Art Loeb Trail in May

Or if you have a suggestion for an alternate comparable trail in the area, let me know. We'd like to beat the crowds if at all possible.

I hiked this trail North to South a couple months ago. It is very nice. Water sources can be far apart in the southern half. Also there are are a few trail splits that would be difficult to navigate without a map. You might consider adding Cold Mountain to the trip. It is worth the extra miles. I loved the hike.

Enjoy!

We plan on going north to south too, with the Cold Mtn addition. We would like to split it up into three nights (Fri-Mon). Only thing now is to wait and see what the weather is going to look like. We do have a contingency plan later in May if needed.

Are there any campsites on the balds? Just wondering what to do with food and smellables in that case. I've got a bear bag and an Opsak, but I don't plan on using it as a standalone animal barrier on the ground.

Pm sent

I've set up a rough itenerary. I would love to hear some insight if anyone has it.

We are wanting to take our time and enjoy the views in the northern section. We'll have a lot of time to take it in, as we are most likely starting at Big East Fork and hiking west toward the ALT. So we'll double back along Shining Rock Ledge and The Narrows. This will cut down on our car shuttle time drastically and increase our time enjoying the view.

The weather this far out looks great – highs in the mid/low 60's and lows in the mid/low 40's. Low chance of rain, but I'll check it the morning of day 1 to see if I need to bring my bivy for spray protection under my tarp.

Here's the rough plan:

May 2nd – Big East Fork to Cold Mountain/Deep Gap
– We'll take either the Old Butt Knob or go along Shining Creek. Either way, water sources are said to be plenty.

May 3rd – Deep Gap to Deep Gap Shelter (or Black Balsam Knob)
– Fill up for more water just past Shining Rock Gap.

May 4th – Deep Gap Shelter (or BB Knob) to Butter Gap Shelter
– Heard mixed reviews about water sources in the south. The shelters are said to have water and the map shows a few creeks along the way.

May 5th – Butter Gap Shelter to Davidson River to HOME!

Your itinerary looks great. I think there will be more water now that spring is in full swing but my experience was that the south was a little dry. I did it in Winter though. Enjoy the hike!

How concerned should I be about bugs in Pisgah this time of year? I'm under a tarp w/ a quilt and NeoAir XLite. I'm wondering about flying and crawling insects alike.

Bugs won't be too much of a problem yet. You'll have some, but not hordes.

Plenty of places to camp on the balds. I'd keep my food in my tent with me when camped like that. (Don't be the guys who placed their food on the ground a hundred yards from their tent recently. That was just giving it to the bear.) Of course YMMV and you need to make your own decisions about bear safety in camp.

I'd want to climb to the top of Cold Mtn the first night and camp up there. Wait, I just saw you are not starting at the scout camp, so not sure how long a first day this is. Your plan is likey fine.

Have fun — great time of year to be up there.

My wife and I both think Old Butt Knob is well worth it over Shining Creek. No water if I recall, but it comes out at shining rock gap very close to the spring.

Probably not a surprise to you, but just saw this and thought I'd pass along.

http://hikinginthesmokys.blogspot.com/2014/04/bear-warning-issued-for-black-balsam.html?m=1

Thanks for the insight so far! I think we are still debating the longer drive to the scout camp or the shorter drive to hike up Old Butt Knob. Either way we will plan on staying on/near Cold Mtn the first night.

Good to know the bugs wont be out in full force. Should they be a problem, I have a MYOG spray bivy that's ~7.2oz that I'll take along. There's a small chance of rain, so it may come in handy as more than just bug protection.

As for bears, I've got a ZPacks bear bag system and an OPsak. If we camp on a bald, will the OPsak be enough to deter the bears from coming toward our tarp if we keep it inside? I'm a stickler for putting EVERYTHING smellable into the bear bag.

" If we camp on a bald, will the OPsak be enough to deter the bears from coming toward our tarp if we keep it inside? I'm a stickler for putting EVERYTHING smellable into the bear bag."

Probably. Even if you camp on the balds, the trees aren't very far away though. We hung our food both nights when we hiked it a couple years ago. I'm a stickler on hanging food though. Maybe plan for both scenarios and then take what the trail gives you.

P.S. – The signage on the ALT is not what most are used to. There is very little and the ones that are there may be several feet up the trail instead of at the junction. Take a map/guide and use common sense. You will be fine…..Also, my preference is coming in from the Boy Scout Camp as opposed to Butt Knob.

Ryan

Ryan, how far is it to drive from the south terminus to the BSA camp? And do I need to check with the camp on parking or are there spots to park in that arent technically in the camp? I've been getting mixed messages about it.