PN-30 & Pisgah NC

Leaving this Friday (4/16) for my 6 day 5 night hike in Pisgah National Forest :boggle:and have a few quick questions:
Decided to pick up a DeLorme PN-30 for the trip the Topo USA 8.0 does not show all the trails the National Geographic Trails Illustrated map does. Anyone know if the Annual Subscription Library offers maps that would show them, or another source to be able to download them?
Also, looking for information on Fork Mountain Trail and Green Mountain Trail over in the Middle Prong Wilderness of Pisgah?
Thanks

I have done both. What do you want to know? DO NOT TAKE THE GREEN MT TRAIL down /up.....to/from what is it route 215? If you want to go out there to Green Mt.
( it's a nice ridge ) go out and back!!!!!!! You lose or gain @ 2000 feet in @ a mile from @ the Sunburst campgound up to the main ridge. It's beyond brutal into amazing. I'm not kidding!!

Fork Ridge doesn't get used alot so make sure you have some gps waypoints. I went through from Mt. Hardee to Mt Tennant last August and almost lost the trail a few times. It's not blazed or maintained and disappears into the underbrush depending on the time of year at about the mid-point of Fork Ridge; and if I do say so I have very good route finding skills. Continously broke some serious spider webs the whole way so I may have been the first person along in 7 to 10 days anyway. . If you're considering a loop with these 2 ridges take the trail up or down that watershed south and west of Green Mt. Also the ford of the POidgeon is a little tricky and hard to spot. There are some really nice big hardwoods where the ridge drops off Fork Ridge down to the Pidgeon. and a nice spot to camp about 1.5 mile out Fork Ridge from that gap at Mt Tennant... what is it Ivestor? I went from the road at Black Balsam along the MST to Hardee, out Green Mt, down & across the road and river at Sunburst, up Fork Ridge, and to the gap then up Tennant and over Black Balsam back to the truck. A really nice loop except the part down the shoulder of Green Mt. It was @ 8/20 and the berries were Awesome!

I'm complaining and I went DOWN. I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN! IT MAKES THE Red Wall ( Grand Canyon) look like a cakewalk in terms or footing and strain. And Hey the red wall has switchbacks!

Considering I WAS planning on going UP :scared:Green MT Trail, I guess I need to come up with a new plan. Doing the Art Loeb from Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp south (taking side hike up Cold MT) and was looking for loop or loops to make it a 6 day trip (knowing the ALT is only like 30 miles or so).
Got any suggestions?

Go up the creek right of Green Mt Ridge ( which may also be called Fork Ridge? ) Guess I better get a map out. ............... Ok the trail from @ Ivestor Gap out to 215 and Sunburst is Fork MOUNTAIN . Nice trail but obscure in places.

I'd go up FR97 past the end of the Fork RIDGE trail to Trail # 142 the Haywood Gap Trail. Basically the same starting point just upstream from the Sunburst Campground where the Middle Prong meets the West Fork. You could take a left @ half way up onto Buck Spring but I think I'd stay on Haywood Gap so I'd have a longer walk on the MST which is really nice along this route.... some say part of the best stretch along the entire trail. There's water @ 1/2 mile past the Fork Ridge intersection on NE side of My Hardy and lots about a mile further. If you want to climb Hardy look sharp the trail is to the right about 50? yds past/east of the left turn to Fork Ridge/ Green Mt. There's a beautiful field/ meadow just before you reach 215 again with stream/spring on the east/far side. Just far enough from the road to be a nice camping spot. Across 215 about a mile up there's a grove of Firs with water nearby that is also a sweet camping spot. If you're making good time I'd detour over past Little sam Knob ( trail 347 to 346 to 617 and go up Sam Knob. You may be able to see more 6000 footers from that summit than any other spot in Eastern US. If it's really warm watch out for black flies...... yes the north woods kind. It's kind of a hanging valley with lots of streams. Beautiful but one of the few places I've ever seen them "Down South" They're like BIG knats. If you go that way ...and if you have time I would ....don't cut out Black Balsam. Take the shortcut trail 108 to the summit. 360 degree views. And again on Tennent. There's water on the right just below the trail just before Shining Rock Gap; which at this point is an old RR bed ( in fact you'll hike on lots of those.....nice even grades!) There's better camping spots with views to the far right just past that gap. Stay right like you're taking trail # 332. The ledge and narrows have great views, in fact if you're going before Mid May there ought to be views all around. How are you going to get from the scout camp to Sunburst?

Heck I just looked back at your post. you have 6 days. Take the side trail to Devils Courthouse. If you want to Camp in the Ivestor Gap vicinity take the Fork MOUNTAIN trail #109 about a mile out and there's a big beautiful meadow with water just before the meadow. There really isn't a trail in that section that doesn't have great scenery.... even Fork Ridge..... It's just that last or first 1.25 miles or so is just ridiculous. With six days you could detour out the ridge from the MST and camp at Green Mt. Another nice meadow. JUST bring enough water as its a dry ridge. If your' peak bagging read up on the Carolina Mountain Club website pages on South beyond 6000. The nice thing about this loop is that once you gain the ridge on the MST the ups and downs will be at a minimum and none too drastic all the way until you hike down to the Scout Camp.

That Loxahatcie River sure is pretty paddling........ but some of them big logs move!

My plan is to leave this Friday and drive to Brevard. I have a shuttle service picking up at Division River Campground and taking me to the scout camp. The plan is to hike the entire Art Loeb Trail, but need some side routes to extend the trip to 6 days / 5 nights. I called the ranger station the other day and they said it has been a “terrible” winter and there are lots of fallen trees. I did see that on another web / forum someone posted that the Art was closed and impassable in the Shinning Rock area. Have you heard anything on closures?
I have the map out and am looking at your recommendations

Obxcola, ya the Loxahatchee is a wonderful river – was just out there last weekend for a day of “yaking” … the logs … well this time of the year is them “mating season” :scared: So I just give them alittle more room to float by

There was an ice storm in December but it ( I thought but don't know for certain though I drove through the impact zone ) mostly impacted @ 4000 to 4500 on the east and SOUTH facing slopes. I Can't imagine it caused problems up on the highest Great Balsam Ridge but I'll see if I can back that up. I imagine the problems would be from Glouchester Gap over Pilot MT and up to below the parkway. I hiked a short stretch of the Art from Butter Gap to Cat Gap as the outer turn of a loop from the Hatchery @ 12/29? and no problems at that el. Nearly met a Coyote on John's Rock. ( we had a conversation but no eye contact )

The rangers at the Pisgah welcome center will know. I drove over the parkway from Waynesville on 276 that day after the storm and the south /brevard side looked like those photos of trench warfare in WW1 for about 6 switchbacks coming down

Here's a couple of relevant reports. These guys are the bomb doing what they do as volunteers: (But no they don't wear Orange on Sat to the football game, Sunday deer hunting or Monday picking up trash side de road. Ask an Ol Miss fan for a translation!

Looks to me like the problems are about where I'd figured and are being dealt with.

Carolina Mountain Club: Event 2777
Date: 26 March 2010
Title: Downed Tree(s) Removal
Type: Regular Maintenance
Participant Name Work Hours Travel Hours Admin Hours Total Hours
Cleared blowdowns from Gloucester Description: Gap to Low Gap.Total Hours: 60
Work Hours: 50
Travel Hours: 10
Leader: Tanquary, Jim
Section: Art Loeb #3, 146
Trail Area: 60 hours in the Shining Rock/Middle Prong

Event 2781
Date: 30 March 2010
Title: Inspect/Maintenance
Type: Regular Maintenance Adopt-A-Trail
Total Hours: 4
Work Hours: 3
Travel Hours: 1
Leader: English, Stuart
Section: NC 215 to Devil's Courthouse Jct.
Trail Area: 4 hours in the Mountains to the Sea Trai
Participant Name Work Hours Travel Hours Admin Hours Total Hours
I finally made back to my sectuion after the long winter. It was till winter up there really. Rime ice in the trees, falling from the trees and coveringt the ground in shady places. Very little damage, however. I was able to easily pick everything up by hand and throw it out of the trail. There was one blow down too big for me and it will be in the issues.