Joyce Kilmer - Member Hike
| Hike Name: | Joyce Kilmer |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States |
| State: | North Carolina |
| Nearby Town: | Robbinsville |
| Rating: |  |
| Directions: | From Atlanta, Take 75 N to 575 N to 129 towards Murphy NC. Take 129 to Robbinsville and 12.5 miles past the junction with 143 take a left onto FS 62 and keep right at the fork and curl upward to the trailhead parking lot |
| Total Hike Distance: | 9.80 miles |
| Hike Difficulty: | Moderate to Difficult |
| Permit Required: | No |
| Hike Type: | Roundtrip, Loop Hike |
| Hike Starts/Ends: | Hanover Lead - Big Fat Gap |
| Trails Used: | Hanover Lead, Haoe Lead, Slicrock Creek and Big Fat Gap |
| Backcountry Campsites: | Yes |
| Backcountry Water Sources: | Streams |
| Management: | U.S. Forest Service |
| Contact Information: | Unknown |
| Best Season: | |
| Users: | Hikers, Dogs |
| Road Conditions: | Primary Paved Roads, Maintained Gravel or Dirt Roads |
| Hike Summary: | Every wilderness area seems to hold its own unique landscape…”if you’ve seen one tree, you’ve seen them” definitely doesn’t apply to Joyce Kilmer. Stunning long range views, harrowing steep descents and amazing foliage are what Joyce Kilmer is all about. We began Saturday morning at 7am and arrived at the trailhead at 11:00. Shortly after heading out on Hanover Lead South Trail which begins at 3000 feet, we encountered two hikers taking a break. The trail ascended immediately from the parking lot and that was the direction we continued in for 3.0 miles-nothing but up. Once above the trees, we were gifted with an amazing view of the Wilderness area…you could see for miles. We broke free of the switchbacks and found ourselves out in the open in a gorgeous rhododendron forest looking out once again at the Wilderness. We ate lunch and gave the dogs a break and moved on when we began to sunburn. The sun was so bright and hot up there. We ascended up to the Haoe Trailhead ending at 5249 feet. We took Haoe Lead to Naked Ground. We then entered the Slickrock Creek trail. The beginnings of the trail from Naked Ground are beautiful with meadows of low lying ferns and beautiful birch forests. About 1 mile down the side of the mountain, the views changed drastically and we found ourselves traveling through a rhododendron tunnel with seafoam colored moss on the rocks. If we stood on tip toe and gazed out over the rhododendron, we had quite a view to behold. We continued down for another mile, the trail barely discernible in places and washed out entirely. As the trail leveled out a bit, we took a short break and were passed again by the two gentleman behind us…we decided to go a bit further and drop camp in the next decent place we could find. We hiked another mile or so, ending up at the junction of Hanover Branch and found a choice camping spot on the other side of the creek. All in all, we traveled 3.0 miles straight up for 2000 feet and then 4 miles straight down for 3000 feet that day. Sunday morning, with our quads and gluts still burning, we wrapped things up and headed out on Slickrock Creek to Big Fat Gap Trail. The country was gorgeous and Slickrock Creek is a sight to behold. Big Fat Gap is 1.5 miles (raising 1000 feet over that distance) of another steep ascension. |
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