not hiked all the great trails there are to hike and there is certainly personal preference on trails and different terrain, but overall I do not think you will be disappointed with the hike.
 
I live about 20 miles from the trailhead and hike it a couple of times a year. It is a really great hike with a only one drawback that I can think of, if the weather is nice especially in the summer or weekends anytime of the year, it will be crowded in spots. If you want isolation it is not for you but if you want just a great hike, definitely. Shining Rock Wilderness area is especially nice.
 
Done it,it is pretty heavily used in good weather as has been said.
 
Awesome! Thanks for all the info guys. Sounds like it would definitely be worth making a long weekend out of.
 
I've done it in sections. I'd avoid the Shining Rock section in good weather on the weekends, simply because it has more crowds than i like.

I prefer to skirt the high-use areas and go for the creek bottoms. Only go to the high country for the end of it.

Many good alternate routes in Pisgah NF!
 
Is backcountry camping allowed? Is a permit required and if so how much? Open fires? I'm kind of surprised no one has mentioned these things?

I guess the crowds is par for the course on many if not most of the really great trails. Heck there are trails in Alaska that you have to get there early in the morning or else the permits will be gone. As long as REI is in business and promoting backpacking we will have to deal with other people enjoying the outdoors. Even in crowded places I have been able to get off the trail far enough not to see anyone else to camp. That is if backcountry camping is allowed.
 
Yes, backcountry camping is allowed and I didn't need a permit when I was there in July.
I just used my stove for the several days that I was there, but it was my understanding that open fires were only prohibited in Shining Rock Wilderness Area and they were allowed in the other surrounding areas.
 
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