UPDATE: Since writing this post and thru-hiking it for a second time, the Art Loeb has undergone some changes! Most of the info provided in this post and video is no longer accurate. For a more up-to-date overview of this trail, please check out the itinerary I put together. It's one of the closest resources out there to a guide. Please be sure to check out my Southbound Trip trail journal and "Advice for Hiking the Art Loeb" posts / videos as well. Both of these are based off my most recent experience on the Art Loeb.
Included in the itineraries are three thru-hike itinerary options, a list of planning resources, mileage profile detailing campsites water sources junctions etc., elevation profiles, shuttle and logistics recommendations, and MORE all in one neatly organized PDF. (While it isn’t a substitute for doing your own research and preparation, hopefully it will take the guess work out of planning your own hike.) *There is also a bundle version which includes both documents!
After finishing a thru-hike of the Art Loeb trail, I wanted to share the biggest concerns I had about this trail, and also give an update on some of the information I used in planning for my hike. If you haven't seen the video on this topic I'll include it somewhere in this post. Pretty much all the same information, this is just the written version of it. I mentioned in the video how I like to print the resources I find on trails I hike so I can make notes and look back at it later. So if you want you can do that too with the stuff we talk about here today.
The following are a few of the resources I used to plan my hike
Obviously the trail is ever changing, so there's a chance some (or ALL) of the things I share may not be accurate or applicable during the time in which you're reading this. The reader assumes all responsibility for their own hiking experience and safety... with all that said let's get to my own experience on the Art Loeb.
Weather
When planning this hike I already knew from previous experience I wanted to do it in the late Spring or even Summer. Fall is a beautiful time, but a CROWDED time on the parkway. So that was out. And I handle cold weather like an absolute baby, so Winter was out too. To help me decide the exact time I wanted try this I looked up the climate data for Canton, Cecil, and Brevard North Carolina. I looked for months with average temperatures I would be comfortable with that also had a low chance of precipitation. I eventually landed on April. Looking back I kind of wish I had chosen May though because of the sudden cold snaps I experienced in April. At one point I got pelted with freezing rain and hail in the Black Balsam area. Days were in the upper 60's and nights were in the mid to low 30's. But my last day it dropped to around 27 after sundown. Most of this trail goes over very windy peaks and ridges so that's another thing to consider as far as temperature. The forecast said upper 60's but with with that wind chill I didn't take my base layers off that whole second day. Like I said looking back, May or June might have been better.
Here's where I got my climate data:
Navigation and Blazes
One of the top three concerns every trip report and blog post mentioned was how the blazes and markings for this trail are scarce and hard to follow. I found this was only the case from the road crossing at Silvermine Bald to the base of Cold Mountain.
So, to break it down going north bound (GET YOUR MAP READY)
From the Southern trailhead at Davidson River Campground to the road crossing I just mentioned at Silvermine Bald, there were plenty of markings. Between the white blazes on trees, brown panel signs at junctions, and wooden signs along the way I had no trouble figuring out where to go.
From the section near Silvermine Bald to Black Balsam Road the markings get a little trickier to follow. Thankfully some of the white circle blazes for the MST follow the Art Loeb, which I used along with my Gaia GPS app to help guide me to the next road crossing at Black Balsam.
From Black Balsam to Ivestor Gap there are some white blazes on the rocks, but not many.
Once you enter Shining Rock Wilderness Area at Ivestor Gap there are no blazes or markings until Deep Gap at the base of Cold Mountain. I did see 3 or so wooden signs at major junctions like at the spur trail to Shining Rock and continuation on the Art Loeb, but aside from that nothing else. Also this area is minimally maintained making it even harder to navigate.
I did get lost, which was a little intimidating. I don't think I could have found my way back to the trail without using Gaia GPS. It happened in "The Narrows" just after Stairs Mountain. That name is no joke by the way. Once I found my way back it was a pretty thin path along those ridges. So after passing a large camp site in that area the trail literally disappeared behind some massive blowdowns. I climbed over the trees to find NOTHING on the other side. Just a slope into the ravine. Like I said I eventually found where the trail continued after some bushwhacking, but I can't say exactly where it rerouted or picked back up.
Since then, I have talked with another backpacker who knows the area well and had just come from The Narrows about it. I asked if they experienced similar confusion with that section...and they had no idea what I was talking about. So maybe I'm just dumb. I guess the only advice I can offer is keep track of your surroundings and where you came from and pay really close attention to the curves in the path and your map.
After Deep Gap at Cold Mountain the trail is blazed with faint red circle all the way to the Northern Trailhead at Camp Daniel Boone (last 3.8 miles)
Many of the signs and blazes I saw looked fresh and newer. It could be that recent efforts have been made to make this trail easier to follow and navigate.
Water and Shelters
Number two on the list of big concerns was water, and this one rang very true. I carried two water bladders, a 2 L CNOC bladder compatible with my Sawyer filter and an Outdoor Products 3 L with a the tube and bite valve attachment. So breaking it down by area once again:
From Davidson River to Butter Gap shelter there are several rivers and streams to fill up at. One particular source I remember filling up at was a stream crossing just a couple miles before Butter Gap shelter. I'm glad I filled up here IN ADDITION to at the shelter because even though there IS water at Butter Gap the piped source there is a weak trickle. Most of my lunch break was spend waiting on my water bladders to fill up enough.
A lot of the reports and posts I read said this is the last water source until Deep Gap shelter (after Pilot Mountain not Deep Gap at Cold Mountain) but one did mention there being water a couple hundred feet down the road at the road crossing/junction at Gloucester Gap. I didn't know about it until after the fact so I can't confirm or deny how reliable it is.
The water source at Deep Gap is also a small trickle, but from a stream. Standing with the shelter behind you it'll be down one of the paths to the left. Once again this is the last water source for a long while until you get into Shining Rock Wilderness Area. Another water source I read about but can't confirm because I personally didn't go to it is off Black Balsam Road. I hid a water cache near Black Balsam which was SO helpful because I ran out of water about the time I reached that area.
Next source was a piped source on the right side of the trail (going NOBO) before the spur trail to Shining Rock and near the junction of the Art Loeb and Shining Creek Path. Again there's no water until that last 3.8 miles towards Camp Daniel Boone.
There is a small sometimes reliable piped spring close to the summit of Cold Mountain. But it's about a mile up the mountain, so unless you plan to camp up there or at Deep Gap below, it may not be worth the trek.
There are plenty of small streams and water crossings in that last 3.8 miles toward Camp Daniel Boone.
If you can stay at the shelters DO. Aside from being close to the few sure water sources, they also provide relief from the windy conditions and other elements. When I went there was a large hole in the back of Deep Gap shelter, but it was temporarily patched up with some kind of construction plastic. Just something to keep in mind if you find yourself there in rainy weather.
Bear Canisters
Plain and simple you need one for this area. I kept mine in the sleeping bag compartment of my pack along with a few other smaller pieces of gear, and it didn't bother me like it has in the past. Barely noticed it. I purchased mine several years ago for around $70 or $80, from what I understand you can rent one from Pura Vida Adventures (which I will talk about in a minute) Of course check with them first to make sure they are still offering that as well as the pricing to do so. That option popped up at check-out when booking my shuttle with them online.
Last thing about the canisters is a hack I picked up... Rather than using a quarter to unlock mine I started using a key ring. I'll include a quick video about it below.
Logistics
Obviously going solo I couldn't drive a separate car to each trailhead. I needed someone to pick me up at my car at Camp Daniel Boone and take me TO the trailhead at Davidson River Campground. So I called Pura Vida Adventures and for around $130 they did just that. Picked me up and drove me over an hour to the campground. They had two time slots available for the Art Loeb shuttle an AM and PM. The online booking tool listed the evening time as 4p.m. but the confirmation email and communication I had with the driver said it would actually be at 5. The communication by the way was great. They sent me reminder emails leading up to the day, and the driver even texted me a couple hours before to make sure I was on time and at the right place. Pura Vida also sent me written directions in the email for where to park at Camp Daniel Boone.
Parking was actually something I couldn't find any info about in planning for this hike. After entering the camp I drove all the way down the gravel road passed Ledbetter Lodge passed the Infirmary pretty much passed all the buildings of the camp to a part of the road (parallel to the river) with parking off to the side. There were plenty of clear signs saying it was reserved for users of the US Forestry Trail meaning the Art Loeb. And the actual trailhead was right across the gravel road from the shoulder side parking and river.
Okay, so how tough can it really be?
I went into this 30 mile trek not really knowing what to expect. Everyone I talked to leading up to the hike put a huge emphasis on the challenging elevation changes. I tried imagining what it would be like if the 30 hardest miles of the FHT were slammed together back to back...but even that paled in comparison. The other thing everyone told me is go Southbound not Northbound (start at Camp Daniel Boone and end at Davidson River) Due to some factors with the logistics and travel going Northbound was my best option at that time. Having gone NOBO I now understand how that would have saved me a ton of hurt and hassle. If I do ever thru-hike the Art Loeb again I'll go SOBO. Going SOBO also gives you the option if you don't want to camp in Shining Rock Wilderness to get outside that area with enough time in the day. There's no fire permitted in Shining Rock WA so if you're hiking in a cooler month, or if not having fire is just a deal breaker then you could get outside the boundary of that area the first day.
I still haven't given a straight forward answer. How tough is it? Well from Chestnut Mountain to Pilot Mountain the trail is NOT playing games. Especially the switchbacks going up Pilot. That was brutal. Silvermine Bald has some heart pumping sections as well. Black Balsam to Shining Rock has it's inclines and declines but there are flat areas in the Gaps to rest and take in the beautiful views. The steep climbs and path along ridges through The Narrows really caught me off guard and posed a challenge. But after Deep Gap at Cold Mountain it was smooth sailing.
It's tough. But I've met several people on the trail since who have also done it and they don't consider the Art Loeb to be their hardest hike to date. Even so anybody who CAN do it I consider to be a pretty tough backpacker. While I was away for 3 days I completed the actual hike in 2. The whole day before actually getting on the trail was spent driving to Daniel Boone then getting shuttled to Davidson River. I did around 15 miles my first day on the trail and camped at Deep Gap shelter. The next day I did a little under 17 because I took a 1 mile or so detour to Shining Rock. I would have liked to camp at Cold Mountain, but like I said before the temperatures dropped to the upper 20's that night. And following the fire ban rules in those conditions didn't sound like a whole lot of fun. So I finished the hike and got back to my car around 7:30 pm. Got home around 1am and fell into bed covered in dirt. Obviously I was off my feet for the next 2 days taking lots of baths and eating lots of pancakes.
Last thing I'll say has to do with cell phone service. I'm on Verizon so obviously this will vary depending on your own carrier network, BUT I did have enough service to check in with my husband on Pilot Mountain, in Ivestor Gap, at Deep Gap shelter, and the camp site at the other Deep Gap (near Cold Mountain.)
I hope some of what I shared here is helpful to you. Please check out the Art Loeb thru-hike video series. Links those will be included as well once they are released.