Yonah Mountain boasts some incredible views! It's also known for being an incredibly crowded and highly trafficked destination, but Nora and I managed to find a window of peace and quiet up there. Despite the disadvantages that come with popularity, this trail is a great 5 mile out and back trip for beginner and experienced backpackers alike. My best advice is: try to go on a weekday.
Music featured in this video: “Somewhere Nice” by John Bartmann, “Summer-lofi” by Sfrecords (tunetank.com), “Comical 2” by Ahjay Stelino, “Soulful Serenity” by Arulo, and “Wedding Song 03” by Arulo
Know before you go...
Yonah Mountain is more than a beautiful hiking trail, it’s also a very popular climbing destination. The U.S. Army occasionally uses it for climbing and training exercises. Be sure to call ahead to find out if your visit will conflict with any training scheduled on the mountain. (706) 626-4000 is the number provided on the sign. If you’re unable to reach someone give (706) 864-3367 a try as well. On the day of my hike no one picked up at the first number, but I immediately got in touch with someone at the second one.
It's also important to know, the forestry road leading up to the trailhead is a bit rough. After reading a lot of complaints about the condition of the road from other hikers in AllTrails and Google reviews, I was worried my little sedan wouldn’t make it out there without some kind of damage. Thankfully, that was not the case. The road was certainly rough with a lot of potholes and large rocks jutting in places. But I managed to skirt around them and reach the trailhead without any issues. It also helped that the forestry road was a short distance, only 0.3 miles. My new litmus test for truly rough road conditions is Old NC 105 on the West side of Linville Gorge. I nearly lost control of our truck trying to navigate to one of the trailheads in the Gorge back in March. That’s a story for another time though. Compared to that, the road to Yonah was nothing.
Quick LNT Reminder
Due to Yonah Mountain’s popularity and accessibility, it’s a VERY highly trafficked trail by day hikers and campers alike. I was absolutely shocked by the amount of trash left behind. Broken glass, beer cans, half-full water bottles. You name it. The amount of damage done by folks cutting the switchbacks was also a bit concerning. Maybe I’ve just been off of crowded trails too long. I saw so many day hikers walk past signs saying “DO NOT go this way, we’re trying to restore the trail” and slide down the side dropping tons of rocks onto the trail below. If you decide to visit Yonah Mountain, please don’t do this. Stay on the blazed trail. It sounds extreme but, it’s only a matter of time before one of the bigger boulders dislodges and hurts someone (or worse). As for trash, whatever food, drinks, etc. you bring on the hike be sure to take the packaging and leftovers with you when you leave. No one wants to see their children, pets, or even themselves get injured by broken glass and rusty cans left behind. You can’t continue to enjoy a trail if you repeatedly cause damage and use it as a trash dump. You can find the principles of Leave No Trace HERE.
Hike Overview
Type of hike: Out and back
Trails hiked: Yonah Mountain trail (green blaze)
Time span: 2 days 1 night
Total Mileage: 5 miles
Day 1
After a short but bumpy ride to the trailhead, I let Nora out of the car and pulled both of our packs out of the trunk. The only possible water source on the hike was a stream at the very beginning. With how hot and dry the weather had been recently there were no guarantees there would be a good flow. I really didn’t want to backtrack to the car in the event the stream was dry, so I filled up a 3L bladder in the parking lot. Always keep at least a gallon of water in the trunk. You'll never know when it’ll come in handy! I rearranged a few things at the top of my pack to fit the bladder, put an extra 1L bottle in my side pocket, and then Nora and I were off.
The trail started off pretty easy, but it didn’t last. We were soon met with stairs, switchbacks, roots and boulders to navigate around. What really made it a challenge was the extra 20+ lbs on my back. I’m sure the whole hike would have felt a lot easier and shorter with just a daypack. The wildflowers were a great distraction from the quad burning climb. Vibrant patches of bluets and asters lined the trail most of the way. There were a lot of other flowers I couldn't name at the time, but took pictures of to identify later. The trail made a sharper, steeper incline before taking a right on a gravel road.
We followed it to a landing zone/base camp area with a privy and open field. I remembered a funny review I saw for Yonah Mountain when researching for the trip. They said “it basically looks like Burning Man” on weekends and holidays up here. It was so empty and quiet in the moment; I almost couldn’t imagine that level of noise and chaos. The gravel road continued. Soon we reached a side trail leading to the first of many incredible overlooks.
As the trail wound around the side of the mountain, each overlook seemed more impressive than the last. I considered making camp at one of the cliffside sites. While it would be incredible waking up to that view outside the tent door, it wasn’t worth the heat and direct sun exposure. There were some campsites tucked between trees also offering lovely views, but not much in terms space for a tent. We were eventually reunited with the gravel road. On the other side was an open field. Our perfectly shaded site was waiting on the other side by the wood line!
I finished my unpacking routine to realize my technology bag was nowhere to be found. My first thought was What if I took it out of my pack when I was making room for the water and left it in the parking lot!? There’s no way it’ll still be there when I get back. A cold panicky sweat came over me. I started taking a census of all the things in the bag and how much it would cost to replace them. Then I thought back to weighing my pack before the trip. I remembered being impressed it was almost a little too good to be true. There was a chance it was just sitting on the gear room floor. I gave Jordan a quick call to verify… He wasn’t home. Since worrying wouldn’t make the bag and all its contents appear, the only thing I could do was enjoy the rest of the trip and make do without it.
So I put the careless packing mistake behind me and started to fix dinner. Mom’s Spaghetti by Heather’s Choice. I’ll be honest, that lyric from Eminem’s Lose Yourself kind of played a part in my decision to try it. I’ll be honest again, it was a horrible mistake. Hands down the most disgusting backpacking meal I’ve ever had. The “spaghetti” was tiny pasta pellets. Some form of orzo I guess? The sauce was a throat burning concoction. Like someone mixed together ketchup, vinegar, and Texas Pete. Worst of all was the tough chewy beef. Apparently, there were also veggies mixed in? I couldn’t tell I was trying too hard not to choke to death on the rest of the ingredients. Times like this make me appreciate homemade backpacking meals a whole lot more. I didn't want to pack this awful thing back out. So I sucked it up, finished what was left, and prayed I wouldn’t die of heartburn in my sleep. I made some tea later that night to help fight it off.
I took Nora out to the closest overlooks hoping to catch a glimpse at the sunset. While we didn’t have a direct view of it, there were still some beautiful colors cast on the peaks in the distance. It was here we met out neighbors for the night: Thy (pronounced TEE) and Sky. He was an experienced backpacker, and this was her first trip. What a great idea for a first trip I thought. Just 5 miles and rewarding views at the top. Only downside is the lack of water, but also a good opportunity to learn how to ration and pack enough water.
After the sunset, we got an invite to hang out by the fire at their camp. So, I backtracked to our site to grab some wood I collected earlier in the evening. I heard a faint rustling back in the woods behind our tent. Nora took a stiff alerted stance. Four specks of white appeared between the trees. I crept closer to get a better view. The does stopped to graze for an other moment before continuing deeper into the woods and out of sight.
Nora and I returned from our neighbors' camp a little after 11 p.m. It was WAY later than my usual 9 p.m. bedtime on trail, but I guess that means it was a good conversation. Nora had a blast chewing on a log she had pulled out of their firewood pile. The plan was to reconvene with our new friends in the morning to try to watch the sunrise.
That night was way colder than I expected. It was at least 45 degrees. Open Summit predicted it wouldn’t drop below the mid-50s. Going off that, I packed a lighter sleeping bag than usual. A chill set in and I burrowed deep into the bag pulling it completely over my head. Around 3 a.m. I was woken up by a loud huffing noise by my head. I thought: It doesn't sound like a bear. Maybe a deer? Shoot, I’m gonna have to scare this thing off before it starts licking and gnawing on my pack. So with determination to protect my gear, I flung the sleeping bag off my face. Literally an inch from my nose was Nora, standing over me sniffing and snorting. “What is wrong with you? Go lay down!” I scolded her. I pushed her back to her side of the tent. She huffed indignantly before curling back up on her mat. I pulled the sleeping bag back over my face and tried to fall asleep again.
Day 2
The next morning, the three of us plus Nora met at the overlook to find it didn’t have a very good view of the sunrise either. We wandered up and down the gravel road before finally finding a good spot. Afterwards, we made breakfast and a fire at our camp. I took advantage of having the area all to ourselves and broke out the tennis ball. Nora tore after it across the open field over and over. Thy and Sky joined in taking a shift throwing the ball for her.
We said our goodbyes and started on our way down the gravel road. There’s not much to say about the hike back other than it was a lot easier. On out and back trips, I tend to put the camera away. For one, there’s really nothing new to record during the return unlike a multi-day loop. For two, I genuinely enjoy making and sharing videos of my trips, but sometimes I miss taking in my surroundings and not worrying about getting the next shot. It was too early for lunch when we reached the trailhead, so I decided to pay Raven Cliff Falls a visit to kill some time.
After working up an appetite there, I drove back towards the Yonah Mountain trailhead to a restaurant called Yonah Burger. Nora stayed in the car while I went in to place a to-go order. The lady at the counter was... rude isn’t the word. More like unwelcoming? Unfriendly? She was very short and standoffish towards me. I know I probably smelled bad, but surely I wasn't the first stinky hiker to ever walk into the establishment. It’s right down the highway from the trailhead for goodness sake. I figured it was probably best to wait for my food to be ready in the car. Feeling pretty disgusting, I drove to a nearby gas station to eat. This burger better be good considering the lack of service I thought. It was! I wolfed that thing down without a second thought for the old man staring in horror from his truck two spaces away. I tore up a separate patty with cheese for Nora and we split the fries. This may have been a short trip, but it was definitely a fun one.
Final thoughts
Yonah Mountain is a beautiful place and a great overnight trip opportunity IF you can manage to get out on a weeknight. From what I’ve seen and heard from other hikers it’s an overcrowded madhouse on weekends. That’s not to say you can’t have a good time if you go on a weekend, just don’t expect to have privacy or peace and quiet. Despite the setbacks caused by its popularity, this is a nice 5 mile trip that beginners and experienced hikers alike can enjoy. If you would like to see itineraries on the support page for short overnight trips like this one, be sure to let me know!
