Blog - Page 14 of 14 - My Walk in the Woods

40 Hike Challenge: #5 – The Shut-in Trail – Pisgah Inn to Mills River Valley Overlook

Distance: 4.5 mile one way (for Challenge Hike) 9.7 Miles for this hike

Difficulty: Moderate

Elevation Change (for Challenge Hike): gain = 1116 ft; loss = 1956 ft

My Hike: 9.7 miles (Pisgah Inn to Bent Creek Gap)

source: Great Day Hikes of North Carolina’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail

Hike #5 of the 40 Hike Challenge begins at the north end of the Pisgah Inn parking lot and continues down a moderate trail for 4.5 miles to the Mills River Valley Overlook. On a typical day, this hike has wonderful views to the east.

40 Hike Challenge: #14 – Elkin and the E&A Rail-Trail – Downtown Elkin to US 21 at Collins Rd

Distance: 3.3 mile one way

Difficulty: Easy

Elevation Change: gain = 404 ft; loss = 169 ft

My Hike: 3.3 miles (from Collins rd to Elkin “tree sign”)

source: Great Day Hikes of North Carolina’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail

This was actually the 3rd hike I completed on my 40 Hike Challenge for the MST. Our family had been staying in an area nearby and on the way back home, my wife dropped me off so I could explore this area. This was my first hike in the Piedmont section of the MST.

40 Hike Challenge: #7 – The Craggies – Glassmine Falls Overlook to Graybeard Overlook

Distance: 2.3 mile one way

Difficulty: Moderate – Difficult

Elevation Change: gain = 1046 ft; loss = 632 ft

My Hike: 4.7 miles (round trip) Out-and-Back

source: Great Day Hikes of North Carolina’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail

I have hiked most of the MST from Pisgah Inn to Mt Mitchell and this hike by far is one of my favorites. I hiked this one out-and-back, so it ended up being just short of 5.0 miles.

40 Hike Challenge: #6 – Rattlesnake Lodge – Craven Gap to Tanbark Ridge Tunnel

Distance: 4.4 mile one way

Difficulty: Moderate

Elevation Change: gain = 1596 ft; loss = 1433 ft

My Hike: 7.7 miles (round trip) out-and-back

source: Great Day Hikes of North Carolina’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail

This hike is a very popular day hike for the Asheville area. There are several access points for this trail, but for the 40 Hike Challenge, I used the Craven Gap trailhead. This is just off the BRP at MP 377.4.

40 Hike Challenge – Overview

The 40 Hike Challenge is a great way to discover all of the diversity and splendor of the Mountains to Sea Trail as it traverses our wonderful state of North Carolina. More details about this challenge can be found at: https://mountainstoseatrail.org/challenges/40-hike-challenge/

As I stated on my About page, my goal is to one day complete the entire Mountains to Sea Trail. This past year I discovered the 40 Hike Challenge and I realized that this was the best way to get a taste of all the segments of the MST. By traveling to these trailheads and completing these day hikes, I would be able to get a better feel for the area when planning my future endeavors.

One thing that I was quickly reminded of: We live in a great state!

I hope you will take up this challenge as well. If you are interested, the best guide for this can be found on the Friends of the MST website: Great Day Hikes on North Carolina’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail By Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, Edited by Jim Grode, the trail resource manager for Friends

See you out there!

Tom