Trip Report & Pics - Pisgah Forest, NC - 11/01/03

“Pisgah National Forest, NC
Avery Creek Trail, Buckhorn Gap Trail, Twin Falls, Black Mountain Trail, and a bunch of Forest Service Roads
SCJack solo Day Hike
Saturday, November 1st, 2003

The weather could not have been more perfect for a hike today. I planned out a nice loop, which included a bunch of trails I had yet to hike and also Twin Falls. While my hike route did not go exactly as planned, it still turned out to be a great hike.

I started out at the Avery Creek Trailhead.

Directions: From Brevard, NC at the intersection of US64 & US276, head North on US276 into the Pisgah National Forest. At 2.2 miles turn right onto FR477, a dirt/gravel road that also takes you to the Pisgah Horse Stables. The Avery Creek Trailhead is on the right side of the road at 2.5 miles. There is room for about 3 or 4 cars on the shoulder, and a couple of additional parking areas a short ways up the road.

The Avery Creek Trail is a real nice and easy trail, which follows Avery Creek all the way. There are a couple of nice cascades and small waterfalls to see along the way. It crosses over the creek numerous times on wooden footbridges. It eventually meets up with the Buckhorn Gap Trail, which again criss-crosses many creeks and streams as well. At just under 2 miles, the Twin Falls Loop trail breaks off to the left.

Just before arriving at Twin Falls, there is another smaller waterfall off to the left. Twin Falls is very nice, but there was way too much sun to take a good picture. I did manage to catch a nice rainbow at the base. However, I could not find the pot of gold that is supposed to be at the end of the rainbow.

Just past twin falls, is another waterfall. A side trail leads you to a rock overhang where a small section of this waterfall spills over the ledge. I backtracked a little and continued on the Twin Falls Loop back to the Buckhorn Gap Trail. This would make a great 5.0 mile round trip Out and Back hike. I would highly recommend the Avery Creek Trail, Buckhorn Gap Trail, and Twin Falls Trail if you are looking for an easy half-day hike. However, I wanted a longer hike so I continued to the Northeast on the Buckhorn Gap Trail.

The trails get a little steeper at this point as they start to climb up the mountain. I would recommend a good map, because the trail forks (one way for hikers only, the other for Mountain Bikers & Horses). It also combines with a couple of Forest Service Roads to get to Buckhorn Gap, and without a map, it might get confusing.

Of Course my map didn’t prevent me from making my 1st wrong turn. At Buckhorn Gap, I turned right on what I thought was the Black Mountain Trail. But, I was actually on Forest Service Road 5059. After about a mile, I figured out where I was, and saw that this road didn’t appear to go anywhere, so I headed back to Buckhorn Gap. I felt really stupid when I saw the Black Mountain Trail Head right next to where I originally came out on the Buckhorn Gap Trail.

The Black Mountain Trail follows the ridgeline of Clawhammer Mountain and Black Mountain before descending down to Pressley Gap. This is a real nice trail with views from all sides. Although most of the leaves where already off the trees, there where still some pockets of excellent Fall Color. Another highly recommend trail!

At Pressley Gap, I turned right on FR 5022 with plans of taking the Pressley Cove Trail back to the main road. Somehow I missed the Pressley Cove trailhead. I didn’t feel like turning back to look for it, so I continued on the Forest Service Road with a new plan of taking the Clawhammer Cove Trail back. Well, I never saw that trailhead either, so I just continued on the Forest Service Road, which brought me back to the Buckhorn Gap Trail, which I took back to my car.

Even with my wrong turns and missed trailheads, it still turned out to be an excellent dayhike. Overall, I think I hiked about 15 miles. I’ll be returning again soon to figure out if the Pressley Cove Trail & Clawhammer Cove Trail really exist.

Pictures are posted here:
http://community.webshots.com/album/97943785Cjnivb?454


On a side note, this great day was capped off with a perfect ending when I watched Virginia Tech Hokies whip up on the Miami Hurricanes!

SCJack
Hiking Hokie!”

“Great pictures and great trip report!


8)”

“Thanks for sharing.”

“awesome pics, thanks.”

“Glad you had a good time. Glad VT whipped the 'Canes! Love it!
You're photos are so good. I liked the honesty and humor in your TR. I know how it feels to NOT find what you're looking for. You made the best of it. Good man!”

“NIce trip report and pictures. It would be awesome to come across old cabins, and habitat. I can imagine there would be tons of things to photograph.”