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SHINING ROCK
LOCATION:  Western North Carolina
HIKE STARTS:  US 276 (Big East Fork)
HIKE ENDS:  US 276 (Big East Fork) 
TOTAL DISTANCE:  7.8 Miles
HIKE TYPE:  Roundtrip, Loop Hike
HIKE DIFFICULTY:  Difficult
TRAILS USED:  Old Butt Knob, Shining Creek Trails
TRAIL TRAFFIC:  Light to Moderate
TRIP TYPE:  Day or Overnight Hike
MANAGEMENT:  Pisgah National Forest

HIGHLIGHTS:  The Shining Rock Wilderness is a series of high elevation ridges with spectacular views in the Pisgah National Forest.  Five peaks in the area are over 6000 feet including Cold Mountain (6,030 feet) and Black Balsam Knob (6,214 feet).  The wilderness is named for Shining Rock (5,940 feet), however, which is a summit of white quartz located in the middle of the area.  The views from here are impressive (although not as drastic as other mountains in the forest), and Shining Rock is a central hub for most of the backcountry trails in the area.  This hike starts at the Big East Fork parking area off of US 276 and climbs along Shining Creek to Shining Rock, then descends back to the parking area via the Old Butt Knob Trail.  It is a challenging route that is best done with both a topographical map and GPS.

MORE DETAILS

bullet click to see trail photos from two other hikes in this area:  October 17, 1999, October 28, 2000
bullet click to view a detailed trip report:  December 30, 1996 (password required)
bullet click to view maps:  area map, detailed map (password required), profile map
bulletclick for the Southeastern Destinations discussion forum
bulletclick to access the guidebook North Carolina Hiking Trails which has details on this destination
bulletclick for other North Carolina hiking and backpacking books
bulletclick for other hikes in the Shining Rock Wilderness


 
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