Usually when you come here you will find a cheerful description of a scenic hike that was fun, and that I recommend for your enjoyment. Instead, I am going to suggest that you stay away from this hike if you value your safety and security. The Brush Creek and Burnett Gap Trails are so terribly maintained as to make them virtually impassible. I’m sure at one time these trails near the French Broad River were quite exhilarating. There are some...
With so much interest in The Hunger Games movie, I thought it was time to head out to DuPont State Forest for a dawn hike to Triple Falls, one of the scenes in the film. Triple Falls is a tiered cascade on the Little River that drops 120 dramatic feet and was also featured in the Last of the Mohicans movie. A photo of Triple Falls was used by the Friends of the Falls conservation group to convince the North Carolina Governor and the Council of State to...
Designated a National Wild and Scenic River, the Chattooga River’s headwaters are in North Carolina, but it stretches into Georgia and South Carolina as well. In fact, at one point known as Ellicott Rock, it marks the common tri-boundary of all three states. There are more than 50 miles of trails along the Chattooga River but this four-mile stretch just south of Cashiers, NC is a good introduction to get you in the mood for future exploration. This...
North Mills River Recreation Area in Pisgah National Forest, along with its brother along South Mills River, has a rich trail system. It covers the Pisgah Ridge at the Blue Ridge Parkway down to the North Mills River. A combination of trails leading from the Trace Ridge Trailhead at the recreation area go up, over, and around Coffee Pot Mountain on the way up to the parkway. There are plenty of creeks and streams along the way, as well as views of the...
The Mountains to Sea Trail spans the width of North Carolina, running from the Great Smoky Mountains in the west, to the Outer Banks of Coastal Carolina. Much of the trail in the mountainous part of the state is near or parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway. This section of the MST along the parkway has been designated a National Recreation Trail. With elevations well above 5000 feet, there are segments in Haywood County that make nice day hikes in the high...
Situated in the far northern reaches of the Panthertown Trail System in Nantahala National Forest, Turkey Knob and Blackrock Mountain offer long distance views of the more well known features of Panthertown Valley. From more than 4000 feet elevation, there are splendid views of Little and Big Green Mountains and The Great Wall. The full expanse of Mac’s Gap lays on the floor of the valley between the cliffs of Blackrock and the Greens. Blackrock...
Tucked away in the northeastern corner of DuPont State Forest in Western North Carolina, Stone Mountain is the highest point in the state forest at 3620 feet. Appropriately named for the exposed granite slab that traverses its summit, Stone Mountain offers a near 360° view of the surrounding terrain to winter hikers. Wintergreen Falls, though not as spectacular as other waterfalls in DuPont, is nonetheless charming as Grassy Creek tumbles through a...
Falls Creek Falls is a double cascade in the northeast corner of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness in upstate South Carolina that free falls more than a hundred feet. In winter there is a distant view of the top of the falls from 800 feet below at the trailhead on Falls Creek Rd. From the falls, Hospital Rock Trail climbs Standingstone Mountain along Falls Creek for ridge top views of the surrounding wilderness area. This very difficult and strenuous trail...
Transylvania County, NC is known as the “Land of Waterfalls,” and for good reason. There are more than 250 waterfalls in the county, with many of the most spectacular falls in the heart of DuPont State Forest. Included among those are Bridal Veil and Grassy Creek Falls, both classic slide waterfalls that carve their way over large granite slabs. DuPont also has several pristine lakes such as Lake Julia and Lake Imaging. All of the features of...
Jones Gap State Park sits on the Blue Ridge Escarpment in northwestern South Carolina very near the state line with its neighbor to the north. Along with Caesars Head State Park, these two share an area known as Mountain Bridge Wilderness. The Jones Gap Trail follows the Saluda River along an old interstate road built by Solomon Jones in the 1850s. In this backcountry the river is quite wild with many waterfalls and rapids that add exciting sights and...
If you are gonna be dumb, you better be tough.
Hiking and the great outdoors enable you to be both dumb and tough, and live to tell about it.Meanderthals: A Hiking Blog is a trail report, travelogue of sorts for hikes I take either alone, or with companions. I am fortunate to live in a beautiful environment, western North Carolina, and have the opportunity to day hike nearly every week. The Blue Ridge Mountains in Pisgah National Forest rise as high as 6600′, and are filled with new and old-growth conifer and hardwood forests. The mountain laurel and rhododendron are plentiful, and the region fully enjoys all four seasons. Most posts on this blog will be about hikes available in this area. So, load your pack and join me.
Learn MoreMy name is Jeff Clark. If you hang around here for awhile, you will learn that I am passionate about hiking and the beauty that Mother Nature blesses us with. Living in western North Carolina as I do, I am in an area that is a Mecca for hiking and biking enthusiasts. I am a mere 1/2 hour drive from the Blue Ridge Parkway, and just another 1/2 hour beyond that to mountain summits that exceed 6000 feet elevation. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are right out my door, and there are thousands of miles of trails found within them. Yep, I’m in the right place.
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