First hike at Linville Gorge Wilderness
Sunday, November 8th, 2009
Linville Gorge Wilderness is high on all the must-hike lists for the southern Appalachians. The terrain is so ragged and remote that there was never much prospect of cutting down the trees and putting up swanky resorts. It’s all protected wilderness now, and once you leave the roads you’re on your own. Trails are generally unmarked, except for major junctions and one section of the Mountains to the Sea Trail.
Most of the hiking at the gorge starts high on the rim and dives down to the Linville River at the valley floor. The most interesting hikes are, of course, 14 miles into the middle of nowhere, requiring untold twists and turns on old forest roads — a daunting prospect for a newbie like yours truly.
I went for a locale that was easiest to find, and easiest to stay found: Linville Falls Visitors Center, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway (just drive west and I’ll hit it eventually). Linville Falls attracts massive throngs during peak leaf season, but the crowds fade fast once the leaves hit the ground.
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