Shining Rock Wilderness Loop

The Shining Rock Wilderness is one of my favorite backpacking spots in the southeast. This 20+ mile loop contains a bit of everything that the wilderness offers. I have been many times including trips with snow/ice but never in the middle of winter. You are required to have a bear canister to protect your food in this area. You will not be allowed on the trip unless you have one at the carpool. This is for both your and the bear's safety.  https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/nfsnc/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprd3832543

Please be aware that in January the weather will likely be extremely cold and windy, especially on the 6000ft balds.  You should expect snow/ice to be on both the trails and camping areas although you never really know.

While the elevation gains are fairly gentle for the most part, this trip is not for beginners as the mileage makes it a D6 trip based on club guidelines.

With the Blue Ridge Parkway being closed for winter we will see many less people than normal during the trip.

Another thing to be aware of is that I am not a huge fan of camping and most of the time during the event will be spent either on the trail or at scenic spots along the way instead of sitting around in camp. I have no intention on making a fire but if that is your thing it is allowed assuming we make it to the planned camping area outside of the wilderness but finding suitable wood may be difficult. I will likely spend my night watching the sunset / looking at stars even if it is really cold. Additionally I plan to break camp no later than 8:30 AM.

You can view a rough plan for the trip here:
Click for Image of Trip Route
Day 1: 12-14 miles
Day 2: 9-11 miles

We start at the Big East Fork parking lot at 9am Saturday morning and take the Big East Fork trail to the Mountains to the Sea trail. We will take a short detour onto the Blue Ridge Parkway to view the Looking Glass Rock overlook. From there we will head towards Graveyard Fields on the MST and check out both water falls before continuing on to our camping area in the Black Balsam Knob/Sam Knob area.

The second day will start with us crossing over the open bald areas that give great views in all directions as we make our way to the shining rock. After checking out the view from Shining rock we will make our way back to the cars using the Shining Creek Trail.

Google Map Directions