GetHiking! Classic Escapes: Linville Gorge Weekend
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If you haven't hiked the "Grand Canyon of the the East," you don't want to miss this weekend of unsurpassed mountain scenery and rugged trails, and the gorge's serene spirit.
Our weekend will base camp out of the group site of Linville Falls Campground located on the Blue Ridge Parkway. There will be room for 22 tents (or 25 people); those sites will go to the first 22 who mention in the Comments section (below) that they are camping. Individual sites are available.
Saturday hikes: We will carpool to Table Rock Mountain parking lot for our hike on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail to Shortoff Mountain. We begin through The Chimneys; you'll soon learn how these rock formations got their name. There's a steep drop to Chimney Gap, then a challenging hike out. From there, the hiking is surprisingly flat. At Shortoff, you'll experience views into the Gorge second to none. After a break for lunch, we will hike back, enjoying the views from the return perspective. Total mileage for the day: 10 miles. These trails require sturdy hiking shoes/boots and hiking poles. They are narrow and rocky in spots, with steep drops on one or both sides. Because of the overall distance and the journey into and out of Chimney Gap, this hike is considered Strenuous.
Sunday's hikes: After packing up on Sunday, we will drive to the nearby Visitor Center, where you will have two options.
Linville Falls (2.8 miles): This hike offers five different perspectives of the waterfalls in two short sections. The first section, known as the Erwins View Trail, takes you to three overlooks where you'll appreciate the power of the water that carved the gorge (1.8 miles RT). The second section offers views of the lower falls as it plunges into a basin, and then into the bottom of the gorge (1.0 mile RT).
Linville Gorge Trail: The trails to into Linville Gorge (1.4 miles round trip) and to Plunge Basin (1 mile round trip) also start at the Visitor Center. The trail to Linville Gorge forks 0.2 mile from the visitor center. The right fork takes hikers to Plunge Basin Overlook, where they can view the lower falls and The Chimneys. The left fork winds down through rock cliffs to the bottom of the falls, where the force of the water cascading over the falls creates a large pool. This trail is a bit strenuous because of the steep hike back up to the Visitor Center.
You can do both hikes or pick one of the routes depending on how much time you want to spend hiking on Sunday. Both trails would be a combined total of 5.1 miles
There is a $65 fee for this hike, which includes an e-guide with custom trail map, and a swag bag including nutrition for the hike. Hikers will be invoiced for this hike two weeks in advance of the hike date.
Please indicate if you are camping with us and for how many nights. We are limited to 25 people in the group site, or 20 tents.
Trip Logistics:
Drive time from Triangle: 4 hrs
Camping: the campground has a fire ring, tables and access to modern bathrooms but no showers. However, there is a wonderful and refreshing swimming hole on Linville River near our campground. Bring a swimsuit!
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