Howdy,

I'm heading out to the Linville Gorge Wilderness in the Pisgah National Forest (Western NC) in a couple of weeks. Just wondering if anyone out there has been to the area (especially recently) and has any good suggestions for trips/loops/trailheads/etc. I'm open to all suggestions. I just grabbed the Forest Service 1:24,000 map of the area (these are really great maps, especially if you like to nerd out on some route-finding as I do - much better than the Nat-Geo IMHO) so I should be able to understand/check out any specific recommendations. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Nate, Here is a link to a trip report I did for Linville Gorge some time back.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/17499/index.html?skip_to_post=133551#133551

Only problem with that loop is it used a good bit of the road. I went back last December and did a shorter loop that was all trails but used the unpublished "Lead Mine" trail to connect from the end of the Gorge back to the MTS trail. I parked in Wolf Pit then hiked the trail to the MTS trail and headed north. I camped on a small ridge area several miles from Table Rock. Next morning I hiked to Table Rock then to Spence Ridge trail down into the gorge. I hiked south along the river and camped that night a couple miles from the end of the wilderness boundary. Next morning I hiked to the end of the trail and found the Lead Mine trail. It is steep in places and can be a challenge to follow but is surprising marked with a sign and old blue blazes. It climbs you out of the gorge to MTS. I headed north (if I have my directions correct) back to the river then forded the river (it was cold in December) then continued back to Wolf Pit trail back to my truck. I was hiking just days before Christmas so the days were short. It was a great loop. If there was significant rain I suspect the river may become unfordable.

Hope this helps, Jamie

Edited by jshortt on 07/06/2011 20:42:20 MDT.

You might want to join the Linville Gorge forum. It's pretty active and can answer all of your questions. Ken(the site admin) also has great maps and GPS downloads.

http://www.linvillegorge.net/smf/index.php


Jerry

Jerry, Thanks for adding the Linville Gorge Forum information. I should have credited them as the source of most of my information. I highly recommend joining the group if you plan to hike the gorge. They have produced a large JPG showing all the GPS locations of trails and features across the entire gorge. Its a great map but does not really fit well on a single 8.5 x 11 page since it is so long and narrow.

I have split the images into a top, middle and bottom images that print well on 3 pages that can be used as maps. If anyone wants the printable pics/maps just send me a PM with your email address and I will send them to you.

Jamie