art loeb trail water sources

The beginning and end of the trail have plentiful water but once youre up on the ridgeline you only have two chances to fill up. 21909 Miles Long 14 States.

Hiking The Art Loeb Trail In Pisgah National Forest

The only problem was it didnt tell us where water sources were.

. Im planning to hike the entire Art Loeb Trail with a couple of other people in mid-March. We will start at Davidson River and hike to Daniel Boone Scout Camp. There was no guidebook for the trail.

They are not hard to find but you do need to keep your eye out for them. We had a map but it didnt help much. Geological Survey publishes a set of topographic maps of the US.

This was a perfect fit given my objectives. Foothills Trail 76 miles Art Loeb Trail 30 miles Arkansas Ozark Highlands Trail. Surprisingly for western north carolina the art loeb trail is short on good water sourcesThe 31 mile art loeb trail is one of the most popular weekend backpacking trails in the asheville areaThe art loeb trail is 301 miles in length and totals around 9000 feet of ascent and descent respectively.

It seems like the stretch between Deep Gap and the small spring in Shining Rock near the Shining Rock Creek trailhead is very dry. Starting from Davidson River youll pass a bunch of small streams on your first day. This year I chose to hike the Art Loeb trail in the Pisgah National Forest of North Carolina.

In early September there were only three water sources on the southern half of the trail SOBO. Let me know if you need a shuttle. The GPS on my phone tracked our course.

It is a scenic 301 miles long trail passing through the Shining Rock Wilderness and over Black Balsom Knob. Be ready to carry 4L. Some options to get your started are Cold Mountain 106mi Black Balsam Art Loeb Loop 5mi or Flat Laurel Creek to Sam Knob 95mi.

One at Deep Gap Shelter mile 15 one at Butter Gap Shelter mile 21 and the third about one mile south of Butter Gap mile 22. This was the only thing that made me a bit anxious. Trail Guides Have two sources of guides Copy the pages that you need.

Water source 1 WS1 Just before deep gap 1 where the trail makes its southern bend on the ridgeline WS2after passing black balsam there is a short spur from the art loeb that takes you to the black balsam parking area. Past Butter Gap you cross several creeks so there is plenty of water there all the way to Davidson River. Water treatment chemicals Maps guides Sunscreen Bug Spray TP Fuel.

It could be a designated length an out and back a loop or even a section of a longer trail. There are several out and back options available on the Art Loeb Trail parking at Davidson River Camp Daniel Boone Shining Rock Wilderness on the Blue Ridge Parkway or at the Black Balsam Trailhead. I know about the water sources in the list below.

The next obvious water stop is the piped spring at the Butter Gap Shelter. As far as bailout points go your best bets for leaving cars are around Black Balsam Knob GPS and the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education GPS the intersection of the Art Loeb and Cat Gap Trails on your map. Commonly known as US Topo Maps.

You need to go down a short trail to. From there head north on Ivestor Gap trail for about 200m and you will see a spring on your right WS3 Deep Gap Shelter WS4Butter Gap Shelter. The nearby parking lot for Investor GapSam Knob has a privy and a water source and thats only around 13 mile from the Art Loeb Trail.

Art Loeb Trail is covered by the Shining Rock NC US Topo Map quadrant. I was pleased to find the Big Hike app I used on the AT had the Art Loeb Trail as well. I filled up at Butter Gap Shelter and Deep Gap Shelter.

There is more water than this that Im sure others will mention but these are the main ones. These maps are seperated into rectangular quadrants that are intended to be printed at 2275x29 or larger. There are several water sources along the Art Loeb Trail.

Surprisingly for Western North Carolina the Art Loeb Trail is short on good water sources.

Art Loeb Hiking Trail Visit Nc Smokies