I had hiked part of the Shining Rock Wilderness once before back in May of 2014 and I enjoyed it very much so I was really looking forward to doing some more hiking there. This time we would be hiking a different section so I knew it would be a great hike if it was to be anything like last years hike in the Shining Rock Wilderness. This time we would be starting our hike from the Southern most corner of the Shining Rock Wilderness and heading Southeast into the Pisgah National Forest to the Davidson River Campground. This particular hike can be done in 3 days but we wanted an extra day on the end to do some exploring around the surrounding areas of Brevard because it’s known for its vast number of waterfalls. We staged our end vehicle at the beautiful Davidson River Campground just North of Brevard on 276 and we left our other vehicle at a small pull off where the Mountains To Sea Trail 440 crosses 215. We headed East which took us up a hill with enough grade to get the heart pumping a bit. We took a slight detour to the Devils Courthouse overlook which gives you a great view of the surrounding mountains. This was well worth the extra mileage but all in all was only about a 1/4 mile out of our way.
Once we had our fill of the magnificent view from Devils Courthouse we headed East across Chestnut Bald which was a beautiful section of trail with some pretty nice views of the surrounding mountains. The next junction is where the Mountains To Sea Trail 440 intersects the Art Loeb Trail 146 where we headed south on the Art Loeb Trail that immediately becomes steep and rough. This is an extremely steep and rocky section that took us down to the Blue ridge Parkway where we crossed and headed South down Shuck Ridge.
The Shuck Ridge section of trail was pretty smooth and had some flat areas with a few nice campsites where we found one area that was suitable for our four tents and a hammock to call it a night. There was a nice fire pit and plenty of wood to wind down the night. But this campsite is a long way from any water that we were aware of so that is a definite drawback for sure.
Friday morning we continued on down Shuck Ridge to Farlow Gap and up Sassafras Knob which was a good uphill hike that got the legs burning way too early in the morning. We found an awesome campsite on the Western side on top of Sassafras Knob that would have been an awesome place to camp even without access to water at the site. It’s nearly on the side of the mountain but nestled under some trees so it feels edgy but protected at the same time.
Then back down again to Deep Gap where we watered up near the shelter there. The shelter at Deep Gap was definitely different and in need of repair. Although I don’t care much for shelters overall I definitely like the shelters along the A.T. much better. There is a spring near this shelter! After watering up at Deep Gap the trail immediately gets steep as we climbed up Pilot Mountain which turned out to be one tough climb that seemed to go on forever. The reward is that once you get to the top there is a small rocky section where you have a view from both sides of the surrounding mountains….when you aren’t socked in of course! The trail down from Pilot Mountain has some steep sections but is a pretty easy downhill overall.
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After Pilot Mountain we were pretty much home free for the rest of the day with most of the hiking being ridge tops or lesser grade hills. There was another tough climb out of our camp on Saturday morning but it was relatively short compared to the climbs from Friday. The trail between Pilot Mountain and Butter Gap was full of wildlife like the juvenile garter snake below that was literally laying in the middle of the trail. I would have probably stepped on it if I wasn’t paying attention.
Chestnut Mountain was the next tough climb on this trip but we conquered it and pushed on because we wanted to at least get to Butter Gap so we could water up and decide if we wanted to stay there or keep going. Well the shelter there was nearly identical to the one at Deep Gap but was in need of some repairs. It’s a really large semi-flat area all around the shelter that could hold at least thirty tents. After we watered up we kept going in order to find a nice campsite that suited our small group.
We finally found a cool little campsite next to the trail that was just about perfect. It held our four tents and a hammock quite comfortably and was about eighty yards from Kuykendall Creek where we could get our water. This was a great place to camp because it felt like it was isolated and full of wildlife. The fireflies came out that night which was a bonus and then we were visited by a whippoorwill that decided to perch above our camp in the middle of the night.
We saw quite a few flowers on the trail, including the Pink Lady Slipper.
Saturday morning we got up and hit the trail early(early for our group) and crossed Kuykendall Creek and headed up to Sandy Gap. There is an awesome campsite at Sandy Gap that’s right next to Cedar Rock Mountain. This side of Cedar Rock Mountain is a very large face of granite that would be an excellent place to play. It’s not a vertical rock face so that adds to the lure of climbing on it. But this campsite lacks water so that destroys its place as the number one site to camp. After Sandy Gap the trail heads downhill in some tight windy rhododendron choked trails next to a creek and some small campsites but this creek appeared to be dry when we passed them. They were really in some thick brush so I’m betting it would get very dark and feel very desolate in any one of those campsites. The downside is the lack of water in the creek. 
The trail follows the creek for awhile then climbs up and onto a ridgeline before descending to Catpen Gap. There was a campsite at Catpen Gap that was very nice and looked to be able to hold three or four tents but we didn’t notice any creeks or springs so further research would need to be done to find water. I didn’t see any water sources near this location on any maps so it very well may be dry. Cat Gap Trail 120 intersects the Art Loeb Trail on the Northeast side of this campsite and makes a loop and connects up to John Rock Trail 365 and Butter Gap Trail 123 as well as a parking lot about 1-2 miles away.
We stayed on the Art Loeb trail as it wound through open forest on what appeared to be an old coal bed road. It was very wide and smooth and reminded me of the Northern section of Shining Rock Wilderness where I hiked back in May of 2014. We stayed on this trail until we came to the North Slope Connector 359A where we split our group up and three of us took the North Slope Trail down to Davidson River Campground. The other half of our group stayed on the Art Loeb Trail the entire time until they reached the Davidson River Campground and we met up there.
We ended our backpacking trip with a final night at the Davidson River Campground which I highly recommend. This is one of the nicest campgrounds I’ve stayed in and I usually don’t like to go near campgrounds at all. It’s a beautiful place.
There are many waterfalls to see in this area and a lot of them are just a short hike from the road.
Hooker FallsThis trip also gave me a chance to put my Vasque Scree Low Hiking Shoes through the wringer and see how well they hold up. They passed with flying colors and thoroughly impressed me once again. I had very little tow bang although I descended many mountains and not one blister! They continue to impress me with their durability and comfort so I’ll keep putting miles on them. The forecast was calling for possible rain so I took my ENO Housefly along with my MSR Hubba tent body only and left the Hubba Fly at home because the Housefly would offer more room and comfort from any showers while keeping the weight about the same and allowing more air flow as long as I set it up properly. I was very pleased with this setup once again and will continue to use it in this manner.
We used the Trails Illustrated Pisgah National Forest Trail Map and it suited our needs quite nicely. I didn’t find any discrepancies in the map and it was clear with the markings of trails and topography. I’m certain I’ll be returning to this area and I will use this same map when that happens. GEAR LIST FOR THIS TRIP
| FOOTWEAR/BACKPACKS/CONTENTS | WEIGHT OUNCES | WEIGHT POUNDS |
| SHOES/BOOTS NOT INCLUDED IN PACK WEIGHT | ||
| VASQUE SCREE LOW SHOES | 36.00 | 2.25 |
| TREKKING POLES NOT INCLUDED IN PACK WEIGHT | ||
Black Diamond Distance FL Trekking Pole |
16.00 | 1.00 |
| BACKPACKS | ||
MOUNTAINSMITH LOOKOUT 50 BACKPACK (NEXT GENERATION MOUNTAINSMITH LOOKOUT 45) |
66.00 | 4.13 |
| PACK COVER | ||
| EQUINOX MEDIUM PACK COVER | 4.10 | 0.26 |
| TENTS | ||
| MSR HUBBA NO FLY WITH FOOTPRINT AND POLES | 42.00 | 2.63 |
| HAMMOCKS | ||
ENO PRONEST HAMMOCK W/Grand Trunk Tree Slings |
24.00 | 1.50 |
| QUILTS | ||
| ENLIGHTENED EQUIPMENT REVELATION 40 DEGREE QUILT W/ STUFF SACK | 17.78 | 1.11 |
| SLEEPING PADS | ||
| THERMAREST RIDGEREST SOLITE REGULAR SLEEPING PAD CUT DOWN TO 20X60 | 12.00 | 0.75 |
| THERMAREST NEOAIR TREKKER SLEEPING PAD LARGE | 26.00 | 1.63 |
| TARPS | ||
| ENO HOUSE FLY RAIN TARP | 25.00 | 1.56 |
| TYVEK | 3.00 | 0.19 |
| FOOD | ||
| MISCELLANEOUS FOOD | 22.00 | 1.38 |
| 3 NIGHT FOOD – LOKSAK ODORPROOF BAG/ZPACKS BLAST FOOD BAG | 101.00 | 6.31 |
| BASICS | ||
| BODY GLIDE-BENS REPELLENT-SUNTAN LOTION IN ZPACKS CUBEN FIBER BAG | 2.90 | 0.18 |
| TARP STAKE KIT | 2.80 | 0.18 |
| MINI COMPASS AND TEMP GAUGE | 0.70 | 0.04 |
| ZPACKS CUBEN FIBER ZIP WALLET | 2.00 | 0.13 |
| SAWYER FILTER MINI(2OZ), PLATYPUS PLUSBOTTLE 1 LITER BOTTLE(1.5OZ), SCOOP POUCH/MESH BAG | 5.20 | 0.33 |
| SAFETY LANYARD – BG COMPACT SCOUT KNIFE/ADVENTURE MEDICAL RESCUE HOWLER/NITE IZE STS | 2.60 | 0.16 |
| TOILETRY KIT – MEDICINE/TOOTHBRUSH/TOOTHPASTE ETC IN OUTDOOR RESEARCH SMALL DRY DITTY SACK | 10.40 | 0.65 |
| FIRE KIT: DRYER LINT/LIGHTER/LIGHT MY FIRE FIRESTEEL | 2.80 | 0.18 |
| POTTY KIT – DEUCE OF SPADES, TOILET PAPER, HAND CLEANER BOTTLE/HOLDER IN NYLON SACK | 4.30 | 0.27 |
| CLOTHING | ||
| MARMOT DRICLIME WINDSHIRT | 12.00 | 0.75 |
| MARMOT ION WIND JACKET | 5.50 | 0.34 |
| FIRST ASCENT FLEECE PULLOVER | 10.60 | 0.66 |
| FALL/SPRING 3 NIGHT QUILT: WOOL SOCKS/SHORTS/TSHIRT/MISC. IN ZPACKS CUBEN FIBER BAG | 24.00 | 1.50 |
| EDDIE BAUER RIPPAC RAIN COAT | 12.70 | 0.79 |
| VIVOBAREFOOT ULTRA SHOES | 6.00 | 0.38 |
| NIKE RAIN PANTS | 12.40 | 0.78 |
| RAB LATOK GAITERS LOW | 5.50 | 0.34 |
| COOKING | ||
| MSR POCKET ROCKET STOVE/GAS/SNOW PEAK TREK 900 TITANIUM COOKSET/VARGO FOLDING TITANIUM SPOON/SOBE CUP | 20.50 | 1.28 |
| WATER BOTTLES – BLADDERS | ||
| CAMELBAK PODIUM BOTTLE 24 OZ WITH EDDY SIP LID FULL | 29.00 | 1.81 |
| SMARTWATER 33.8 OZ LARGE BOTTLE FULL | 37.40 | 2.34 |
| LIGHTING | ||
| PRINCETON TECH REMIX HEADLAMP IN HMG NANO CF8 CUBEN STUFF SACK | 3.50 | 0.22 |
| TOOLS | ||
| MIRROR / COMPASS / MOUNTAIN LAUREL DESIGNS CUBEN FIBER BAG | 1.50 | 0.09 |
| EXTRAS | ||
| FISHING ROD/REEL AND LURES | 12.00 | 0.75 |
| SUNGLASSES | 1.40 | 0.09 |
| MP3 PLAYER; EARPHONES; BATTERY IN HMG NANO CF11 CUBEN STUFF SACK | 5.30 | 0.33 |
| TOTAL SUM OF WEIGHT OUNCES LESS FOOTWEAR | 575.88 | |
| TOTAL SUM OF WEIGHT POUNDS LESS FOOTWEAR | 35.99 | 35.99 |
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