Art Loeb Trail

Art Loeb Trailhead sign.

Trailhead

Art Loeb Trail, NC, April 13, 2006.

Packing up

Sequoya found some kind of doggy treasure near our campsite (day 1, mile 8.

Sequoya’s Treasure

We camped in this A-frame shelter first night (day 1, mile 8.

A-frame shelter

The view from the summit of Pilot Mountain.

Pilot Mountain

Pilot Mountain Benchmark (day 2, mile 14.

Pilot Mtn.

Lunch on Pilot Mountain (day 2, mile 14.

Lunch

View from the summit of Pilot Mountain (day 2, mile 14.

Pilot Mountain View

Ben and Dave on Pilot Mountain.

Ben and Dave

Ben, Dave, and Jason on Pilot Mtn.

Ben, Dave, and Jason

Black Balsam Knob benchmark (day 3, mile 19.

Black Balsam Knob

View of Pilot Mountain from Black Balsam Knob (day 3, mile 19.

View of Pilot Mtn.

Jason on Black Balsam Knob (day 3, mile 19.

Jason

Trail on Black Balsam Knob (day 3, mile 19.

Black Balsam Knob

Campsite at Deep Gap (day 3, mile 26.

Campsite

On the trail to Cold Mountain summit (day 3).

Cold Mtn. Trail

Cold Mountain benchmark (day 3).

Cold Mountain

Dave at the summit of Cold Mountain looking out over the Shining Rock Wilderness Area (day 3).

Shining Rock Wilderness

The Art Loeb trail follows this ridgeline through the Shining Rock Wilderness Area, passing through the The Narrows and Deep Gap, as viewed from the summit of Cold Mountain (day 3).

The Narrows

Dave, Jason, and Ben on Cold Mountain (day 3).

Dave, Jason, and Ben

View from Cold Mountain (day 3).

View from Cold Mountain

View from Cold Mountain, hence the name Blue Ridge Mountains (day 3).

Blue Ridge

View from Cold Mountain (day 3).

View from Cold Mountain

Sequoya on Cold Mountain (day 3).

Sequoya

Jason and Dave with Sequoya at the northern trail terminus (day 4, mile 33.

Jason and Dave

Ben and Dave at the northern trail terminus (day 4, mile 33.

Ben and Dave

Trail Description

During Easter break (April 12–16, 2006), Dave, Ben, and I hiked the Art Loeb trail in western North Carolina. The trail is about 33.0 miles long and took about 3 and a half days. It begins in the southern part of the Pisgah National Forest, crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway, and passes through the Shining Rock Wilderness Area. The trail begins at the Davidson River Campground on U.S. Highway 276 at 2,130 ft. and ends at the Daniel Boone Boy Scouts Camp at 3,288 ft. It crosses some of the highest peaks in the region giving excellent views and passes through a variety of different types of forest and terrain. The highest point on the trail is Black Balsam Knob at 6,214 ft.

The beginning of the trail is moderately difficult, with some decent elevation gain, mostly well below the ridgeline. The second section of the trail is strenuous, with a very steep section of switchbacks to reach the summit of Pilot Mtn. (5,020 ft.) at mile 14.4 followed by a slight descent and climbing again to reach the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile 17.6, the Mountains to Sea Trail at mile 18.0, and finally summits Black Balsam Knob at mile 19.6. Once on the knob, the trail follows the ridgeline closely, passing through Shining Rock Wilderness Area and reaching the base of Cold Mountain at mile 26.2. There is 1.5 mile spur trail to the top of Cold Mountain while the Art Loeb trail itself begins its descent to the Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp.

Trail Guides

Last modified: February 24, 2008 16:02 EST.