Roan High Bluff Overlook must be seen to be believed. Assuming there’s anything to see. The bluff is perched on an outcrop 6200 feet up in the Roan Highlands, one of the most storied locales in the Southern Appalachian Range.…
Appalachian Trail
Hikes along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Best times to hike McAfee Knob on the Appalachian Trail
by tom • July 11, 2011 • 3 Comments
McAfee Knob might well be the most-documented stop along the Appalachian Trail. (Click for the essential turn-by-turn guide at Hiking Upward.com). A rocky slab juts out from a rock face, creating a perfect promontory for snapshots giving the impression you’re…
Blood Mountain loop and Neels Gap on the Appalachian Trail
by tom • June 24, 2011 • 5 Comments
I combined an excellent Appalachian Trail loop with a pilgrimage to the famed Neels Gap/Mountain Crossings store and hostel last weekend. If you’ve ever gotten a Trail Journals jones, you’ve heard of Mountain Crossings: it’s where the outfitter’s staff patiently…
Max Patch to Roaring Fork, Appalachian Trail
by tom • June 12, 2011 • 9 Comments
Max Patch is all about the timing. The grassy mountaintop near the North Carolina-Tennessee border is sublime on a clear morning from mid-May to mid-June, when rhododendrons and flame azaleas light up the nearby trails. The rest of the time,…