9.5 Mile Black Balsam Knob Hike

Black Balsam Knob Trailhead - 9.5 miles

11 October to 13 October, 2019

2 days. 2 nights. Group of 5.

9.5 miles total hiking

This is simply a fun hike. Very easy. Wide trails. And plenty of places with great views. Perfect trip for an introduction to distance hiking with full packs. This route has very little elevation changes.

This hike included the Art Loeb Trail, the Mountains to Sea Trail, and the Flat Laurel Creek Trail, all within the Pisgah National Forest.

Night 1. Friday night. We drove to the trailhead, parked, and pitched our tents within 50 feet of the parking area.

Day 2. We woke up at sunset. To get to the top of Black Balsam Knob was only ¾ of a mile. We were up there before 9:00am. It was slightly breezy and chilly, but beautiful.

Great View Before Lunch

The second view was around 2 miles, where we stopped for about 30 minutes to just enjoy the scenery. Lunch was at Devil’s Courthouse, another great view and perfect place for lunch. After lunch was another 4 miles to our campsite. We arrived around 4pm, and enjoyed a relaxing evening around the campfire.

Our Lunch Stop

Day 3. We woke to a light rain, and hiked 1.7 miles along Flat Laurel Creek to the parking lot, then home.

Camped next to the stream