Hike to Mt. Pisgah

Trail sign in the way to Mt. Pisgah Summit - Photo: Still Gravity.
Hiking to the Mt. Pisgah Summit in North Carolina - License our images here.

This is the highest peak in Pisgah National Forest - 5,721 feet (1,744 meters). 

We departed early in the morning from the Mount Pisgah Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Crossed the hotel across the road and spent some time by the cliffs mesmerized with the morning tints of the Smokies. Amazing that the US government paid $5 per acre for this beautiful forest.

Then the walk followed the cliffs through the Mountain to Sea trail. It was muddy and slippery after the rain of these days. The hiking poles helped a lot.   

Breve stop by the ruins of the hunting lodge of Mr. Vanderbilt - the man behind the biggest home in the United States, the Biltmore Estate. Not much left from Buck Spring. 

Finally, we reached the Mt. Pisgah trailhead. 1.6 miles to go to reach the summit of this American mountain with Biblical name - Pisgah means summit in Hebrew. The trail is rated moderate, but some sections are hard on the knees. Steep and rocky stairs. 

At the mountaintop, a mundane antenna surrounded by low clouds. The promised views of the brochures were gone for the day. And then came the icy rain. We didn't stay long. No point in suffering the coldness with nothing to see. 

We took the connector trail to return to the campground. This route follows the Parkway. We were the only ones there. Narrow creeks created by the persistent rain crossed the trail here and there. Mud and fun splashing. Back to childhood memories.

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