BEGINNER Overnight Backpacking - Shining Rock Wilderness Loop via Art Loeb
Details
New to backpacking/backcountry camping and are interested in learning more? Never been, and need someone to show you the ropes? This trip was designed just for you!
This two-day, one-night trip will cover a 10-mile section of the Art Loeb and Ivestor Gap Trails, with less than 1,500 elevation gain. The link to the AllTrails route is below, along with a rough itinerary for the trip.
Day One: Meet at the trailhead/gravel parking lot at 9am. We will do a gear-check, review a few best practices, and answer any questions you may have. From there, we will embark down the trail, picking up the Art Loeb almost immediately. The first section is the hardest part, so we will do that while we are fresh! We will climb about 400 feet in about 3/4 of a mile, to the top of Black Balsam. We can rest at Black Balsam Knob for a while before carrying on another mile to Tenant Mountain where we can rest again. From there, we will hike down the mountain to the trail junction with Ivestor Gap. There are great views and a flat area to relax and have lunch! From there, we will carry on another 2-3 miles down the Art Loeb trail, passing Grassy Cove Top and Flower Knob. Depending on how the group is feeling and the availability of campsites, we will cover between 4 and 6 miles on Day 1. Once we decide on a campsite, we will stop to set up camp, rest, have dinner, filter water, etc. There will be an optional guided sunset hike from there, just for fun. You are welcome to stay at the campsite and relax, read, socialize, sleep, whatever you want!
Day Two: We will wake up, have plenty of time for breakfast, and then pack up, with the goal to leave camp around 10 am. We will have between 4 and 6 miles left, depending on where we camped the night before. This will be along the Ivestor Gap trail, so will be mostly a gravel road downhill this day (easy)! We will get back to the car around 1pm (give or take an hour), at which point we will unload our gear, high-five, and head home!
As this trip is beginner level, it is designed for people who are new to backpacking. Since space is limited, if you are an experienced backpacker, we ask that you hold off on RSVPing until we have given ample time for beginners to join! Rest assured, there will be other backpacking trips posted soon!
Below are several helpful links to get you started on the gear to bring, but as we have RSVPs come through, I will message you to chat through more details :-)
https://www.rei.com/learn/series/intro-to-backpacking
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/backpacking-checklist.html
We will be practicing Leave No Trace, so please brush up on the info in the link below!
https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/
This trail is dog-friendly, and we welcome your furry friends! Your dog must be leashed AT ALL TIMES, no exceptions. If you cannot agree to this, this is not the trip for you. It is for the safety of your dog, other dogs, wildlife, and humans. Happy to chat through some best practices on backpacking with a dog on leash if you want :-)
The Shining Rock Wilderness Area does require a bear canister. If you don't have one, we can talk about sharing since it's just one overnight. Similarly, the hosts have some extra gear. Please check with us before going out and buying new items (unless you want to)! Of course, borrowing of all gear will be first-come, first-served!
Backpacking is for everyone, and we welcome people of all skill levels! Feel free to message me if you are unsure of your ability on the trail and want to talk through it!
I LOVE backpacking and look forward to sharing this with you!
BEGINNER Overnight Backpacking - Shining Rock Wilderness Loop via Art Loeb