Soco Gap to Waterrock Knob FITNESS Hike, 9.2mi, 2,000ft
Details
Haywood County Weather: Cancelation due to weather will be posted. An alternative hike closer to Asheville may be scheduled.
Hike Description:
Out and back hike on the Mountain to Sea Trail from the Soco Gap Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Waterrock Knob overlook. The trail is mostly under a hardwood canopy with several beautiful long range views. Most of the elevation gain will be on the outbound section of this trail which is well maintained.
PACE: All fitness hikes have a brisk steady pace 2.5 (on steeper climbs) to 3+ mi/hr) with brief regrouping as needed. The trail is well maintained. These hikes are for conditioned hikers. Please be sure of your hiking ability before signing on.
CAR POOL: For those who wish to car pool, we will meet at Cracker Barrel (near I-40 & Patton Ave.) at 9:10 am. Please post if you intend to meet us there, otherwise see you at the Soco Gap trailhead (at 10 :am).
Driving to Soco Gap Overlook: From Asheville, take US Interstate 40 West 25 minutes to exit 27; take US74 for 5 minutes to Lake Junalaska then turn onto US19 to Maggie Valley; follow US19 through Maggie Valley for 15 minutes to Blue Ridge Parkway exit; Soco Gap is the first overlook in the direction of Asheville.
Dogs are welcome, but have a leash handy in case we run into other hikers or dogs.
...If you sign on and change your mind change your RSVP to "not attending" to free up your reservation and to avoid a "no show" status.
HIKE LEVELS are based on the total elevation gain for each hike while distances vary as described. Lower level hikes focus on endurance conditioning and higher-level hikes add increasing cardio challenges.
Hike Level (1) Up to 600 feet of elevation gain. Level (2) 600'- 900'; Level (3) 900' - 1200'; Level (4) 1200' - 1500'; Level (5) 1,500' - 1,800'; Level (6) 1,800' - 2,100'; Level (7) 2,100' - 2,400'; Level (8) 2,400' - 2700'; Level (9) 2700' - 3000' Level (10) 3000' - 4000'; ULTIMATE HIKES are hikes > 4,000' elevation gain; We post 3-4 of these hike challenges a year.