|
| | | Hawksbill Mountain via Jonas Ridge Trail, NC | | | |
|
|
Hawksbill Mountain via Jonas Ridge Trail, NC
| | |
| |
|
| Hiking | 6.76 Miles |
2,000 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.76 Miles | 3 Hrs 40 Mns | | 2.19 mph |
| 2,000 ft AEG | 35 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
[ show ]
| partners | | Just my son Rob and I went for a hike today. After a one-and-a-half-hour drive, our original plan was dead due to Hurricane Helena. It had been on my list for a while, but they are still awaiting government funding, so maybe next year (who am I kidding).
We came up with the next two hikes on the fly while in the area, not having a clue of what to expect. They turned out to be great substitutes.
The drive to this trailhead would have been tough without GPS, as it winds through many single-lane mountain roads until it dead ends. Surprisingly, there were three cars in the five-car maximum trailhead. The upper two spots aren't accessible by car. We parked in the lower lot and still had one tire off the ground where we parked.
Jonas Ridge Trail #245
This one starts uphill right away and then levels off once you pass Gingercake Mountain. About 0.6 miles in, we saw a well-used trail that we decided to follow.
Devils Cliff Trail
The well-used trail dead-ended 0.4 miles later to a gorge-ous view into Linville Gorge.
Back on the Jonas Ridge Trail #245, we made our way south past Sitting Bear Mountain and then dropped steeply to Sitting Bear Rock, where we saw a pair of trail workers repairing the steep switchbacks. They accounted for the two 4x4 vehicles at the upper trailhead. A few moments later, we ran across the couple that had the other vehicle. The saddle between Sitting Bear and Hawksbill had many nice campsites that get used frequently.
Hawksbill Mountain Trail #248
Once we reached this trail, the climbing started again. At the top of Hawksbill, we explored the different viewpoints and had our lunch. The views from the peak were the high point of the day.
We returned the way we came. |
| _____________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry  |
| | |
|
|
|
Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
