Gabes Mountain Trail

About the Hike

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Hike Description

*Hike canceled due to leader's car not being drivable.* :-( 900M Contact leader by email for reservation. Limit of 10 hikers. This hike will follow a mostly gentle trail from the Cosby Campground to Maddron Bald trailhead through open old-growth forest. Added attractions are a short, steep side trip to the bottom of Hen Wallow Falls, lunch at a shady, streamside campsite and a visit to the restored Baxter cabin. Four-mile car shuttle. This hike is in the Smokies and all cars require a parking pass. For more information: http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/fees.htm.

Scout Report

I scouted this hike with Donna L. and Danny B on Friday, 9/4. We dropped a car at the trail end which is along a narrow road with very limited parking. We drove 10 minutes to the trailhead at the Cosby Campground, a large parking area with a bathroom. We began hiking at 10:06am on an already too warm and humid day. The first half of the hike is a constant uphill and we were sweating pretty quickly. There are three log bridges early on, then many small creek crossings. The hike is all through very lush woods; no views but lots of colorful fungi. We hiked down to Hen Wallow Falls which had a good stream despite no recent rain. We saw a few other people here but almost no one once past the Falls. Greenbrier Creek has no bridge but was low and easy to cross. It could be a wet crossing if there is considerable rain. We stopped to eat lunch, very late at 2:00pm, at the half-way point by Campground 34 which is closed due to bear activity. Back on the trail, we heard a crack and then watched as a tree up the slope fell down, stopping us in our tracks. We continued only after being sure nothing was falling onto the trail. The second half had more flowers and better tread. The last section on Maddron Bald Trail is a very wide, forest road. We stopped to look at an old stone wall and Baxter Cabin which is under renovation so we couldn't go inside. We got to the trail end at 4:10pm. I tracked the hike at 8.5 miles with 1444 feet ascent and 1759 descent. With the shuttle and a 1:25 drive each way from Asheville, this makes for a very long day. We arrived back at the Food Lion at 6:18pm.