Low-effort, high-reward hikes in North Carolina?

Linville Falls north of Marion is easy but incredibly picturesque. It’s not a long hike from the parking area to the falls and the views and there is a swimming area at the base of the falls. You could mix that into a drive of the historic Blue Ridge Parkway, if you wanted. It’s beautiful.

Shining Rock Wilderness area in Western NC.  From the car to spectacular views and camping is not far.  You are required to carry a canister in much of the area though.  There are also many waterfalls in this area of NC.

Linville Gorge Wilderness and Shining Rock are two of my favorite places – suppose we wouldn’t have to do the entire Linville Gorge Loop or Art Loeb Trail either….

This suggestion might seem a bit odd….most folks do it as an easy day hike but overnighting is a possibility. The Laurel River trail is not far from Hot Springs NC and is easily accomplished as a day hike but an overnight is possible. It’s a flat, beautiful 3.6 mile trail that is not far from Hot Springs. The trail follows the Laurel river through a beautiful valley and ends at the French Broad river. The Laurel river through this valley is a well known kayaking section…lots of beautiful rock formations…wild white water sections and plenty of deep, slow moving pools great for swimming….and many great campsite. I would suggest doing it during the week….it’s relative proximity to Asheville draws a crowd on the weekends.

There are lots of options around Grayson Highlands in SW Virginia.  It’s been a few years since I have been up there but I seem to remember the loop using the AT and the Pine Mountain Trail to be pretty easy and very scenic.

The AT from Roan Mountain (Carvers Gap is the road crossing on 143?) to US19E crosses Roan Highlands, which is very scenic and not too hard.  There is a Hostel/BB about a quarter mile from where the AT crosses on US19E (Mountain Harbor?) which is a safe place to park, as the trailhead on US19E used to be known from break-ins.  They will also shuttle you for a reasonable fee.

I think it would be hard to beat those two for low effort high reward hikes, but here are a few others, that are nice, but not quite as high reward.

The AT from Newfound Gap to Pecks Corner and back.  This is a nice ridgewalk hike in GSMNP, it passes Charlies Bunion, for a spectacular view, and since Newfound Gap is high elevation, isn’t too hard.  You stay in a shelter, which could be a positive or a negative depending on the person.  As you know shelters are more social and can have mice, but some feel like they are more civilized then a tent. One of my wifes favorite backpacking trips was this trip we did together in the mid 2000’s, which was one her first trips with me. Permits and Shelter Reservations Required for this hike.

Standing Indian Loop – It’s a loop, which is nice, and not easy to find on the AT.  About 12 miles per day, with a shelter at the halfway point that you can either stay in or set up a tent at.  It has Albert Mountain Fire Tower, which has a nice view.

Here’s an  idea:

• Take the Hemphill Bald Trail off Heintooga Rd. in the Smokies over and down to The Caldwell Fork Trail. There’s a backcountry site near that junction that will have to be reserved. The views all along the ridge to the Bald are fantastic including the Plott Balsams, The Great Balsams and the Black Mts. and most of the 6000’+ peaks east of South Dakota and it’s pretty close to level. If you really want to get fancy and make a positive impression you could reserve a picnic lunch from the Swag ($$$$) and probably a fancy libation ( again $$$$) The Swag

After Hemphill the trail drops off the ridge and descends into the forest at double Gap. About 2/3rds of the way to the backcountry site there is a trio of extremely large Tulip Poplars; about as big as they get or any trees get east of redwoods.  The next morning you have 2 options:

1. . Go up the Caldwell Fork Trail a short ways over to the Rough Fork Trail and go downhill towards Cataloochee. A short ways down you’ll come to the historic Woody house along the trail. This property has been carefully restored and has a really interesting example of a spring house or what used to pass for a “refrigerator” A short ways after that you’ll come out into the elk pastures in the valley and hike past some more restored dwellings like the Caldwell House and the Messer Barn before reaching a good spot to leave a vehicle near the Beech Grove Schoolhouse and the Palmer Chapel.
2. Go down the Caldwell Fork Trail. It’s almost level but there will be at least one possibly wet stream crossing. It’s about 2 miles from the junction (Hemphill Bald TR and Caldwell Fork Tr)  to a trail to the right; The Boogerman Trail.  Along the way you will pass the McGee Branch Trail to the right which goes back up to that Hemphill/Cataloochee Divide ridge and a small side-trail to the grave site of Civil War “Buffaloes” or runaway Confederate soldiers killed by the “Home-guard”. This as well as the story of the Boogerman himself (Robert Palmer)  were possibly influences of  stories in 2 of Charles Frazier’s novels; Cold Mountain and 13 Moons. Just a few hundred feet past that junction on the Boogerman Trail the trail passes by the Carson Messer homesite and where I think possibly the barn originated? ( BTW except for the open meadows along the Cataloochee Divide/Hemphill Bald this is all in deep forest)  beyond this as the trail begins to climb a little you’ll encounter massive stone walls in the forest on trail left while across the brook to the right are massive Tulip Poplars and White Pine though the big hemlocks sadly are no more. I guess the younger forest with the massive walls might have been an apple orchard back when. You may also notice a faint trail to the low ridge on the left (north) which goes up to a small cemetery; possibly of the Messer family. Once past the apple orchard part you’ll leave the brook and make a short climb to the ridge which you’ll wind along for 2 – 3 miles or so before rejoining the Caldwell Fork Trail near it’s terminus on the Cataloochee Valley Rd. near the campground. Along this ridge you’ll again pass through a couple of groves of giant Tulip Poplars. There is also another trail up to the ridge top on trail left along the way to another small cemetery possibly of the Palmer family. (Basically for the Boogerman I’d say if you see a faint trail going to the ridge and enjoy a short side excursion then take it!) The next to last @ mile of the ridge overlooking Den Branch to the NE you’ll pass through some of the largest White Pine in the world including; somewhere down there, the world’s largest recorded. Once you regain the paved road, If you parked at the Chapel that’s back @ a mile left or the campground is right there to the right.
3.  You could then just leave and call it a day or stay the evening at the Cataloochee campground which is small and lovely; and come back to the Barn /Chapel area in the evening to catch a view of the Elk.On dozens of visits I’ve never not seen them in the valley. For a swimming excursion take the gravel road “Old Cataloochee Turnpike” down to the bridge over Cataloochee Creek or for a fun extended side trip/adventure drive the single lane road over Sterling Gap to Big Creek and walk out to the “Midnight Hole”.

This idea will require a shuttle ( A walk in the Woods?)  or 2 vehicles and you’ll have to return and fetch the Heintooga vehicle. It’s a ways around from Cataloochee to Heintooga. The views from the bald ridge along the Hemphill Trail are sweeping. That ridge is almost level and the drop down to Cataloochee Valley is pretty gradual. There is an 800 foot climb from the backcountry site over to the Rough Fork Trail but then it’s all downhill and from @ The Woody house dead level  The Boogerman alternate has an initial climb of @ 580″ and then is basically level.. If you chose the Boogerman alternative you can easily drive back to everything up-valley except there’s a very pleasant walk of about a mile, again level, back through the forest to the Woody House There are big trees; some of the largest of their species in existence, historic dwellings and even some water ( the Midnight Hole is a really great summertime swimming hole. Google it.

As far as an intro to backpacking It’s a little wild but also pretty tame with easy exits so should make a nice intro to sleeping in the woods. And there’s possible Elk as a bonus! Plus it seems to me that the physical fun of cranking out the miles with your thoughts and the natural world can be something that kind of grows on you; and it helps if there’s lots of great views or interesting things to sort of lure you along.

And a couple of final items for BPL readers edification and enjoyment.

1. One of the old blue guides to the Trails of the GSNP from @ 40 years ago had an anecdote by the author about another large tree; reputedly the world’s largest Black Cherry; which is somewhere close to the backcountry site referenced above. He was told by a timber cruiser for a lumber company logging the area in the early 20th century before the establishment of the park; that this particular tree had been a “cull” because of a bad knot or a hollow spot or some other deformity/blemish.
2. About the “Boogerman” The term “Booger” in this case I’m pretty sure applies to a Cherokee ceremonial mask; often made from half a paper beehive. Booger Mask

I believe Robert Palmer had one of these masks as a child and that it was probably a favorite possession that he carried about wherever he could, hence earning the childhood nickname of “the boogerman” and naturally it stuck.I can just see him in the Beech Grove School with that mask under his desk and I’ll bet they wouldn’t let him bring it into the Palmer Chapel (heathen and all that).  I’m not sure that the tern booger in the modern sense was even used in that time and place for… well as something Seinfeld would call you out for “The Pick! The Pick! I saw it . That was a pick!  (or something like that.)

Anyway the trail with his nickname has so many world class trees because he had solid legal title and refused to sell to the lumber companies. Let your imagination play at what the Smokies must have looked like say around 1700.

Those are all great.  If you wantvsimple dip your toe in the water, consider max patch

it is a great bald top mountain with 360 view.  The AT crosses it.  So you can park,be at the top in like 10 minutes , then pick either direction and hike the AT a bit to a site/shelter.  Or if you want more miles, there are a bunch of shuttle services around there.  You get rhododendron tunnels, nice views and easy hiking.