Art Loeb Thru Hike | Pisgah National Forest

3 days hiking and camping the 30 mile Art Loeb trail in the Pisgah National Forest of North Carolina. This Art Loeb trail is a Ridgeline hike that traverses some of the best scenery the Blue Ridge Mountains have to offer. Kim and I trekked over numerous significant peaks including Black Balsam Knob (6,214 ft), Tennent Mountain (6,040 ft), and Pilot Mountain (5,095 ft). We also skirted the base of Cold Mountain and encountered unique geologic features such as Cedar Rock and Shining Rock.
The Art Loeb Trail is a point to point trail that runs north and south. We elected to hike the trail northbound, beginning at the Davidson River Campground and finishing at the Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp. Less people hike northbound due to the additional 2,000 feet of elevation gain vs. southbound. However, northbound hikers are rewarded by saving the best parts of the trail for last (i.e. Black Balsam Knob and the Shining Rock Wilderness).
We used a shuttle service for this hike since we only had one car. Pura Vida Adventures provided our shuttle and the owner/driver was very knowledgeable about the trail and provided several key insights.
Bear canisters are required for camping north of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Water should be planned out as there are significant dry stretches on this trail. However, it is manageable to avoid large water carries with some strategic planning.
This trip took place May 5th - 7th, 2021.
Day 1 - 8.57 miles
Camped at Butter Gap
Day 2 - 13.0 miles
Camped just south of Ivestor Gap
Day 3 - 8.25 miles
Kim and I were able to split up some gear to save some pack weight. Below are links to our full gear loadouts.
My loadout: lighterpack.co...
Kim’s loadout: lighterpack.co...
For navigation we used the Gaia GPS app.
This was filmed using the #GalaxyS21Ultra
Instagram: / outdooroperator
Email: [e-mail]

[@billseay6399]

Hey Thanks another great video fantastic walking love the tranquility that goes with it

[@OutdoorOperator]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by.

[@GARYMANDIEVAN]

Beautiful views Thanks for sharing your awesome backpacking trip

[@OutdoorOperator]

Thanks for watching Gary!

[@MetroOnTheMove]

Incredible video of your Thru hike! The footage is great and can't believe you shot this with your phone. You guys should have way more views and subs based on the quality of this video. Looked like you had the entire trail to yourselves. How many other hikers did you run into on trail? Now following #16!

[@OutdoorOperator]

Thanks for the kind words Metro! We only ran into a handful of backpackers throughout the trip and some day hikers around the Black Balsam Knob area. The low number of hikers was due to completing the hike mid week and cooler temps. We couldn't have asked for a better experience!

[@LeonidasontheTrail]

Great video!

[@OutdoorOperator]

Thanks!

[@madmaxhiking6455]

Great hike! Nice blend of hiking and nature shots. I've got this trail on my to-do list.

[@OutdoorOperator]

Thanks for watching MadMax! It's definitely a great trail. Totally worth the effort!

[@patrickfloyd5723]

This is 2 months after I hiked the same area of Ivestor Gap/Black Balsam. We had the exact same camp spot. After pulling up photos from the trip, the entire site was unchanged, down to the bark on the same logs around the fire pit. Love it. The perch for eating and watching the sunset is what makes the whole trip worth it.

[@OutdoorOperator]

That campsite was just what we needed after a long day of hiking. We really liked that site because the tent sites were somewhat sheltered from the wind but still had the perch with excellent views. Thanks for watching!