Region: Deep South

Distance: 30 miles (2-4 days)

Physical Difficulty: Difficult

• 7,000 feet of total elevation gain SOBO; 8,200 feet NOBO
• Rocky and rooty terrain
• Steep sections and seasonal water sources

Logistical Difficulty: Moderate 

• Route is poorly marked in Shining Rock Wilderness
• Infrequent water sources, depending on the season
• Easily accessible trailheads

Season: Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter

Elevation Gain: 7,000 feet SOBO / 8,200 feet NOBO

Hiking the Art Loeb Trail

The Art Loeb Trail is a difficult point-to-point route in the Pisgah National Forest that takes hikers through a variety of terrain across the Blue Ridge Mountains. As is typical with hiking the Southern Appalachians, there are steep ascents and descents, offering spectacular views at the top but tough on the knees going down. We chose to hike this trail north-to-south as it was both logistically and physically easier than the alternative. 

The northernmost quarter of the trail, heading south, is a steady climb up toward Cold Mountain through the heavily wooded forest of the Shining Rock Wilderness. A spur trail can take you to the top of Cold Mountain if you wish to further explore the namesake of the popular book and movie. Continuing on the ALT, you will pass through The Narrows, a single-track, rhododendron-lined section of ridge walking that offers gorgeous overlooks. Exiting The Narrows, the trail widens and you enter Shining Rock Ledge, an area scattered with quartzite ranging from pebble-sized rocks underfoot to small boulders resting among the trees. At mile 6.8 is Shining Rock Gap and a junction with Old Butt Knob Trail, which you can take to see the actual Shining Rock itself. Near the end of this section, you’ll pass two water sources near each other, which are the last opportunity to get water if you plan on camping before Black Balsam. 

Continuing on, you’ll reach Flower Gap in less than half a mile, the first spot of near-continuous views for several miles. There are some campsites in this area that looked great but were all taken by the time we got there. We continued toward Ivestor Gap, an open, grassy gap with views on each side, where we set up camp for the night. Both the sunrise and sunset were absolutely incredible from this location. I highly recommend camping here. If you do want to keep moving down the trail, there are some sporadic campsites between here and Black Balsam that also offer stellar views.

After packing up the next morning at Ivestor Gap, we continued south along the ridge and summited Tennent Mountain, which has jaw-dropping 360-degree views of many well-known mountaintops in the region, including Clingmans Dome far off in the distance. The hike from Tennent Mountain to Black Balsam Knob is definitely one of my all-time favorite hiking experiences! I cannot stress this enough. An abundance of blueberry and blackberry bushes line the trail, offering a good opportunity for a morning snack, and the continuous views impress for miles. The berry bushes do entice bears to the area and there was evidence of their presence, though no bears were spotted during our hike. You will pass a water source in this area–the last one until Deep Gap Shelter about six miles ahead.

Ascending Black Balsam Knob we inadvertently took the Black Balsam Trail instead of the ALT, but after talking to a few people I learned that this is a common mistake that actually provides a better viewing experience than following the Art Loeb Trail to the top. We hung around Black Balsam for a bit and took in the scenery while trying to identify the mountains we spotted in the distance. If you reach Black Balsam after 8 in the morning on a weekend, expect it to be somewhat crowded. As you descend Black Balsam, after you descend the wooden stairs, veer right at the Mountains-to-Sea Trail junction to cross USFS 816 to stay on the Art Loeb Trail. A steep descent to the Blue Ridge Parkway provides some additional views and a chance to escape the crowds.

The southern half of the trail has a very different vibe than the sections before Black Balsam. The trail is rocky and rooty and the ascents and descents are steep, but peaks such as the one on Pilot Mountain offer magnificent views of the Blue Ridge Mountains at the top. In early September, we only came across three water sources between the spring past Tennent Mountain and the southern terminus at the Davidson River. The first of the two sources you’ll come across if doing a SOBO hike is just south of Deep Gap Shelter, along an old logging road. The second source is next to Butter Gap Shelter and the third is about a mile down the trail from there. After Butter Gap, there are many small climbs mixed with some smooth ridge running and old logging roads before reaching the final descent toward the southern terminus, where you’ll find a river to dip in to celebrate your completed thru-hike if the season’s right!

How to Get to the Art Loeb Trail

Nearest City: Brevard, North Carolina (42 miles from Camp Daniel Boone/northern terminus; 5 miles from Davidson River Campground/southern terminus)

Camp Daniel Boone / northern terminus (Google Map)

Davidson River Campground / southern terminus (Google Map)

No parking is allowed at the northern terminus at Camp Daniel Boone. We left our car at the southern terminus and had a friend drive us to the northern trailhead.

There are shuttles in the area that are a good option if you only have one car or are flying to the area and need a ride. If driving and you only have one car, depending on the direction you’re hiking, the shuttle could drive you to Camp Daniel Boone to begin a SOBO hike or pick you up there at the end if you’re hiking NOBO.

If you’re flying to North Carolina, your best bet is probably to fly into the Asheville airport (AVL) and take a shuttle to and from the trail. This airport is 22 minutes from the Davidson River Campground and 52 minutes from Camp Daniel Boone.

When to Hike the Art Loeb Trail

The ideal seasons for hiking the Art Loeb Trail are late spring, summer, and early fall. However, this hike could be easily managed in any season, including winter, with a reasonable amount of preparedness.

We hiked the trail over Labor Day weekend; the temperature was in the 70s during the day but varied a bit depending on the elevation. We camped at 5,700 feet elevation the first night and the low temperature was in the 30s, but conditions were warmer–50 degrees–the second night when we dropped to 3,200 feet. Mosquitoes weren’t as much of an issue as expected, but the water was scarce. Any season outside of the summer months would likely offer more abundant water sources.

Fall is a gorgeous time of year in North Carolina as the trees are changing colors, making October a perfect time to hike this trail. Keep in mind that temperatures may have already dropped below freezing at higher elevations by this point in the year.

If you are considering a winter hike of the Art Loeb Trail, be aware that it is not uncommon for the Blue Ridge Parkway to be closed during winter months when there are ice storms or periods of freezing weather.

2 night/3 day SOBO itinerary
Day 1: Camp Daniel Boone to Ivestor Gap (9 miles)
Day 2: Ivestor Gap to Butter Gap Shelter (13 miles)
Day 3: Butter Gap Shelter to Davidson River Campground (8 miles)

3 night/4 day NOBO itinerary
Day 1: Davidson River Campground to Butter Gap Shelter (8.5 miles)
Day 2: Butter Gap Shelter to Deep Gap Shelter (6 miles)
Day 3: Deep Gap Shelter to Flower Gap (8 miles)
Day 4: Flower Gap to Camp Daniel Boone (7 miles)

Art Loeb Trail Terrain

The Art Loeb Trail takes hikers over peaks and ridges, through forests and across balds as they cross some of the best-known mountains in North Carolina. The section from Flower Gap to Black Balsam Knob is exposed to the elements, so keep an eye on the weather forecast. Much of the southern half of the trail is heavy with rocks and roots, making the steep descents challenging and somewhat dangerous. Other sections are relatively smooth underfoot.

In September 2021, we had to traverse a landslide in the Shining Rock Wilderness, one of the most challenging obstacles we encountered on the trail.

Logistics: Direction, Land Management, Water

Art Loeb Trail Resupply Strategy  

Since this trail is only 30 miles and can be hiked in 2-4 days, it’s possible to complete the hike without needing a resupply. If a resupply is required, you would need a hitch or shuttle into Brevard, which could be up to an hour away or as close as 15 minutes, depending on your point along the trail.

Logistics 

Camping: Camping is free and first-come, first-served on the ALT. Many campsites lie along the trail, providing plenty of options for setting up camp. However, the lack of water sources limits your options if you wish to camp near water.

Permits: No permits are needed to hike or camp along this trail 

*Water: Water sources are plentiful between Camp Daniel Boone and Flower Gap. From SOBO mile 10 (just past Tennent Mountain) to the southern terminus at Davidson River Campground, water sources are sparse. In early September, there were only three water sources on the southern half of the trail (SOBO): 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).

Route Finding: A GPS map or map and compass are recommended. The trail is not marked in the Shining Rock Wilderness on the northern end of the trail or through Black Balsam. The trail runs along the ridge in these areas, so if you’re ever unsure stay along the ridgeline.

Special Gear: Bear canister required if camping in Shining Rock Wilderness.

Know Before You Go

This is a challenging trail with many steep ascents and rocky terrain. I would not recommend it for beginners.

• In the Shining Rock Wilderness, bear canisters are required and fires are not permitted.
• Water can be difficult to come by, especially along the southern half of the trail.
• The trail is not marked in the Shining Rock Wilderness on the northern end of the trail; a GPS map or map and compass are recommended.
• This trail is popular with day-hikers, especially on weekends.

Who was Art Loeb?: Yale grad, conservationist, avid hiker, Art Loeb and a hiking partner began piecing together trail sections between Davidson River Campground and Camp Daniel Boone. He died in 1968 at age 54, and the next year the trail was completed and named after him.

Additional Resources

USFS Trailhead Link and Info

National forests in North Carolina – Shining Rock Wilderness (usda.gov)
Shuttles

https://pvadventures.com/art-loeb-trail-shuttle/ https://wnctrailshuttle.com/art-loeb-trail/

https://mountainhighshuttles.com/

Laura Russell lives in Atlanta and enjoys going on outdoor adventures with her dog, Mallie, around the Southeast and beyond. She loves taking long road trips and has driven over 25,000 miles through 36 states, incorporating hiking into all of her travels. She started backpacking in 2020 and has many trails on the horizon. You can follow her adventures on Instagram @laura.russell_ 

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Conifer (mile 17): 15 miles off trail 

We don’t recommend hitching 15 miles to town after only walking 17 on trail, but if you must, Conifer offers shopping, accommodations, and a walk-in medical clinic capable of servicing minor injuries. 

Buffalo Creek (mile 26.9): 3 miles off trail 

With limited resupply options (post office and a tiny general store) and only 27 miles into the hike, Buffalo Creek is probably a better emergency bailout spot than it is a resupply point. But at only 3 miles off trail, the promise of a candy bar might be just attractive enough to warrant a 6-mile round trip road walk (or hitch if you are lucky). 

Baily (mile 40.5): 8 miles off trail  

This tiny town is 40 miles into the hike, and so might be attractive as a first stop. It offers a few expensive-ish lodging options, a post office, and a few restaurants. At 8 miles off trail, it isn’t a bad spot for a first mail drop, but don’t plan on doing a full grocery store resupply here. 

Jefferson (mile 71): 5 miles off trail

Jefferson doesn’t have a lot going for it (post office, convenience-store style market, and church) but it has the advantage of being an easy hitch that’s only 5 miles off trail. If you are in a hurry, hit it up for a candy bar and a beer. If you have some time, consider Fairplay (below), which you can reach by hitching from the same spot. 

Fairplay (mile 71.7): 20 miles off trail 

Fairplay might be 20 miles off trail, but the Colorado Trail Association says it’s an easy hitch, and we believe them (they’ve never steered us wrong). You can get here from the same point on the trail as Jefferson, and we’d recommend it (because of the range of amenities) even though Fairplay is 15 miles farther off trail. You might consider resupplying at Fairplay and skipping the touristy bustle of Breckenridge – Fairplay is easily walkable and has all the amenities any hiker could ask for. 

Breckenridge/Frisco (mile 104.4): 4 miles off trail 

The best thing about these classic Colorado resort towns is their ease of access from the trail. Simply catch a free bus at the Goldhill Trailhead and 4 bus miles later you are enjoying hostels, restaurants, post offices, grocery stores, and whatever else you need. These are western resort towns, so get ready to pay 15 bucks for a breakfast burrito before you hit the trail in the morning. All told, Breck and Frisco are nice – but expensive – places to take a zero should you feel the need at mile 100. 

Copper Mountain Resort (mile 119): basically on trail 

Only 15 trail miles from Breck, you might be tempted to blow through Copper Mountain Resort without stopping for a burger or pizza at one of its restaurants. Don’t do this. Life is too short, and the trail too dusty, to ever pass up a chance for food and beer, especially if it’s on the trail. They have accommodations, and you can catch a free bus into Frisco or Breckenridge if you realize you forgot something. 

Leadville: (mile 143): 8 to 11 miles off trail 

You can get to Leadville from segments 8, 9, 10, and 11 of the Colorado Trail. There are plenty of places to stay, food to eat, and things to do, so you may be tempted to hitch there more than once! It’s a long-ish hitch no matter which direction you come from, but the plethora of affordable hostels and the Leadville Outdoors and Mountain Market might be attractive if you or your gear needs a rest and a refresh. 

Twin Lakes Village (mile 177): 1 mile off trail

Twin Lakes Village is basically just a general store (hiker owned) and some lodging at Twin Lakes Roadhouse Lodge and Cabins. But it’s only a mile off trail, which is more than reasonable for a soda, candy bar, and maybe a burger if they have the grill going. The store will hold hiker boxes, but the lodge only has 5 rooms, so you should probably plan in advance if you want to stay the night. 

Buena Vista (mile 216): 10 miles off trail

At 10 miles off trail, Buena Vista isn’t the easiest hitch on the CT, but it isn’t the hardest either. It has All the Things, and plenty of lodging to boot. Grab some coffee at the Brown Dog Coffee Company or a beer at the Eddyline Restaurant Brew Pub. The downside is that there’s no hostel (the cheapest lodging is probably the Super 8, but you should check for yourself as prices are always fluctuating). 

Mount Princeton Hot Springs (mile 230): on trail 

The Mount Princeton Hot Springs resort has three things going for it. 1) It’s right on the trail. 2) It has maildrop availability and a tiny general store for resupply. 3) Did we mention hot springs? They’ve also got swimming pools, a lazy river, internet access, and restaurants. If you choose to stay the night, it will be one of your pricier Colorado Trail decisions. But it might be one of your most worthwhile. 

Salida/Poncha Springs (mile 253): 15 miles off trail 

Salida is about as close to the halfway point on the Colorado Trail as you can get and features a plethora of lodging options (at a range of prices), including the Salida Hostel and Woodland Motel on the lower end. There’s a post office, laundromat, Walmart, Safeway, and pretty much anything else you could ask for. It’s an excellent spot for a zero day because of its range of restaurants and amenities, but can sometimes be a tough hitch (it isn’t a straight shot into town). 

Saguache (mile 302): 31 miles off trail 

Saguache has a post office, lodging at the Orchard House and Big Valley Motel, and two restaurants (Mexican and pizza). Not a good spot to resupply if you are buying as you go (the Conoco offers standard gas-station fare), and a hard hitch. Perhaps only worth it if you need an unexpected zero, or don’t feel like walking around Gunnison (the hitch is from the same spot on the trail). 

Gunnison (mile 302): 39 miles off trail

At 39 miles off the trail, Gunnison has the dubious distinction of being the longest hitch in our resupply guide. Unlike Saguache, it’s a big town with lots of breweries, bars, coffee shops, and all the normal hiker musts (laundry/post-office/grocery store). The Wanderlust Hostel provides reasonable accommodation, and there’s also a Holiday Inn, Quality Inn, and Days Inn and Suites if you want something a little more posh to wash off the trail dirt. Gunnison is fairly spread out, so it will take you a little more time and energy to walk around. 

Creede (mile 343): 10 miles off trail 

Creede has all the services you need, but getting there might be more trouble than it’s worth (especially with Molas Lake Campground only 60 miles away). You have to take a side trail from San Luis Pass down to Forest Service Road 503 and then follow the road into town (and remember you have to gain all that elevation back again). Both the Colorado Trail Databook and the Colorado Trail Association website indicate that finding a hitch along the forest service road will be easier on the weekends. 

Lake City (mile 357): 17 miles off trail

This can be a tough hitch, but the trailhead parking lot is large, and finding a day-hiker leaving from the parking lot on a weekend might be pretty easy. Lake City is compact and easy to walk around, and features a full range of amenities, including a post office, laundromat, outfitter, and the Raven’s Rest Hostel. 

Molas Lake Campground (mile 409): on trail 

The Molas Lake campground offers an easy chance to resupply without adding extra miles to your trip, provided you don’t need a soft bed (the only accommodations are campgrounds) and are willing to ship your resupply box UPS as opposed to USPS. Grocery items are limited (the stuff you tend to find in campground stores), but they do have a shower. 

Silverton (mile 411): 6 miles off trail 

Silverton is the last good resupply point before you get to Durango, so make sure you stock up on 80 miles worth of food. It is a popular tourist town with an Old West flair. There are a few burger places, a grocery store, a post office, a laundromat, and the Silverton Inn and Hostel. It’s an easy 6-mile hitch into town, or you can flag down the Durango and Silverton narrow-gauge train in segment 24 and get into town that way. It’s the coolest hitch you’ll ever make, we promise. 

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As far as I’m concerned, Pop-Tarts innovation (and, indeed, human cultural innovation) peaked with s’mores flavor. I’ll die on this switchback-less hill, despite what you say about the classic goodness of blueberry flavor.  As for those of you who enjoy un-iced Pop-Tarts, well, I can do nothing for you. You are a lost cause.

I bring this up because Pop-Tarts, Nutella, Top Ramen, and Fig Newtons once made up roughly 90% of my caloric intake on long-distance hikes. Lately, I’ve been thinking about those good old days with a mix of nostalgia and horror. 

I have a few excuses for my old diet. I was in my mid-20s, single, and living in an area of the country that wouldn’t embrace farm-to-table eating for another five years. I hadn’t read any Michael Pollan. I was also quite poor, and eating healthy can be expensive, especially while backpacking, and double-especially while on a thru-hike.  

But excuses only go so far, and the truth is I love junk food. Even when I wasn’t hiking, salads tended to be decorative items at fancy restaurants, not something I actually, you know, ate. From time to time I encountered celery and carrots swimming in a sea of grease and buffalo sauce beneath a layer of chicken wings. If I crunched a few of them after dipping them in blue cheese, I considered it a major health victory.

As you probably know, it is entirely possible to walk 2,000 miles or more on the diet of a recently divorced middle-aged car salesman. You’ll probably even lose some weight in the process. And indeed, this exactly what happened to me. But losing weight is not the same thing as being healthy, and it’s certainly not the same thing as fueling your body effectively. As my energetic off-the-lot 20-year-old body transitioned into a hard-used 30-year-old body with higher-than-average mileage, it became apparent to me that maybe I’d be a better athlete if I started putting premium unleaded in the tank instead of frosted chemicals.

Bacon Days

My first experiment was with high-fat/low-carb eating. I went Keto in my daily life and carried it over into my long-distance endurance activities and had an absolute blast. For one thing, if you have to cut Pop-Tarts out of your life, you can do worse (enjoyment-wise) than replacing them with pork. From an ounce-counting perspective, it’s pretty efficient to fuel long trips with cheese, olive oil, and bacon–and satisfying to boot. And the much-lauded anti-bonking properties of Keto seemed to work for me. Not only did I shed about 20 pounds from my perpetually chubby 5-foot, 6-inch frame, but I found myself knocking out huge mile days with little to no drop in energy between meals and snacks.

But all good things, especially bacon-related things, must come to an end. I have enough heart disease in my family to cause a riot at a cardiologist convention, and after my father suffered a major heart attack in his mid-50s I went to get some bloodwork. The results revealed what anyone with even a passing familiarity with kale already knows—you can’t transition from a diet of pizza rolls and Hot Pockets to a diet of bacon and bulletproof coffee without some negative consequences, no matter what the scale says.  

My doctor, a pragmatic and not-easily-shocked woman, said that she’d “…never seen someone of your age and activity level with numbers this bad. Your resting heart rate is 50 beats-per-minute but you have the triglycerides of an 80-year-old obese man at high risk of a cardiac event.”

That’s not the kind of thing you can come home and tell your wife and still expect there to be butter in the fridge the next morning, and so my short-lived but delicious experiment with fat-fueled athleticism came to an abrupt end. I’d have to be a vegetarian moving forward—and not even the fun kind that lives solely on chips, Oreos, and moral superiority. For the sake of my ticker, I’d have to eat vegetables. 

The Tyranny of Beans

So I shifted my hiking diet (and normal diet) once again. Where once there were Fig Newtons, now there was black bean paste. Where once there was Top Ramen, now there were lentils and quinoa. Where once there was Nutella, now there were energy bars made of dates, cashews, and seemingly, sawdust. I told myself that mountain goats eat plants too, and I learned to make a damn good butternut squash soup. 

I don’t find a vegetable-centric eating strategy as effective from a non-bonking , body-fat burning, mile-crushing standpoint as Keto. And to me at least it can be vastly more boring and less satisfying than either junk food or healthy but high-fat options while on trail. 

But it does have the benefit of not turning my blood into buttery sludge, and my colon wakes me up every morning at 5 a.m. on-the-dot for a sunrise poop sesh, so I’m always getting in early miles. My bloodwork looks great, and the three most important women in my life (wife, mother, and cardiologist, in that order) are all happy. If black beans, Swiss chard, and steel-cut oats are the cross I have to bear to ensure 50 more years of living, so be it. I find the sunrises and the company generally worthwhile. 

And I mostly don’t miss my old junk food habits while solo backpacking. If you open your food bag at the end of a long day on the trail, and all you see is some version of freeze-dried legumes, you might be slightly disappointed but by god you will eat those legumes. Most of the time. 

We’re living in somewhat of a packaged backpacking meal renaissance, and small cottage companies are releasing tasty and healthy options all the time (I like Outdoor Herbivore). But I’ve come across some real duds. One kale and lentil soup meal (from a brand I won’t name here) was so unpalatable that I couldn’t choke it down even after a 36-mile day on the trail. On that occasion, I lay in my tent and cursed my cardiologist with the creativity and vitriol available only to the chronically Pop-Tart-less, and I think I can be forgiven for that.  

The only other time I struggle is around other hikers. On a recent trip to the Smokies, I watched with barely disguised lust for 7 days as my hiking partner Nick consumed 5,000 calories-a-day of whatever he felt like eating, including, I kid you not, powdered instant cheesecake. 

A Murder Deferred 

I’d used spreadsheets and algorithms to calculate my body fat percentage, daily energy miles, calories per ounce of food, and nutritional needs and ended up with an efficient, light, nutritionally balanced, utterly boring meal plan. I considered a little light murder somewhere around day 5 as Nick slurped down his second helping of cheesecake while I spooned another under-salted portion of lentils down my gullet. He offered me a spare Honey Stinger waffle moments later, an act of generosity that unbeknownst to him saved his life. The sugar flooded into my brain and convinced me that leaving his wife and children bereft for the sake of his cheesecake wouldn’t be very nice. At the very least it would be hard to explain at the funeral. 

But as the Buddhists say, there is a middle path, in this case, one between murdering my best friend for his dessert and slowly murdering myself with cholesterol and sugar. My experience in the Smokies changed my strategy a final time. I’m now convinced that I can and should mostly hike on heart-healthy, high-fiber, nutritionally dense, slow-burning carbs with plenty of lean protein, but still partake in the occasional Pop-Tart and Snickers bar. I do not turn up my nose at trail-magic offerings of soda and ice cream, and I can and will kill a large pepperoni pizza on a town day—after eating a salad and a few oranges. 

There’s a nice parallel here to backpacking gear–a lot of people flirt with the extreme ends of ultralight, minimalist philosophy before ultimately realizing they have more fun with a few luxury items in their pack. The same goes for training and body image. A reasonable, sustainable routine is probably better in the long-term than either gluttonous sloth or 5-hour days at the gym. 

The middle path rarely has the moral purity or satisfying abandon of the extremes, but it has the advantage of being sustainable and satisfying in roughly equal measure. And so I always toss a few boxes of S’mores Pop-Tarts into my pack when I head for the woods, knowing that they will be a delightful addition to my fuel rather than the entirety of that fuel. And if a jar of Nutella happens to fall into my pack on the way out the door, well—accidents happen. 

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