Date: Saturday, April 3, 2010
Map: Link
Trails: Eastatoe
Distance: ~5 miles
Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Rating: 4 out of 5
I had been interested in getting here for a hike since I read about it in a guide book 3 years ago. Finally I made it, and I'd say it was worth the wait. To say this trail is in a remote location is an understatement. I left from Seneca and it took me about an hour to get there. You have to go up US-178 from Pickens and cross over Hwy 11. Pass Bob's Place on the left and the road ascends steeply up the mountain. The road will flatten out and generally start descending into a big valley. Then look for the community of Rocky Bottom (there is a sign). A mile past that, there is a bridge over the Eastatoe Creek, and you take an immediate left past the bridge. You'll see two forks; take the right fork (it is unpaved). At this point you're probably thinking (as I was) what did I get myself into and why didn't I bring the SUV with the high ground clearance instead of the VW. But a short distance later, I saw the well-marked Foothills Trail parking lot on the left and I knew I was in the right place.
I parked in the FT lot, even though the gate beyond it was open and I could probably have just driven the additional 0.1 mile up the road (Horsepasture Road) and parked at the hiker gate. As it was, I was just happy to be there and started my hike from the parking lot. It was about 9:50am when I got started, and it was completely overcast. Although it looked like the sun was trying to burn through the clouds.
As I mentioned, after 0.1 miles on the gravel road, you turn left and go past a hiker gate. The junctions (most of them) are clearly marked on this trail, and even if the blazes aren't always clear, the trail is very wide and obvious, and I think it would be hard to get lost. As the trail starts out, it is a wide, gravelly old logging road. Not the best scenery, and you're thinking this trail isn't worthy of the hype. After 10-15 minutes, it gets even worse, as you come into an area that appears to have been the recent recipient of a controlled burn. Talk about bleak. At least the path is easy, mostly following a ridge with gentle slopes.
Give it about 30 minutes of hiking though, and you start to see the rewards. There is a sign that indicates hiker-only traffic beyond this point (always a good thing to see) and you leave the charred forest behind. The path narrows, and on your left there are (at least in winter and early spring) some great views of what I have to describe as the "Blue Ridge" proper. Of course at this point, you are on the edge of a deep mountain gorge. I heard the rushing waters of the Eastatoe clearly, far below. For another 15 minutes or so, the trail follows this ridge. Then abruptly, there is an arrow pointing to the left and STEEPLY downhill. In fact there are several straircases and switchbacks to help the descent. This took me about 15 minutes to get all the way down, and without a doubt, the area at the bottom is worth all the trouble...absolutely beautiful.
I guess I can describe it as a hardwood forest sitting in a wide valley, with almost no underbrush. Just some kind of creeper vine covering the floor. At the far end, there is the Eastatoe Creek, a picturesque mountain stream. Opposite the creek is the other side of the gorge, a sheer cliff. About the time I got down here, the skies started to clear, revealing blue sky and sunshine. The trail almost appears to end at a T-intersection with the creek. But you can turn left and follow the bank for a few minutes. There are yellow blazes on some of the trees, and you'll pass a couple of campsites. The guide book I had seen indicated there was a clearly marked end to the trail (triple blaze) but I never saw it. What I did see was a green metal post sticking out of the ground, and then a whole bunch of downed trees beyond it. For all intents and purposes, this seems to be the end of the line.
Now, from the T-intersection with the creek that I mentioned, you can also turn right and follow the bank a short distance (there are no blazes here). This leads to a small sand beach and views of a "narrows" in the creek, where the water rushes around some large rocks. Definitely worth seeing. Altogether I spent probably 45 minutes down here, and I'd like to have spent longer.
I should also mention that I met a couple of nice guys here, one of whom gave me some very useful tips on using my new hiking pole. That came in handy going back uphill, and it was an easier climb than I had expected. I saw 7-8 people on the way back to the car, and I arrived there about 12:30. Overall a great hike!
Map: Link
Trails: Eastatoe
Distance: ~5 miles
Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Rating: 4 out of 5
I had been interested in getting here for a hike since I read about it in a guide book 3 years ago. Finally I made it, and I'd say it was worth the wait. To say this trail is in a remote location is an understatement. I left from Seneca and it took me about an hour to get there. You have to go up US-178 from Pickens and cross over Hwy 11. Pass Bob's Place on the left and the road ascends steeply up the mountain. The road will flatten out and generally start descending into a big valley. Then look for the community of Rocky Bottom (there is a sign). A mile past that, there is a bridge over the Eastatoe Creek, and you take an immediate left past the bridge. You'll see two forks; take the right fork (it is unpaved). At this point you're probably thinking (as I was) what did I get myself into and why didn't I bring the SUV with the high ground clearance instead of the VW. But a short distance later, I saw the well-marked Foothills Trail parking lot on the left and I knew I was in the right place.
I parked in the FT lot, even though the gate beyond it was open and I could probably have just driven the additional 0.1 mile up the road (Horsepasture Road) and parked at the hiker gate. As it was, I was just happy to be there and started my hike from the parking lot. It was about 9:50am when I got started, and it was completely overcast. Although it looked like the sun was trying to burn through the clouds.
As I mentioned, after 0.1 miles on the gravel road, you turn left and go past a hiker gate. The junctions (most of them) are clearly marked on this trail, and even if the blazes aren't always clear, the trail is very wide and obvious, and I think it would be hard to get lost. As the trail starts out, it is a wide, gravelly old logging road. Not the best scenery, and you're thinking this trail isn't worthy of the hype. After 10-15 minutes, it gets even worse, as you come into an area that appears to have been the recent recipient of a controlled burn. Talk about bleak. At least the path is easy, mostly following a ridge with gentle slopes.
Give it about 30 minutes of hiking though, and you start to see the rewards. There is a sign that indicates hiker-only traffic beyond this point (always a good thing to see) and you leave the charred forest behind. The path narrows, and on your left there are (at least in winter and early spring) some great views of what I have to describe as the "Blue Ridge" proper. Of course at this point, you are on the edge of a deep mountain gorge. I heard the rushing waters of the Eastatoe clearly, far below. For another 15 minutes or so, the trail follows this ridge. Then abruptly, there is an arrow pointing to the left and STEEPLY downhill. In fact there are several straircases and switchbacks to help the descent. This took me about 15 minutes to get all the way down, and without a doubt, the area at the bottom is worth all the trouble...absolutely beautiful.
I guess I can describe it as a hardwood forest sitting in a wide valley, with almost no underbrush. Just some kind of creeper vine covering the floor. At the far end, there is the Eastatoe Creek, a picturesque mountain stream. Opposite the creek is the other side of the gorge, a sheer cliff. About the time I got down here, the skies started to clear, revealing blue sky and sunshine. The trail almost appears to end at a T-intersection with the creek. But you can turn left and follow the bank for a few minutes. There are yellow blazes on some of the trees, and you'll pass a couple of campsites. The guide book I had seen indicated there was a clearly marked end to the trail (triple blaze) but I never saw it. What I did see was a green metal post sticking out of the ground, and then a whole bunch of downed trees beyond it. For all intents and purposes, this seems to be the end of the line.
Now, from the T-intersection with the creek that I mentioned, you can also turn right and follow the bank a short distance (there are no blazes here). This leads to a small sand beach and views of a "narrows" in the creek, where the water rushes around some large rocks. Definitely worth seeing. Altogether I spent probably 45 minutes down here, and I'd like to have spent longer.
I should also mention that I met a couple of nice guys here, one of whom gave me some very useful tips on using my new hiking pole. That came in handy going back uphill, and it was an easier climb than I had expected. I saw 7-8 people on the way back to the car, and I arrived there about 12:30. Overall a great hike!
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