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Date of Hike: Saturday, September 04, 2010 |
| My wife and I hiked this as an overnighter. The hike up to the big campsite was awesome! Found a wild apple tree and lots of blackberries. Set up camp under the big oak tree. Was a little windy, but one of the best campsites I have ever stayed at! A couple of random hunting dogs wandered in to camp and ended up staying the night with us (and the two other couples that were camping there) but they were nice enough. All in all I would highly recommend this hike to everyone!
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Date of Hike: Thursday, August 12, 2010 |
I brought a friend with me for the Mt Pleasant / Cole Mtn combined overnight hike. We hiked Mt Pleasant loop first with only some water and lunch, switched to our overnight packs with all the gears at our car at Hog Camp Gap, and hiked approx 1 mile to the campsite under the big oak tree, spent overnight and hiked the rest of Cole Mtn loop the next morning. Both of us liked the Cole Mtn loop better than the Mt Pleasant loop, but we enjoyed them both.
With respect to time allocation, the 1 mile hike to the campsite took us around 1 hr with all the heavy pack with A LOT OF water (approx 2 gallon for 2 ppl). The morning section of the second day only took us 2.5 to 3 hours with lighter weight in the packs, even when we were taking it easy.
The direction for the campsite could be improved. I would write that ".., after the horse gate entrance, descent 0.6 miles, then ascent 0.4 miles. Reach the spur ridge by entering a clearing. At the end of the clearing is one of the prettiest back country campsites in the Blue Ridge."
And it is indeed pretty. Thanks for sharing this place with me.
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Date of Hike: Friday, July 16, 2010 |
I am thinking about doing this hike in the next couple of weeks. Has anyone hiked the loop in the opposite direction? I would like to end the day with the great grassy campsite which is 1 mile from the parking lot...any thoughts???
Thanks!
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Sunday, May 30, 2010 |
| We enjoyed this hike very much...left a little late in the day so we didn't get on the trail until almost 1:00...it was a little hot and humid. The open meadow near the end was beautiful. Everything was well marked and the Cow Gap Shelter area was a nice place to sit and eat a late lunch.
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| By:
Graham
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Date of Hike: Sunday, May 16, 2010 |
| We combined this hike with the Mount Pleasant hike as a two-day trip. It was everything we hoped for! the weather was perfect, the views were fantastic, the campsite (marked on the map on this page as "the best camping spot in the GWNF") was indeed very nice. We did see several other groups and shared the campsite with one group (although it was so large, there was plenty of space). We decided to do both hikes in the opposite direction from the one listed here, and I think that improved our chances of solitude, as we passed only one group in the same direction as us. I rated this hike 4/5 if only because the Mount Pleasant overlooks were more impressive. The directions were very accurate, but I would warn anyone travelling from the West (through Buena Vista) that the sign marking Coffeytown Road (rt 634) is overgrown and not visible when travelling eastbound on Rt. 60. Obviously this is only an issue in the spring/summer.
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| By:
Emily
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Date of Hike: Sunday, May 02, 2010 |
| Fantastic hike. Only difficult part of this hike was the access road which is a bit rough but our honda accord made it up alright. Great variety and very different than your typical blue ridge hike. The inclines are gentle and the majority of the incline is a ridge walk with great views and breeze! The meadow at the top was beautiful and we had to all to ourselves on a sunday afternoon which was a surprise.
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Date of Hike: Sunday, April 11, 2010 |
I didn't enjoy this hike that much. It was way to tough for me. Like i even brought 2 waterbottles but i went through them so fast. lots of rocks and hills. it was really very tough. and btw, i'm a pro hiker! :)
i mean like i didn't NOT like this hike, i guess it's just that it could have been better. i was passing all these kids on the way and i was like "UR A N00B ROFL"! They were upset but couldn't catch up with me because i power walk like a champ.
email me if you feel like hiking sometime!
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| By:
FaLaLa
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Date of Hike: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 |
| ...access road not passable in a passenger car. Snow and ice covered. If you have a large truck...my guess is you'll be fine. I"m going to wait a month or so to attempt this again! Can't wait!
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Date of Hike: Monday, March 01, 2010 |
| Anyone know how the access road is (i.e. snow covered, mud, or ok)? We're planning on hitting this in a couple of weeks and curious on how the road is to the parking lot. Thanks in advance for your time.
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Date of Hike: Thursday, August 27, 2009 |
Great backpacking trip - BMRS in VA Beach really hooked us up with a great place to go.
We did the Cold Mountain/Mt Pleasant routes together. Started at Cold Mountain, and then hiked to the summit of Mount Pleasant to Camp.
Water Source by the Cowgamp shelter was as advertised. Found a stream (marked on the Topo) on the way to Mount Pleasant Summit on the Western Branch of the trail. Did not check other marked watersource in the vicinity of the summit - but it looked like steep going to get down there.
Camping on summit was windy, but the high-use areas were sheltered. Suggest that the marked camping area on the Mount Pleasant map will be a better site - you can go to the summit as a side hike, w/o packs, and it will be more enjoyable.
If anyone has another suggested entry level backpacking trip, we're interested in your suggestion- send me an email.
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Date of Hike: Sunday, July 19, 2009 |
| There's something truly civilized about the Cold Mountain / Mt. Pleasant / Pompey circuit. My trail dog Willie and I camped at the lower meadow on Cold Mountain on Saturday night, and rose early to break camp and hike the balance of the 11.3 mile figure 8 circuit. It was a perfect night, a perfect day, and a spectacular hike! The lower meadow on Hotel Trail is the place to camp . . . there's room at the Shelter, but it's heavily wooded and cramped with more than 2 tents. The meadow is huge, and we had an amazing view of the stars. There's camping at the parking lot for Hotel Trail / Mt. Pleasant for car campers, and there's a few good (but rocky) spots at the top of Mt. Pleasant . . . but the bees were busy, and the trails were busier (on Mt. Pleasant). This has become my favorite hike (second perhaps to Mt. Rogers, but easier access). Three 4,000 plus footers in 6-7 hours. Trails are VERY well marked . . . just fantastic.
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| By:
Cool Breeze
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Date of Hike: Saturday, June 27, 2009 |
| This was a very easy hike, but the views were great. There's nothing technical about this hike. Hiking shoes are nice, but a good pair of walking shoes will get you through it just fine. I used a little more than a liter of water, but a hot day will put you in the sun often. The day me and my girls (8 and 11) did this trail - we had clear skies - the only way I would recommend this hike otherwise you lose a lot of the magic around you. We took this trail around hitting Cold Mountain at the very end. This loop brings you through some beautiful mountain meadows that are ideal for a lazy lunch break. There's a few small streams to marvel at. The real treat is walking up Cold Mountain itself. There are several places indicated by cameras on the map that give excellent views of the valley below. Cold Mountain itself has a wide open summit with a set of boulders and a marker that also make a great place for a lazy lunch. Leaving the summit is another beautiful walk along a ridgeline meadow that gives excellent views. The walk back to the car from the summit is a quick walk.
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Date of Hike: Sunday, February 08, 2009 |
| Nice weather, accompanied by generous amounts of mud! We encountered lots of deer throughout the hike. The trail is marked so well, much better than the markings inside SNP. The balds were very much like Scotland, especially with the squishy, watery mud that was all along the trail. We had lunch at the gap shelter, and shared conversation with a couple who were gearing up to head to GA to through-hike the AT this summer. I was not expecting the hike to be used so much, it was pretty busy. I would love to return to do some backcountry camping, however I wonder if it would be crowded?
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Kim & Paul
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Date of Hike: Saturday, November 01, 2008 |
| We did this hike on a Saturday afternoon and enjoyed it immensely! The trail was varied and beautiful throughout. The views from the top of the ridge are spectacular! The meadow at the end was beautiful. The write-up on this site is accurate and very helpful. We'll definitely do it again someday.
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| By:
willhike
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Date of Hike: Friday, October 10, 2008 |
I did this hike on Friday to avoid the weekend crowds. The leaves are beginning to change and the views were spectacular. I'd recommend this hike to anyone looking for an easily do-able day hike. The major uphill portion was not bad at all and broken up with several stops for taking in the vista.
Here are some pictures from the hike via the standard route: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hope4will/sets/72157607929040672/detail
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Saturday, September 27, 2008 |
We did this hike in a figure-8 loop with Mt. Pleasant. We camped overnight at the suggested campsite on the review, which is rated as the best in the GMNF. The campsite was impressive, and the grass/moss was nice to sleep on and didn't dirty our gear overnight. There is plenty of cover in case it rains as well (as was our case). The camping at the shelter, however, is very good as well. The shelter is in excellent shape, and there are several camping sites near the shelter. The nice thing about the shelter is that there is plenty of cover, reliable water source and an out-house.
The balds of Cold Mountain were excellent, although we were not rewarded with any views due to the cloud/fog cover. The vistas on the way up Cold Moutain were in excellent condition - trees were not blocking these views and it was nice to have a nice place to take a break on the way up (potentially - depends on weather). I see this hike as a poor-man's Black Balsam Knob (in NC). If you like this hike, then I'd highly suggest the balds of Black Balsam just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC in the Shining Rock Wilderness area. Black Balsam Knob is great because you can camp on the bald, no such luck on Cold Mountain - it is prohibited.
The bald on Cold Mountain is fairly large, and the views looked to be (potentially) better than those of similar bald hikes like Gregory Bald in the Smokies. If you're looking to see a sunrise from the bald, it'd be a pretty far hike to get from the parking lot or the shelter at the base of Cold Mountain to the summit. You'd be better off packing up early and hiking to the top. (For instance, at Gregory Bald, the campsite is only 0.5 miles below the bald, providing a good 'basecamp'). Enjoy!
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Date of Hike: Friday, September 19, 2008 |
| Me and my wife just hiked yesterday and it was awesome! We hiked up to the perfect camp site that's about a mile up from the parking lot and had it all to ourselves. In the middle of the night we heard lots of loud howling that sounded just like wolves, does anyone know if that is possible for the Cole mnt. area? If so, then that makes the hike even cooler. we took our time going up to the peak, stopped at Cow Camp Shelter and left a note in the journal, and made lunch at the first overlook. Weather was beautiful and the view from the top was amazing.
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Date of Hike: Sunday, August 17, 2008 |
We chose a very nice day to go up to Cold Mountain and were rewarded with some amazing views. The beginning portion of the hike is fairly standard until you reach the first campsite. We thought the clearing was very pleasant, as did the deer we startled when we got there.
A bit past the campsite the climb begins and the meadows on top are well worth the effort. The views from the top, and the meadows themselves, make this a very unique spot in VA. To see such high open fields was a real treat to someone like me, used to rocky outcroppings and tree covered peaks.
The trip from the meadows down to the parking lot is quick and relatively nice. I believe a somewhat motivated group could easily go from the parking area up to the meadows (follow the directions in reverse) for a picnic without much trouble.
All in all, one of the best spots I've been to in VA.
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| By:
B. Love
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Date of Hike: Saturday, April 26, 2008 |
| Made this the 2nd loop in the figure 8 with Mt. Pleasant. I viewed the saddle meadow from the Mt. Pleasant summit and looked forward to being on it. It was more serene and panoramic then I anticipated. Starting the hike, Mother Nature doused me with an isolated t-storm, but the views are so good even at the beginning of the trail I could see it was safe to continue. The trail itself is well marked, both the blue blaze and the AT, and easy to follow besides. This site was very helpful also in pointing me into the right direction once I came up into the 1st meadows. I anticipated a punishing climb to the meadow summit and saddle after a significant descent. However, the trail winding around the mountain made the ascent much easier. Plenty of vehicles in the parking area, but I never felt crowded on the trail, a lot of camping at the trailhead. The figure 8 with Mt. Pleasant makes this hike very rewarding!
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| By:
Stephen
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Date of Hike: Sunday, April 06, 2008 |
We took the loop yesterday in some moderate fog and light mist, but the scenery was still beautiful! The streams were more active because of the drainage off the mountain, which made the hike more surreal. The directions off this page were fabulous and I highly recommend this hike.
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| By:
Greg
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Date of Hike: Saturday, December 08, 2007 |
| We took our Scout troop on the loop and camped near the spring and shelter. We had 29 people between boys and adults. It was one of the best backpacking trips we have taken for a short hike. We were somewhat disappointed in the spring flow so I would advise having a good filter or take your water. We hiked it in a clockwise direction and it was a wonderful condition trail
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| By:
Amanda B.
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Date of Hike: Friday, November 16, 2007 |
My dad and I hiked this loop early on a Friday morning. We didn't see a soul up there, and it just so happened to be a sunny day during the peak leaf weekend. The views were gorgeous. We really enjoyed the different foliage and trail surface as the loop went along. The entire environment changes from one mile to the next! My dad, who's been hiking for 40ish years, said he'd rarely seen a short loop so beautiful. Thank you very much for running this site -- I use it all the time.
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Date of Hike: Wednesday, November 07, 2007 |
Hauled the RV up to the KOA at Natural Bridge to take in a few hikes in the area, your site made the selection very easy. The Cold Mountain hike was a perfect mixture of good exercise, solitude and panoramic views. We didn't linger on top, the wind chill up there was, how shall I put it, noticeable. Images online at http://www.thegrovesnet.com
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| By:
Khrys
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Date of Hike: Saturday, November 03, 2007 |
| I haven't been on a hike in the VA mountains in about 10 years and this was a good hike. My wife and I set out with a few reservations about possibly getting lost with the directions provided on this site, but it all worked out great! We only had one hic-up along the way. Just after the second rocky viewpoint on the AT towards the end of the hike we lost the trail! we were looking around for a while before we realized that the trail takes an abrupt turn up hill over some rocks. Once that was overcome, it was a great time. I think we are going to go on another hike this coming weekend!
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| By:
Mike P
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Date of Hike: Saturday, November 18, 2006 |
| Did this as a weekend hike and stayed at Cowcamp Gap shelter. Really enjoyed the views on the bald top of Cold Mountain (on my National Forest map it is labeled as Cole Mountain). We also added in Bald Knob (which ironically is tree covered) and found pieces of an old crashed airplane on the side of the AT. All and all it was a fun weekend and I would recommend this hike to anyone interested in a moderate hike with great views.
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| By:
B. Gordon
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Date of Hike: Saturday, June 24, 2006 |
| Thanks to Tony Van Vugt for his latest hiking review of Cold Mtn. It enticed my friend and I to see if it was as beautiful as described, it was!! It certainly was not the hardest hike we have done but with the variety of trees, the well maintained trails, the abundance of Mountain Laurel and ferns, and then to top it off near the end of the hike with the high mountain meadows, it was worth every ounce of gas from Richmond. The only place in Virginia that I have seen that has similar meadows is the Balds of Grayson Highlands/Mount Rogers in Southwest VA and that is over 5 hours drive from Richmond. We went to Cold Mtn with a 60% chance of rain but we were blessed with Sun early in the hike and then mostly cloudy the rest of the hike with no rain. We will be back on this trail on a clear day and we are sure it will be even more beautiful. All directions as descibed on this website were very useful and accurate.
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| By:
Johnny Winnsgay
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Date of Hike: Monday, April 11, 1910 |
| What a wonderful day for a hike! The views were just as good as I remember. While the circuit is great, the lazy can just hike the opposite direction and be on the summit immediately.
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