Sam Knob and Black Balsam Knob - Pisgah National Forest, NC

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I returned back to the same trailhead as the previous week on Black Balsam Knob Rd. This time I headed west on the MST-ALT to do a smaller loop around the high points including my primary goal Chestnut Bald, a 6K peak. On the way I also tagged Silvermine Bald for no particular reason. The cliffs along Silvermine Bald and Chestnut Bald are nice viewpoints along the MST to start your day. There was an easy flagged route to the summit of Chestnut Bald (6,020 ft) near the cliffs below the bald. Next I took the Little Sam Trail down to Flat Laurel Creek, then hiked up to Sam Knob. Despite the hoards of cars along Black Balsam Knob Rd there were surprisingly few people at the top. I had a nice lunch break on the south peak basking in the sun. I continued on towards Black Balsam Knob, which was very crowded. I took some pictures then quickly hiked down to my car because I had a second hike on my schedule. This easy hike with big views lets you bag three 6K peaks with the option of adding Tennent Mountain if you have a full day planned.
Hike was 8.1 miles in 4 hours and 20 minutes
Hike location
goo.gl/maps/gofeSZWqi4XuTEBx5
Hike report
www.hikingupward.com/PNF/Devi...

Опубликовано:

8 ноя 2017

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Комментарии : 26

@crstarkey 4 месяца назад

Really nice video Zachary. Thanks for sharing. Headed there in 2 weeks.

@bigzach322 4 месяца назад

Thanks!

@forestrot666 3 года назад

I used to have this in my backyard for years (lived in Transylvania and Jackson Co in my early 20s) but do not live close anymore but closer to Boone. Tomorrow,I am heading out with my husband tomorrow to take him for the first time. Definitely going to be much colder than when you went but always a beautiful area to hike in. A great go to for easy backcountry backpacking. One of my favorite areas in NC. Nothing like it. Panthertown is also a great area for romping around for many days. Nostalgic!

@edbraswell8458 5 лет назад

Hey Zachary, keep the informative post coming! We set out to bag Chestnut Bald and Sam Knob on June 30. Got to trail junction for Little Sam Trail and decided to bag Mt Hardy also since it would have been the last peak we needed in the Great Balsams. We were not sure we wanted to bag Hardy the way you did! From Mt Hardy we doubled back and took the Flat Laurel Creek Trail to Sam Knob. It added about 10 miles to what we thought would be a leisurely 6 mile hike but it was worth it. The day started out cloudy, no views from Silvermine Bald but ended up with blue skies and fantastic views from Sam Knob. Thanks for your posting Zach!

@bigzach322 5 лет назад

The MST from 215 is certainly easier, but the full loop through Middle Prong is a great backpacking trip.

@steveyates1136 3 года назад

Cables are for high lining logs down the mt

@veyloona 5 лет назад

so thanks for all these vids because its tiding me over until me and my wife head up at the end of this month.

@bigzach322 5 лет назад

No problem, thanks for watching

@vincevoyna4504 6 лет назад

awesome video, great pics. thanks for sharing!

@bigzach322 6 лет назад

Thanks Vince!

@BryanDeLay 6 лет назад

Another excellent video Zach! I've only been to Black Balsam Knob one time when no one else was there and that was in December 1998 between Christmas and New Years Day.

@bigzach322 6 лет назад

Thanks Bryan, you visited a good time of year. It's swamped when the parkway is open.

@MrBuckkipp 4 года назад

Appreciate your videos! Where do you find your maps for SB6K hikes?

@bigzach322 4 года назад

It all depends on the district. I have maps from Pisgah Map Company, National Geographic, and USFS maps from the USGS Map Store. I prefer Pisgah Map Co. maps if they cover the area.

@bigzach322 4 года назад

If you are looking for a specific area just ask. I own over 20 maps covering NC/TN/VA/GA so it's hard to nail down what you need.

@MrBuckkipp 4 года назад

@@bigzach322 Thanks for responding! I'll be doing a bunch of hikes in the Great Balsams in a couple of weeks. Sam Knob, Reinhart, Richland, Hardy, and Chestnut.

@bigzach322 4 года назад

@@MrBuckkipp This is my favorite map www.pisgahmapcompany.com/shop-trail-guides/pisgah-ranger-district. You can also buy it on your phone through Avenza for a cheaper price, that is the only phone app I use www.pisgahmapcompany.com/for-your-phone. You can also download the USFS wilderness map for free on Avenza, but it covers a smaller area and is a little out of date. I use both because the topographic scale for the USFS map is better www.avenzamaps.com/maps/479024/shining-rock-and-middle-prong-wilderness-areas.

@MrBuckkipp 4 года назад

@@bigzach322 Awesome! Thank you SOOOOO much!

@GQGeek81 6 лет назад

Waiting in suspense for the next one..... Is it the bushwack to bag Reinhart Knob?

@bigzach322 6 лет назад

Yup that's my next one

@earlviney2820 6 лет назад

High zach. I consider sam knob the best hike in the southern appalachians when you consider maximum reward for minimum effort.

@bigzach322 6 лет назад

It is one of my favorite popular peaks. In my mind I tend to separate trails with high traffic from remote peaks that don't get much visitation. I tend to enjoy those much more.

@colt-one 6 лет назад

Isn't this really ununsual for the Appalachian mountains that there's such a large relatively flat area at an elevation this high? Just looking at some of those views you'd never know you're at 5-6000 ft.

@bigzach322 6 лет назад

These are more gently sloped than other peaks, but I wouldn't call it unusual. Due to age and erosion the mountains are not that craggy all around the southeast. This is one of the most extreme examples.

@colt-one 6 лет назад

My experience is limited. I've seen the parkway from Asheville to Mt Mitchell, and it was mostly following ridgelines with steep slopes. There, you always have the sense that you're on a high mountain, not a plateau in the sky. Now that I've looked at these on google earth, the area betwen Mt Pisgah and Richland balsam seems like biggest concentration of thicker high mountains. I'll have to check it out sometime.

@bigzach322 6 лет назад

Yeah the parkway mostly follows a thin stretch of mountains on the east side. Although Craggy Gardens area is wide and flat like this area, but more trees.