Linville Gorge Archives - My Walk in the Woods

MST: TableRock to Buck Creek (MST Seg 4)

Segment 4 of the Mountains to Sea Trail journeys through some of the more scenic and strenuous terrains of the Pisgah National Forest. About 11 miles of this section traverses the rugged Linville Gorge Wilderness – from Pinnacle Trailhead to TableRock. Today I explored trails I had never been on before as I continued my trek on the MST. On previous day hikes I had completed the trail from Tablerock to Shortoff , and not too long ago, I did an out and back hike that took me from the Greentown Trailhead (Hwy 181) to Buck Creek.

MST: Pinnacle Trailhead to Shortoff Mtn. (Seg 4)

I will go ahead and tell you now, there’s going to be a lot of pictures ! As I have stated many times before, Segment 4 is my favorite and Linville Gorge is one of the reasons why. I grew up less than 30 minutes from the Shortoff Trailhead and I can still remember the drives up Wolfpit road in my dad’s old Ford Bronco. The area surrounding the gorge, specifically Lake James has seen some dramatic changes over the years with many high-end housing developments and the creation of the Fonta Flora Trail. However, the beauty and serenity of standing on top of Shortoff and looking up the gorge still sparks a spiritual renewal deep within my soul.

MST: Greentown (Hwy 181) to Buck Creek

The Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) consists of 18 Segments. Segment 4 extends 75 miles from Black Mountain Campground to Beacon Heights and is one of my favorite places to hike. These trails are surprisingly diverse as they descend, climb, meander and challenge hikers of all levels. From the breathtaking experience and vistas of Linville Gorge to the vast amount of waterfalls, this segment always causes me to count my blessings to live here in Western North Carolina.