Date: Saturday, November 10th
Time: Starting at 9:00 am
Where: Montreat Wilderness
Difficulty: Extremely strenuous (13) — 8.5-mile hike with steep terrain
Cost: FREE for SAHC Members; $10 for non-members
Join Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy for an adventurous hike around the outer rim of the Montreat Wilderness. This hike is to celebrate SAHC’s recent acquisition of one of the Seven Sisters of the Montreat Wilderness, Brushy Knob. Brushy Knob, also known as “Big Piney,” is the third Sister in the chain of summits straddling the Asheville watershed and Montreat. This 123 acre preserve encompasses forested slopes, rock outrcoppings, and the summit of Brushy Knob itself (over 4160 ft. elevation). Our acquisition of this land protects important biological and ecological areas, including a portion of the Audubon Society’s Black and Great Craggy Mountain Important Bird Area.
This hike will begin up the famous Graybeard Trail traveling via switchbacks from the old Mt Mitchell narrow-gauge railroad bed from the 1920’s. On this path we will pass through beautiful forest, Pleistocene boulder fields, and Graybeard Falls. We will then proceed to Walker’s Knob, a rocky outcrop with sprawling views of Montreat and Black Mountain. The hike will then continue on the Graybeard Trail to its summit at 5,408′ above sea level where we will have lunch.
We will then begin our descent down the West Ridge Trail along the Seven Sisters. To the west of this rugged, scenic trail is the protected Asheville Watershed and SAHC’s newest acquisition, Brushy Knob. We will then turn onto the Big Piney Trail, enjoying one more spectacular rocky outcrop before descending to the Little Piney Trail and exiting the trail system. Be sure to bring durable hiking boots, snacks, water, and lunch for this long, beautiful, strenuous, unforgettable hike.
Hike difficulty ratings are based on this formula: (0.002 x elevation gain (ft.)) + round trip distance (mi.) = difficulty rating (1 – 10+)
Registration for this hike is full – if you would like to be placed on the waiting list email israel@appalachian.org
In 2018 the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy purchased 123 acres including the western flank and summit of Brushy Knob, one of the Seven Sisters near Black Mountain, NC. To celebrate the acquisition of this valuable conservation land we led an educational hike along the outer rim of the Montreat Wilderness. Participants learned about SAHC’s role in conservation in the Black Mountains and were able to see the new acquisition firsthand. The hike consisted of 3,000′ of elevation gain over 8.5 miles! The following is one participant’s reflection on the outing…
This year’s winter tree identification hike took place in the beautiful Montreat Wilderness. As our intrepid, aspiring dendrologists hiked near Montreat’s streams, cold conditions and overcast skies gave way to a wonderfully pleasant western North Carolina winter day. Our guests were treated to a variety of topics, including native plant communities, forest health issues, and the cultural history of Montreat.
