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Jones Gap State Park Visitor Center

To skip the chatter and go right to the pics of this walk, click the link below:
Jones Gap Trail(Opens in new window)

11.5 mile (approx.) out-and-back walk in South Carolina’s gorgeous Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. The walk started and ended at the Jones Gap trailhead in Jones Gap State Park and included Coldspring Branch Trail and Bill Kimball Trail – March 7, 2010

Ah Spring….

Well, not quite, but the forecast on the first weekend of March called for clear skies and 60 degrees, so you know the trails around all Appalachia were going to be busting at the seams with winter weary hikers. I also couldn’t resist. After a day of long overdue yard maintenance on Saturday, I hit the road Sunday morning to knock some winter rust off my hiking legs in South Carolina’s Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. Because of the one day up and back I chose not to go all the way to the Smokies and instead stay closer to home. Destination today was Jones Gap State Park, the east side of the mountain bridge. In November I walked the west side of the bridge on the Raven Cliff Falls loop at Caesars Head State Park.

The Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area

As I have learned through experience the past couple of years it is wise to have a Plan B, especially when hiking in the winter. Today would be no exception as my planned walk along the Rim of the Gap Trail would have to be scrubbed due to icy conditions. As hard as it was to believe on a day like today when it would eventually reach 60 degrees, slush, snow, and ice would become a problem later on. Jones Gap State Park sits in a cool gorge between high mountain ledges on three sides, and the sun doesn’t penetrate the north slopes. This means that despite the low elevations by Smokies standards it still will take a while before all remnants of this colder-than-usual winter are gone from around these parts.

The Middle Saluda River

Plan B – Jones Gap Trail

The Jones Gap Trail follows the Middle Saluda River upstream through the heart of the 11,000 acre Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area to connect Jones Gap State Park on the east to Caesars Head State Park on the west. After a nice walk through the manicured grounds and big hemlocks of the Visitor Center area and around the remnants of the former Cleveland Fish Hatchery, I started westbound and uphill on the Jones Gap Trail. I could tell I was in for a treat as the exceptionally scenic and big boulder strewn Middle Saluda River tumbled down just to the right of the trail. The wide and well graded trail passes through impressive boulder fields and reminded me of my day on the Middle Prong Trail in the Great Smokies.

I continue gradually uphill on the blue-blazed trail and eventually pass primitive streamside campsites on the right. All of the campsites have a fire ring and a large flat area for tents and you can get to them without too much effort, making the spots ideal for backpackers that enjoy the camping part as much as the ‘getting there’ part. Many of the sites were filling up with young families on my return trip. Continuing on I notice the low elevation valley is filled with rhododendron, pine, and mainly healthy hemlock trees. I see some evidence of the Hemlock Wooley Adelgid on downed limbs, but it appears that the serious infestation hasn’t quite arrived in these parts yet. Unfortunately it is just a matter of time.

Jones Gap Falls

About 1.5 miles up the trail I come to the short spur that leads to very picturesque Jones Gap Falls. This fall is either 40 or 50 feet high, depending on which website you believe. The fall flows nicely today over the striated rock so prevalent here on the edge of the Blue Ridge escarpment. After a short break I continue on up the Jones Gap Trail, enjoying the gentle grade and wide, easy walking. The Middle Saluda never leaves the trail for more than a short time, and there are many cascades and mini-falls to stop and enjoy along the way. There are also some very impressive new footbridges to stroll across. Before long I reach the intersection with the Coldspring Branch Trail and the familiar full color map that graces every major intersection in this Wilderness.

A cascade of the Middle Saluda

Saying goodbye to an old friend on Coldspring Branch Trail

Orange-blazed Coldspring Branch Trail moves southwest and away from the Middle Saluda River, traveling uphill beside…you guessed it…Coldspring Branch. After a quick downhill and another of those impressive new bridges the going gets steep. For a short while it is real steep. When I stop to take a breath I notice the homes sitting perched on the ridgetop of the canyon wall to the south. What nice views into the gorge they must have. Around the bend thankfully the steepness subsides a bit, and the first of several semi-tricky crossings of Coldspring Branch appears. Just after the crossing I notice the snow on the north face, and on the trail it begins to get thicker in spots.

Slush along the trail

Continuing uphill through the dense rhododendron tunnels and snow, I occasionally slow to tackle the tricky crossings. The snow isn’t too big of a deal but it does cause me to slow down and watch my step. On the last big creek crossing I get careless and lose my concentration for a split second…down goes Frasier! Smash. Ouch. R.I.P. Kodak Easyshare DX7590, A.K.A. Kody (2005-2010). Parts of my old friend now lie beneath Coldspring Branch. Trying to move too quickly through the many crossings and probably getting cocky with each success, I failed to take the proper pause to survey the best route and it wound up costing me. My back takes another big hit and my arm suffers a decent bloody scrape, but fortunately it is not deep..just enough for other hikers to have some pity on the old man. It’s another reminder that anything can happen out here in the woods at any time no matter how experienced you are. Just a split second is all it takes. Another hard fall and another bullet dodged for me, but I’m not sure my back is going to take many more of these.

Turning back on Bill Kimball Trail

I eventually complete the climb up Coldspring Branch Trail and reach the Bill Kimball Trail intersection where I rest and enjoy a conversation with a local couple and their dogs. (yes, I like talking to dogs too) After a rest I continue on pink-blazed Bill Kimball Trail, a ridgetop beauty with nice winter views of each side of the canyon walls through which the Middle Saluda cuts. (you’ll have to take my word for it…remember, no camera) Here I top out at around 3000’ elevation amongst a pleasant white pine and hemlock forest and then switch back onto the north face to start a very steep descent back to the floor of the gorge. The north face, however, is still covered in a very thick layer of snow and ice. That fact combined with a very steep descent and the earlier mishap means it will not be a lollipop for me today. I decide to abandon here, turning around and retracing my steps the way I came in. With nothing new to see the return trip is a long one, but I eventually reach my car bloodied, bruised and minus one friend but happy to have spent a beautiful day in the stellar South Carolina mountains.

JGSP is a real gem

Low elevation on today’s 11.5 mile out-and-back walk was around 1400’ at the Jones Gap trailhead and high elevation was around 3000’ on the Bill Kimball Trail. I’m not sure how much overall climbing I did, but I presume it was around 2000’, enough to knock some of the winter rust off of me. I highly recommend a visit to our stunning state parks in the Upstate of South Carolina. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the waterfalls, forests, and mountain views that you find there. The trails that I’ve seen so far are also very well maintained like we spoiled Smokies hikers are accustomed to.

For pics of this walk, click the link below:
Jones Gap Trail(Opens in new window)

Views of Thomas Ridge from the trail

To skip the chatter and go right to the pics of this walk, click the link below:
Smokemont Loop(Opens in new window)

6.1 mile loop walk on the Smokemont Loop Trail. The walk started and ended at the Bradley Fork trailhead in the Smokemont Campground and included Bradley Fork Trail and Smokemont Loop Trail – February 14, 2010

More than six weeks are already gone in 2010 and I’ve finally put foot to Smokies ground for the first time. But not without first dealing with a few weather related plan changes. The Smokies locals that I’ve talked to are pretty tired of seeing the white stuff fall from the sky. It has been a colder and snowier winter than they’ve seen in a few years, and one side effect has been many closures of Newfound Gap Road and other roads around the area, making travel a challenge. Such was the case for me on my first 2010 walk, and I’d have to go all the way to Plan D.

Plan A was to be on the north side of the Park, but Newfound Gap Road was closed once again for snow and ice. Plan B was to be a trail off of Straight Fork Road in Cherokee…nope, closed also. When they close Newfound Gap Road they typically close it north of the Smokemont Campground entrance, so after driving up the road and nearly sliding off one curve on the ice I made it safely and parked at the snowy and deserted campground for today’s walk.

Snowy Bradley Fork trailhead

Ice Skating on Bradley Fork Trail

I started out around 9:30 at the familiar gate at the Bradley Fork trailhead. This nice trail follows large and wide Bradley Fork upstream as it tumbles down from headwaters high on the Smoky’s crest. It is a trail I’m very familiar with as the starting point for many of my nice dayhikes originating at the campground. Even this flat and wide trail would be a challenge today though. One side effect of the gentle grade is the fact that water doesn’t run off like it would on a steeper grade, and in many places it was doing my best Scott Hamilton impersonation. Snow and ice were everywhere and I what normally would be a pleasant stroll upstream turned into somewhat of an adventure trying to stay off my backside.

When I reached the Chasteen Creek Trail intersection at 1.2 miles I decided to scrap my Plan C walk for today due to the conditions. The Smokies haven’t thawed out much this winter and snow was expected again later today to add insult to injury. With the abundance of ice and snow on the trail and slow going I decided I wasn’t going to try any hero stuff today, so I made the switch to Plan D, an old familiar short loop just 0.5 miles up the trail.

Bradley Fork footbridge

Surprising beauty on Smokemont Loop Trail

The Smokemont Loop Trail intersection is another 0.5 mile up Bradley Fork. Here I turn left and descend a set of ice covered steps to walk across Bradley Fork on a long narrow footbridge. I’m thankful for the hand cable because snow covered the footbridge as well. The trail turns left after the crossing to follow Bradley Fork for a short distance before turning away from the creek and starting a long ascent up the side of Richland Mountain. The ascent swings through a second growth forest once logged extensively by the Champion Fibre Company. Young poplars stretch to try to out-duel each other for rights to the canopy. The trail ascends roughly 1200 feet over the next 1.7 miles, so the effects of winter inactivity are knocked off in a hurry.

A snowy rhodo tunnel

One thing I notice immediately is despite this being my third visit the trail is new to me once again. It is a completely different experience climbing through think snow and bare trees to view ridges that were covered on my two previous walks. Another rare treat is the silence. This trail is very close to Newfound Gap Road and skirts the Oconaluftee Valley and hence loud thunder of motorcycles echoes off the mountains on a visit any other time of year. Not so today, and in fact with the road closed the only sound I hear is the river itself way down in the valley. At the top of the climb the spectacular sight of snow-covered Newton Bald and Thomas Ridge come clearly into view to the west. Plan D has turned out to be a grade A experience indeed. I recommend that if you haven’t tried this trail in the winter, give it a shot even if you’ve been here before…I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

I believe this is Mount Clark

Taking a pause

I ascend through think snow, stopping often to gawk at the awesome sight of neighboring ridges also blanketed in snow. Even Newfound Gap is in sight as I enjoy the unique perspective up the Oconaluftee Valley only available this time of year. Finally reaching the top of the climb I pause to put my jacket back on and take in the cold silence. On the ascent thoughts were on a decision to take a pause in my hiking and blogging hobby to focus on other life priorities, but standing at this place looking out at these views….how can I? Very soon I move out of base camp and my walks are sure to decline, but I can’t imagine leaving this special place for any extended period of time. I start the slippery descent on the southern slope thinking about next week, reaching the bridge at the end of the walk just as the first snowflakes start to fall.

More views of Thomas Ridge

Low elevation on today’s 6.1 mile loop walk was around 2200’ on the Smokemont Loop Trail and high elevation was near 3500’, also on Smokemont Loop Trail. The loop included about 2070’ of overall climbing.

For pics of this walk, click the link below:
Smokemont Loop(Opens in new window)