Pilot Mountain Loop - Carpool from South Broad Park
Details
Strenuous Climb!
Great views at the top, but this is a challenging route.
UPDATE - The road from the fish hatchery to Gloucester Gap is still out. So, we will meet at the South Broad Park parking lot instead, and access the trailhead from Hwy 215. We will need to carpool for 30 minutes to the trail head.
Rating: Very Strenuous
Distance: 7 miles
Elevation Gain: 1800 ft.
That's right, 1800 feet of elevation gain, mostly in the first 1.5 miles.
Features: Great views. Possible early wildflowers.
Gear: Bring snacks, hiking poles, and water. It may be windy at the top, so bring a wind breaker.
Pace: Best effort, but continuous. 1.5 miles per hour up the climb, with 3 mph on the return down the logging road.
We will follow the Loop described in All Trails, and add an out and back to Sassafras knob to make the hike closer to 7 miles..
We will hike at a 3 mph pace, albeit slower on the longer climbs. In case of bad weather, cancellation/postponement will be announced by 8:30 am day of event.
Pilot Mountain Loop via Art Loeb, Deep Gap Road, and Pilot Mountain Road on AllTrails
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/north-carolina/pilot-mountain-trail?p=-1&sh=ifwm3x