Pump Gap Trail and Lover's Leap
Trail - Hot Springs, NC.
This is one of my favorite walks
at just about any time of year. There is a bit of steep walking
involved, but I simply take my time on this stretch. I once met
a 74 year old gentleman who was walking the approximately 5 mile
loop by himself, so it shouldn't be a problem for most of us!
To get to the trailhead from Asheville
take US 19/23 North, exiting on US 25/70 in Weaverville. Follow
the signs to Marshall and then Hot Springs. Just as you are entering
Hot Springs you'll see a bridge across the French Broad River,
but don't cross it. Just on the north side of the bridge make
a right and circle underneath the bridge on Lover's Leap Road.
It's less than a half mile to the parking area and trailhead
which are identified by a Forest Service road gate. You'll know
you're on the right track when you pass the Nantahala Outdoor
Center's setup about halfway to the trailhead. These guys would
be happy to set you up with a float after your hike.
When you leave the trailhead to
start this loop, you will be on two trails at once - the Lover's
Leap Trail will veer sharply right and uphill, after about .2
miles, while the Pump Gap Trail, which you want to walk, goes
to the left. The Pump Gap Trail is marked with yellow blazes
on the trees so you should have no trouble following the correct
path.
On this first section of the walk
you'll see lots of Rosebay Rhododendron, Rhododendron maximum,
which features beautiful white to pinkish blooms in late June
and early July. Another interesting plant you'll see here is
the Heart's-a-Busting, Euonymus americanus, which is also known
as the Strawberry Bush. This grows as a shrub with small, not
very showy flowers in late spring and early summer. The real
delight of this species is evident in the September to October
time frame. The seed pods are a bright scarlet color, and each
splits open to reveal four or five even brighter red seeds. The
old timers in this region thought it resembled a heart so full
of love it had burst!
You'll walk past the Silver Mine
Campground and head upstream. As you walk along the streambed
you'll see lots of Witch Hazel trees, Hamamelis virginiana. This
is the tree from which the well known astringent is processed.
Its common name derived from its preference for wet soils, with
the thought being that it should be a good wood to use for divining
(witching) for water! This blooms in September and October with
four twisted yellow petals which often persist well into winter.
You'll soon pass two old bunkers
which were used to store explosives and cross several small feeder
streams which drain into Silver Mine Creek. At this point you'll
begin a steady climb through various evergreen trees - this is
the toughest part of the walk so keep in mind that you're not
in a rush!
After you've covered about one
and a half miles you'll intersect the Appalachian Trail, which
runs from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mt. Katahdin, Maine -
a distance of approximately 2160 miles. If you're feeling really
adventurous you can turn left on the trail and head for the far
north, but for this article we'll turn right and finish the loop.
From here on the trail is very easy with little or no uphill
walking. You'll be walking through lots of Rhododendron, Oaks
(primarily Northern Red, Quercus rubra, White, Q. alba,
and Chestnut, Q. prinus.) The Chestnut Oak is so named
because of the resemblance of its leaves to those of the now
rare American Chestnut. You'll also see numerous Fraser's Magnolias,
Magnolia fraseri which is one of the region's native deciduous
Magnolias. It's very easy to identify by the leaf which can be
up to 2 feet long with a smooth margin and two earlike projections,
one on each side of the stem, at the base of the leaf.
You'll soon intersect with the
Lover's Leap Trail which comes into the AT from the right. Just
past this junction is Lover's
Leap, a rocky outcrop which extends out over the French Broad
River. It is 500 feet above the river, but is very safe as long
as you think about what you're doing. Legend has it that a Cherokee
maiden threw herself from this spot after her lover was killed
by a jealous rival. Sitting on this rock in the early morning
and watching the fog burn out of the river valley is a wonderful
experience.
If you've had enough walking at
this point you can follow the Lover's Leap Trail back to the
trailhead but be warned that while it is all downhill, it is
steep. If you continue on the AT you'll go through a series of
switchbacks down to the river and then alongside the river back
to the NOC center. At the road, make a right and walk back to
the trailhead.
While lovely at any time of the year, this walk can be a bit
tricky in snowy or extremely wet conditions. With the varied
topography, abundant flora, and lots of birds (as a rule) this
walk is one I recommend whole heartedly.
This article was written for Travel
Host of Western North Carolina.
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