Cold Mountain - Shining Rock Wilderness, NC

This video shows the shortest trail access to Cold Mountain in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area of Pisgah National Forest, NC.
I started off Sunday with a flat tire, so my original plans had to be nixed. I needed a backup that wasn't a long hike, so I figured I would track the "quick" climb to Cold Mountain. It had been 5-6 years since my last visit, so it was about time for a revisit. Surprisingly the trail wasn't that crowded, I only encountered 5 distinct groups of hikers on the way up and down. The Art Loeb Trail was looking very pretty, especially at higher elevations below Deep Gap and the Cold Mountain Trail afterwards. I had the summit of Cold Mountain (6,030 ft) to myself while I ate a late afternoon lunch. The 180-degree views of the Great Balsam Mountains were great even though the visibility was a little hazy. I've hiked almost every peak you can see in my pictures, which is definitely satisfying. From the summit you can pick out almost every significant peak in the Shining Rock and Middle Prong Wilderness Areas, including Black Balsam Knob and Richland Balsam.
Hike was 10.4 miles with 3,435 feet elevation gain in 5 hours and 30 minutes.
Hike location
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Hike report
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