NC- Seeking Advice on Pisgah Loop

**Atop10** · 03-21-2016, 19:50

I'm planning a loop trip in Pisgah. We are planning on 2 day / 2 night ~20 mile loop. The issue is we won't get to the trailhead until midnight the first night. Typically we'd grab a roadside site but we'd like to start the day on the trail this time and not with a short drive. We are using pink beds as the trail head. Never hiked that section but the website makes it sound very developed and mentions areas are off limits for camping. Has anybody hiked this section and is there any decent legal camping sites within the first couple miles of the trailhead on the north half of the pink beds loop? The loop we are planning is pink beds -> s mills-> buck horn gap -> black mountain -> pressley cove -> Bennett gap ->buckwheat knob -> black mountain -> Bennett branch -> pink beds. Any other advice about the trails would be awesome. We will also be looking for campsite in the pressley cove/ southern.bennett gap region. We chose this over a couple of loops leaving out of Turkey Pen bc it appears to minimize the chances of wet crossings during an early spring trip. Is that a good call (S. Mills and laurel creek are the trails that worry me)?

**rallywagon** · 03-22-2016, 15:04

Hopefully someone with more specifics will chime in. But, just to make sure you know, you can legally camp really close to where you park at Turkey Pen / South Mills. I am unsure about required wet crossings, though.

**Crawldaddy** · 03-22-2016, 21:23

I had to follow your plan on my map. Looks doable but personally I would park at Turkey Pen trail head and follow S. Mills upstream and do a loop in that area. You may have to cross the stream some, but unless there was a recent heavy rain, it wouldnt be a big deal. I fished some wild waters near there with no waders last week and wasnt an issue. Lots of places to camp and hang with no restrictions.

**Atop10** · 03-22-2016, 21:33

Thanks for the feedback. I am leaning towards Turkey Pen (or one of the normal trailheads in the area) this trip and scouting Pink Beds by the light of day on our way out of the park for future plans. They only say the wildlife fields are off limits - just not sure what they considered to be wildlife fields... Plus there is apparently a waterfall not too far from the trailhead worth doing a out and back to.

**Crawldaddy** · 03-23-2016, 05:46

If youd like to see gobs of waterfalls and great backpacking/camping, I would recommend Panthertown. Not more than an hour from Brevard.

**Pipsissewa** · 03-23-2016, 07:03

Originally Posted by Atop10

Thanks for the feedback. I am leaning towards Turkey Pen (or one of the normal trailheads in the area) this trip and scouting Pink Beds by the light of day on our way out of the park for future plans. They only say the wildlife fields are off limits - just not sure what they considered to be wildlife fields... Plus there is apparently a waterfall not too far from the trailhead worth doing a out and back to.

Wildlife fields are grassy fields cut out of the woods by the Forest Service to promote deer and other animals to gather there. See us enter one in Pisgah NF at the 2:00 minute mark:

They can be seen from Google maps too:

Screen shot 2016-03-23 at 8.00.44 AM.png

You'll know one when you see it. They're mowed about once a year. They're fun to explore; but the FS doesn't want you to camp in them. We have often hung hammocks along the edge and waited to see the wildlife. Another one called Victor Field has a treesy creek meandering through it. Very tempting to camp there, but day hangs are the only legal option.

Have a wonderful trip! Your plans sound great!