Trails: Cat Gap Loop , Cat Gap Bypass,
and John Rock Trails
Hike Location: Pisgah
National Forest
Geographic Location: northwest of Brevard ,
NC (35.28418, -82.79183)
Length: 5.5 miles
Difficulty: 7/10 (Moderate/Difficult)
Date Hiked: September 2015
Overview: A mostly moderate but occasionally steep loop hike
featuring views from John Rock.
Trail Information: http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=48310&actid=50
Directions to the trailhead: From the US 276/US 64 split on the north side
of Brevard, take US 276 west 5.3 miles to Fish
Hatchery Road (FR 475). Take a soft left on Fish
Hatchery Rd. Drive Fish Hatchery Rd. 1.5 miles to the combined fish hatchery
and Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education on the
left. Park in the large blacktop lot in
front of the center.
The hike: Often overlooked in favor of Looking Glass
Rock, its larger and more famous neighbor, John Rock rises nearly 800 feet
above the south side of the Davidson River
valley. During the Great Depression the
parking lot at this hike’s trailhead was the site of Camp John Rock, a Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC) camp that operated from 1933 until 1941. The young men of Camp John Rock built many of
the roads and trails in this part of the national forest.
The area’s
main attractions today are the more modern Pisgah
Center for Wildlife Education and its
adjacent fish hatchery. The center
contains some interesting exhibits about the forest, and both the center and
fish hatchery are worth a stop either before or after your hike. Speaking of which, the large center parking
area also serves as trailhead parking for this popular and excellent loop hike
to John Rock. While you likely will not
have this trail to yourself, many of the people that come here visit only the
center and fish hatchery, so it may not be as crowded as it appears. When I came here on a Labor Day weekend, the
parking area for nearby Looking Glass Rock was overflowing with dozens of cars
parked in ditches on either side of the road, but I had no trouble finding a
parking spot here.
Fish hatchery trailhead |
Begin by
walking down the paved extension of the entrance road that runs between the
parking lot and the fish hatchery. Very
quickly you come to a metal vehicle gate and a brown carsonite post that marks
the fish hatchery trailhead. Walk around
the gate, cross John Rock Branch on an old vehicle bridge, then immediately arrive
at an intersection with the Cat Gap Loop Trail.
Turn right to begin hiking the orange-blazed Cat Gap Loop
counterclockwise.
Start of Cat Gap Loop |
Across the
road, the trail curves left and begins climbing again on a moderate grade. Some unmarked spur trails exit left and lead
steeply downhill to some scenic cascades in Grogan Creek. If you have a little extra time and energy,
these side trips are worth taking for the aquatic scenery and audio they offer.
Cascade in Grogan Creek |
At 0.8
miles, you reach an area called Picklesimer Fields and an intersection with the
blue-blazed Butter Gap Trail, which exits right. Another brown carsonite post marks this
intersection. The Cat Gap Loop turns
left to cross Grogan Creek on a bridge built out of three tree trunks. Bridges like this one look suspect, but they
are common on trails in this part of the national forest. Large numbers of mountain laurel grow here
and make this area especially scenic in June.
Crossing a tree-trunk bridge |
1 mile into
the hike, you reach a dispersed campsite located in a pine planting. Follow the orange paint blazes to stay on the
trail. The trail crosses a tributary of
Grogan Creek twice, once via another tree trunk bridge and again via a rock
hop. The grade intensifies after this
last creek crossing as the trail uses switchbacks to summit a finger ridge
before curving right to climb along the ridge.
Climbing on Cat Gap Loop |
At 1.8
miles, the Cat Gap Loop turns right where the Cat Gap Bypass Trail continues
straight. Yet another brown carsonite
post marks this intersection. If you
insist on visiting Cat Gap, you can turn right here to continue the Cat Gap
Loop, but Cat Gap requires another 200 feet of climbing that earns you no views
or other scenic rewards. Thus, most
hikers heading to John Rock continue straight to start the Cat Gap Bypass
Trail, as does this trail description.
After the
long moderate climb you just endured, the yellow-blazed Cat Gap Bypass Trail is
surprisingly flat and easy. Indeed, the
Cat Gap Bypass Trail gains only 100 feet over its 0.6 mile length. The ravine containing John Rock Branch drops
to your left, but no real views emerge.
2.4 miles
into the hike, you reach the east end of the Cat Gap Bypass Trail and a major
trail intersection with trails going straight, left, and right. The Cat Gap Loop goes straight and right with
the downhill route going straight heading back to the fish hatchery and the
uphill route going right leading to Cat Gap.
This hike turns left to begin the John Rock Trail and head for its
namesake rock.
Climbing on John Rock Trail |
Now comes
the steepest part of the hike, as the rough and eroded John Rock Trail gains
more than 150 feet of elevation in less than 0.2 miles. At 2.6 miles, you top a small knob that is the
highest elevation of the hike (950 feet above the fish hatchery). The narrow trail now descends more than it
ascends as it heads north out a narrow finger ridge. You pass a couple more established campsites
as you head out the ridge.
Just past 3
miles into the hike, the unsigned spur trail to the John Rock overlook exits
left. Turn left here and very quickly
reach the highlight of this hike. The
bare granite outcrop known as John Rock offers excellent views to the north across
the Davidson River
valley. Looking Glass Rock takes center
stage, while the ridge that contains the Blue Ridge
Parkway looms in the background. The fish hatchery can be seen directly below,
and you may be able to pick out your car depending on which part of the parking
lot you parked in. The overlook area is
not particularly large, and no railings protect you from the vertical cliffs
that lie ahead, so watch your footing and children at this overlook.
Looking Glass Rock, as seen from John Rock |
After
taking in the view, retrace your steps back up the spur trail to the John Rock
Trail and turn left to continue the John Rock Trail. The somewhat narrow trail passes through a
tunnel of mountain laurel as it descends at first gradually and then more
steeply. At 3.7 miles, you cross a small
spring-fed stream before curving left to begin heading downhill through the
stream’s ravine. A couple more
tree-trunk bridges are used to cross other streams.
4.2 miles
into the hike, the John Rock Trail ends at a junction with the Cat Gap Loop,
which goes left and right. Turn left to
continue descending on the Cat Gap Loop.
You are now descending into a hollow known as Horse Cove, and the
descent becomes more gradual the lower you get.
At 4.5 miles, you cross a gravel forest service road just before
crossing wide but shallow Horse Cove Creek on stepping stones.
Davidson River |
The
remainder of the hike passes through creekside and riverside habitats as it
curves left to head west for the fish hatchery.
A couple of less rustic footbridges (as opposed to tree-trunk bridges)
are crossed, and the Davidson River
comes into sight downhill to the right.
Some more campsites are also located to the right, and at a double
orange paint blaze you need to turn left to stay on the main trail rather than
take the campsite spur that heads right.
At 5.3 miles, you cross John Rock Branch on a large trail bridge that
has seen its better days. Continue
straight after crossing the bridge to return to the east end of the fish
hatchery parking lot and complete the loop.
Hello, just stumbled across your blog in search of info about a hike we're doing. I've got littles in tow, so we're not ready for a few of these just yet ;) Thanks for the inspiration, and I've signed on as a follower; I write a bit about Greenville and some of the (less) intense hikes we do, I hope you'll stop in for a visit!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment and the follow. I wouldn't want to take small kids up to John Rock either, especially if you have several of them. Wait until they are early teenagers or such. Nearby DuPont State Forest has some nice waterfall hikes for the entire family.
DeleteSee you on the trail,
David, aka The Mathprofhiker