GetHiking! North Carolina's Classic Hikes: Shining Rock (Short Hike)

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July finds our Classic Hikes series visiting one of the most classic hikes in the state: Shining Rock. Our hike will begin at the Black Balsam US Forest Service Access off the Blue Ridge Parkway and take us down the Ivestor Gap Trail to Ivestor Gap, where we'll pick up the Art Loeb Trail and take it over Grassy Cove Top and Flower Knob to Shining Rock. There, we'll hike the Ivestor Gap Trail back to the trailhead. Total distance will be 8.3 miles.

This hike starts high and stays high. There are two climbs: up Grassy Cove Top and Flower Knob. We'll have lunch at Shining Rock, where you can scramble atop the white quartzite knob that gives Shining Rock its name. This part of our GetHiking! North Carolina's Classic Hikes series (see below for more information). It will be the fourth hike in this series of 12 hikes in 2015. Each hike in the series includes a short and a long version.

This is a fee program; the $50 membership fee includes two hikes; each additional hike is $25. The program includes various perks, including a T-shirt, hiking socks, swag bag for each hike, monthly enewsletter and discounts on hiking gear at Great Outdoor Provision Co. You must belong to the program to sign up for a hike.

Estimated drive times: Charlotte: 2 hours, 45 minutes; Greensboro: 3 hours, 30 minutes; Raleigh: 4 hours 40 minutes.

For more information on the GetHiking! North Carolina's Classic Hikes program go here (http://greatoutdoorprovision.com/blog/explore-more-in-2015-hike-north-carolinas-classic-trails/). To sign up, as well as for more information, contact Joe Miller at joe@getgoingnc.com.