Hiking Trails - Willow Winds Woodland Gardens

For those who love hiking in nature, the Mountains-to-the-Sea Trail is adjacent to Willow Winds. The North Carolina Arboretum, which is just one exit away from Willow Winds on the Blue Ridge Parkway, has wonderful nature trails, as well as miles of jogging and biking trails. No serious hiker and lover of nature should fail to hike the trails of the Craggy Gardens in June and July to see a beautiful mountain-top display of Rhododenrum. It is only 23 miles from Asheville on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Antoher popular hiking option is Chimney Rock Park. The Dupont State Forest is one of the best and least crowded hiking spots in Western North Carolina.

The following are ten of our favorite hikes in western North Carolina. They include a variety of scenery and terrain. The level of difficulty varies from easy to moderate to difficult.

Lake Powhatan sits in the woods, surrounded by the mountains. The peaceful lake can be found in Bent Creek, a national forest area so close to Asheville that residents treat it like their local park.

On summer weekends, you can expect to see quite a few people sunbathing on the beach or splashing in the swimming area. A few benches and a new dock offer a nice place to sit and enjoy the pleasant setting. Anglers cast for stocked trout and birders look for woodland songbirds and the occasional migrating waterfowl.

From early May through late October, the Forest Service charges a $5 entrance fee to the Lake Powhatan Recreation Area within Bent Creek. By walking a couple hundred yards from the nearby Hard Times Trailhead, however, you can avoid paying the fee.

On the trail: From the Hard Times Trailhead, walk past the gate and down the gravel road to an intersection with another gravel road. Take a right and begin walking around the lake. Soon, a wooden bridge crosses Bent Creek, which feeds the lake. Follow the trail to the beach, then cross the beach to meet the trail again. The trail loops around to the gravel road that leads back to the Hard Times Trailhead.

Driving directions: From Willow Winds, take a right on Sweeten Creek Road. Drive 0.5 miles and then take a left on Rock Hill Road at the traffic light. Drive one mile down and then take a left on Hendersonville Road. Just 0.2 miles down, take a right onto the entrance ramp for the Blue Ridge Parkway. Take a right on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Exit the parkway just past mile 393, at the North Carolina Arboretum. Pass the arboretum and take a left on Brevard Road, also known as NC 191. At the next traffic light, take a left on Wesley Branch Road. Follow this road into Bent Creek. Look for the Hard Times Trailhead sign on the left.

It's not hard to earn bragging rights to the highest peak east of the Mississippi. Walk about five minutes from the parking lot and you're there! Climb the stairs to the top of the observation tower, and you're rewarded with 360-degree vistas.

If that sounds too easy, get in some more exercise and a brief education on the high-altitude forests. The Balsam Nature Trail veers off the summit path and travels through rare boreal forests that established themselves during the last Ice Age.

Of course, this forest type can only exist because of the cooler temperatures way up high. Bring a jacket to fend off the chilly winds that sometimes blow.

On the trail: From the parking lot, simply follow the signs to the summit. On the way back, take a right on the Balsam Nature Trail, which loops back to the parking lot.

Driving directions: From Willow Winds, take a right on Sweeten Creek Road. Drive 0.5 miles and then take a left on Rock Hill Road at the traffic light. Drive one mile down and then take a left on Hendersonville Road. Just 0.2 miles down, take a right onto the entrance ramp for the Blue Ridge Parkway. Turn left on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Exit the parkway shortly after mile 356, at Mount Mitchell State Park. Continue to the road's end at the concession area parking lot.

(3) Craggy Gardens -- Beautiful rhododendrons, grand views 1.5 miles Moderate

If you've come looking for rhododendron, the Craggy Gardens may be one of your best bets. The pinkish-purple blossoms complement the grand views quite nicely. The beech forests, laden with ferns, mosses and wildflowers, create an enchanting setting. The hike from the picnic area may be short, but travels up a moderate incline. You should plan on spending some time poking around the woods, taking pictures of the old barn, and soaking in the views from the stone overlook.

On the trail: From the picnic area, follow the Bear Pen Gap Trail for 0.2 miles uphill. When the forest opens up to meadows by the old barn, you'll meet up with the Craggy Gardens Trail. Take a right on the Craggy Gardens Trail and follow it to the overlook. Return the way you came.

Driving directions: From Willow Winds, take a right on Sweeten Creek Road. Drive 0.5 miles and then take a left on Rock Hill Road at the traffic light. Drive one mile down and then take a left on Hendersonville Road. Just 0.2 miles down, take a right onto the entrance ramp for the Blue Ridge Parkway. Turn left on the parkway. Exit the parkway just past mile 368, taking a left on Stoney Fork Road. Take an immediate right at the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area.

For a somewhat scary name, this place sure is beautiful. The fields are a wonderful place to see wildflowers, pick blueberries, play in the stream or look at waterfalls. Some visitors think the Yellowstone Prong creek was named for the national park, but the label actually comes from the yellowish tint to the local rock.

There's also some controversy about the name Graveyard Fields. Some say the charred tree trunks from the fire of 1925 look like tombstones. Others say the name predates that fire, and comes from the mounds of dirt that were created from decomposed trees blown down in a massive storm 500-1000 years ago.

On the trail: This trail is well-marked and easy to follow. From the parking lot, head down the paved trail to the bridge that crosses the Yellowstone Prong. Turn right at the fork to visit Second Falls. After viewing these waterfalls, backtrack to the intersection and head in the opposite direction, to some meadows and Upper Falls.

There's something to be said about the great forests of the Appalachian Mountains, but hikers sometimes can't see through the trees. Not so on the "balds," open meadows found on some ridge tops. The balds of Shining Rock Wilderness are among the best, and some of the easiest to drive to from Asheville.

They are also unique for the remnants of spruce-fir, or boreal, forests. These fairy-tale forests, with pine needle-covered floors, contrast nicely with the open meadows along this hike.

On the trail: From the trailhead, hike down the Ivestor Gap Trail through some scattered spruce-fir forests. At Ivestor Gap, take a right on the Art Loeb Trail and hike across the balds. A few unofficial trails veer off in different directions, but the area is so open that it's difficult to get lost. Just continue along the ridgetop, and soon you'll see the parking lot below. Near the end of the balds, a spur trail on the right returns to the trailhead.

Driving directions: From Willow Winds, take a right on Sweeten Creek Road. Drive 0.5 miles and then take a left on Rock Hill Road at the traffic light. Drive one mile down and then take a left on Hendersonville Road. Just 0.2 miles down, take a right onto the entrance ramp for the Blue Ridge Parkway. Take a right on the Blue Ridge Parkway. At mile 420, take a right on Forest Service Road 816. Continue to the parking lot at the road's end.

If you like water, this is your trail. The East Fork of the Pigeon River is a wide mountain stream with deep swimming holes and many small waterfalls. Hikers can dictate their own distance on this out-and-back path. Parties often just hike one mile to some popular bathing spots. The farther in you hike, the fewer people you will see and the more beautiful the river valley becomes.

The Big East Fork Trail travels for 3.4 miles to the Bridges Camp Gap and Greasy Cove trails. The first mile follows easy, flat terrain.

On the trail: From the trailhead, follow the gravel path for about 100 yards to a junction. Take a left for the Big East Fork Trail. Return the same way.

Driving directions: From Willow Winds, take a right on Sweeten Creek Road. Drive 0.5 miles and then take a left on Rock Hill Road at the traffic light. Drive one mile down and then take a left on Hendersonville Road. Just 0.2 miles down, take a right onto the entrance ramp for the Blue Ridge Parkway. Take a right on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Exit the parkway at mile 412, turning right at the bottom of the entrance ramp on U.S. 276. Drive north for 2.9 miles to the Big East Fork Trailhead, a gravel parking lot on the west side of the road.

Looking Glass Rock is an icon of the region: a big, solitary rock rising out of the forest with bare, gray walls and a forested top. It's no surprise the hike to the top has become popular, even crowded.

To escape the crowds and enjoy equally great views that include the icon itself, we suggest the hike to the top of John Rock, just across the valley. It's a little steep in sections, but fairly short.

Here's a quick geology lesson: John Rock and Looking Glass are both "exfoliation domes," huge pieces of rock shaped by several interacting forces. About 390 million years ago, magma deep within the earth cooled and crystallized. This rock was thrust upward and weathering and erosion stripped the earth above it. Without the weight bearing down on it, the rock expands outward, helping to create the dome-like shape as weathering and erosion continue.

On the trail: From the Pisgah Center For Wildlife Education and fish hatchery, follow the eastern section of the Cat Gap Loop Trail for 1.3 miles to the signed junction with the John Rock Trail. Take a right on the John Rock Trail and make the 0.7-mile ascent to the open ridge top. Return the same way.

Driving directions: From Willow Winds, turn left on Sweeten Creek Road, also known as U.S. 25-A. After five miles, U.S. 25-A will become NC 280. Continue on NC 280 for 18 miles to the junction with U.S. 64 and U.S. 276. Turn right on U.S. 276 and continue for five miles. Turn left on Forest Service Road 475. The trailhead is on the left by the fish hatchery and Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education.

This hike has always been a locals' favorite, but has become even more popular thanks to the best-selling book and popular movie of the same name. The rocky, exposed summit offers great views, making the trip even more rewarding.

Be advised, however: this trip is for experienced hikers in good physical condition. The shorter route from the Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp gains 2,800 vertical feet in 5.3 miles. Two

alternate routes cover less steep terrain: The Art Loeb Trail via the Ivestor Gap Trail covers 13.6 total miles and the Art Loeb Trail from Forest Service Road 816 measures 16.8 miles round trip. Both alternate routes allow hikers to see the Shining Rock Ledge, with its rock outcroppings, and offer outstanding views along the way. The Ivestor Gap Trail version skips a small portion of the Art Loeb Trail to cut some distance, sacrificing some great views from Black Balsam and Tennent Mountain.

On the trail: From the Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp, take the Art Loeb Trail up the switchbacks all the way to Deep Gap. At Deep Gap, take a left on the Cold Mountain Trail. From the Ivestor Gap Trailhead, take the Ivestor Gap Trail to Ivestor Gap. Take a right at the junction to join the Art Loeb Trail, then take a left on the Art Loeb Trail to reach Deep Gap and the Cold Mountain Trail. To include the Black Balsam and Tennent, follow the Art Loeb Trail all the way from Forest Service Road 816 to Deep Gap.

Driving directions: From Willow Winds, take Interstate 40 to exit 31. Follow NC 215 south for 9.9 miles. Turn left on SR 1129. The Art Loeb Trailhead lies 3.5 miles down on the right. Directions for alternates: See driving directions for Black Balsam loop.

People visit Dupont State Forest for the lakes, mountain biking trails and scenic viewpoints, but most of all, they come for the waterfalls. This particular hike takes in three waterfalls in a relatively short distance: Hooker Falls, Triple Falls and High Falls. Trail maps can be viewed at each kiosk, and the developed trails are well marked.

On the trail: First, visit Hooker Falls, on the same side of the road as the Hooker Falls access area. From the parking lot, walk downstream along the Little River for 5-10 minutes. Next, return the same way, and cross the road to reach the Triple Falls Trail. Walk down the stairs and continue about 10-15 minutes to Triple Falls. Finally, head up the hill from the Triple Falls viewing area and walk down the High Falls Trail, near the bas of Triple Falls. Follow High Falls Trail for 0.75 miles to the final cascade on this tour. Return the same way.

Driving directions: From Willow Winds, take a left on Sweeten Creek Road. Pass beneath the Blue Ridge Parkway and the road becomes NC 280 west. Follow to Pisgah Forest. Turn left on U.S. 64 and drive 3.7 miles to the Texaco station in Penrose. Turn right on Crab Creek Road, go 4.3 miles, and then turn right on Dupont Road. Dupont Road becomes Staton Road. The Hooker Falls access area will be the first developed parking area on the right.

(10) Mount Sterling -- A Smoky Mountains firetower classic 12.2 miles Difficult

Despite all of the great hiking right outside Asheville, many visitors can't resist the urge to drive to nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park, just one hour away. The Mount Sterling hike has become a favorite for several reasons.

First of all, getting to the trailhead does not require driving on the congested Newfound Gap Road, the main corridor of the park. Instead, hikers sneak into the northeast corner, driving barely 10 minutes off Interstate 40 before they hit the trailhead.

The Baxter Creek Trail slowly meanders up the side of Mount Sterling Ridge, passing by cascading creeks with mossy rocks and tunneling through dense groves of rhododendron. When hikers finally summit 5,842-foot Mt. Sterling, a firetower greets them. Climb the stairs for spectacular views from this historical relic, built in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

On the trail: From the Big Creek ranger station, head south through the picnic area on the gated gravel road that leads to the Big Creek and Baxter Creek trails. The Baxter Creek Trail heads off to the left. This trail leads directly to Mount Sterling, with no trail junctions.

Driving directions: From Willow Winds, take Interstate 40 to exit 451, turning left off the interstate ramp. Follow the signs for Waterville and the Big Creek ranger station.

Willow Winds, L.L.C.
39 Stockwood Road Ext.
Asheville, North Carolina 28803
Toll Free: 800-235-2474
(828) 277-3948
info@willowwinds.com

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