The Asheville Hiking Group

I've been hiking the MST for 10 years, and I alway expected it to be there--until it wasn't. It has now returned, and it's a joy. This is a section of the Shut-In between Beaver Dam Gap overlook and Mills River overlook. It's just an out and back, 6.6 mile total, but after a year it has never looked so good.

I scouted it Saturday, Oct. 18. Color is good! Lots of yellow, of course, and some red from the maples, dogwood, and sourwood. Plenty of peepers at the overlooks, as well as trail runners and birders tracking migrating fowl.

This section is not easy. It avoids the "walls" before Ferrin Know and Little Pisgah, but it does gains 1100 feet on the way up.

No dogs.

The Kubota in the last picture has been sitting at Mills River Overlook since the shutdown. Ain't nobody mowing--nohow, noway.

...If you sign up and change your mind, change your RSVP to "not attending" to free up your reservation.

Please let the hike leader know if you choose to drive straight to the trailhead (9:30am) or carpool (8:45am). CARPOOLERS meet in the East Asheville Ingles parking lot up above the car wash and across the road from the VA on US highway 70/Tunnel Road at 8:45am,

Should be beautiful. Should be oodles of tree color, but without Parkway leaf peeper traffic to worry about.

The Heartbreak Ridge Trail is unusual in that its official start and end points are not directly accessible. That is, they abut other trails. We will access the trail at its southern end near Old Fort by first hiking 1.5 miles of the Star Gap Trail.

The surface of the trail is very good for a “lightly trafficked” trail, though we will be single file for the section along the ridge. Indeed, pine needles carpet long stretches. Possible drawbacks include the occasional (intrepid, or foolish) mountain biker and some overgrown brush (more rhodos and laurels than nettles). Most of the Heartbreak Ridge Trail itself, as its name suggests, runs along a ridge; most of the trail is wooded and not exposed. The best viewpoint can be found at around the 4.0 mile mark (see photo), which is also the turnaround point for those who opt for the 8 mile version of the hike.

The Star Gap Trailhead can be found on Graphite Road, which veers off of Mill Creek Road which, in turn, veers off of Old US Highway 70 West on the west side of Old Fort. This short drive is a bit interesting as much of it parallels the Southern Railroad tracks, with its many trestles and tunnels, and passes by Andrews Geyser. Indeed, we cross the tracks on the hike. There's one rock-hopping water crossing near the beginning.

If you are coming from Asheville, take the first exit after the Eastern Continental Divide and the second left onto Old US Highway 70. Go about 2 miles on Old US Highway 70, then turn right onto Mill Creek Road for about 2 miles past the Andrews Geyser. Shortly after the second "please honk first" one lane underpass, Mill Creek Road veers extremely sharply to the left. Exactly at that point, turn right onto Graphite Road. Pass the Brookside Missionary Baptist Church and you will see the completely unmarked, vehicle-wide trailhead on the right side of the road, just before you see the entrance to SUWA of the Carolinas camp on the left. Please parallel park on the side of the road near the trailhead; there are several spots available there, The gravel parking lot is for SUWA.

Allen recommends a visit to Hillman's Old Fort after the hike.

PACE: Please be capable of hiking this distance at a quick pace before signing on. We like to stay relatively close together while keeping our respected distances.

DOGS: TRAIL FRIENDLY dogs are welcome.

This hike is either level 7 or 10.

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FITNESS HIKE LEVELS:
Level 1: 0-600'; Level 2: 600-900'; Level 3: 900-1200'; Level 4: 1200-1500'; Level 5: 1500-1800'; Level 6: 1800-2100'; Level 7*: 2100-2400'; Level 8: 2400-2700'; Level 9; 2700-3000'; Level 10**; 3000-4000'; ULTIMATE HIKES > 4000'

Release of Liability:
The organizer of this trip is a volunteer and not a professional guide. The function of the organizer is only to organize this trip. If you sign up or participate in this event you acknowledge that you freely and voluntarily agree to assume all risks of injuries, illnesses, and damages arising from, as a result of, and associated with this event. In addition, you acknowledge that you agree to the Meetup terms: https://www.meetup.com/terms

Place to meet: Sleepy Gap Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway Just past Mile Marker 397.
Description: Hike from the Blue Ridge Parkway, along the Mountain-to-Sea trail, through Bent Creek and around Lake Powhatan, then back to the BRP. Good footing; mostly wide trails; some nearby creeks; nice view from Sleepy Gap. From Sleepy Gap north over Grassy Knob down to the MST down Stambaugh to Lake Powatan. Pine Tree to Explorer loop. Up to Chestnut Cove and back to Sleepy Gap. Type: Loop. Max elev: 3600’. Avg moving pace: 2.4 mph. Difficulty (1=effortless, 10=hard): 6.