The Art Loeb Trail

The Art Loeb Trail spans 30 miles, trekking through Pisgah National Forest and Shining Rock Wilderness. It is one of the most popular multi-day hiking trails in Western North Carolina and for good reason. 

You’ll pass through lush deciduous forests, beautiful high-elevation spruce and fir groves, and breathtaking vistas of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Mile-high parts of the trail will have you touching the clouds and overlooking an endless sea of rolling mountains. 

If you align your hike with spring blooms, the trail will be lined with pink and white mountain laurel and rhododendron flowers. 

But, you have to work for those views. The trail is rocky and rooty, making each step a practice in mindfulness. Some sections climb nearly 1,000 ft in a mile, regardless of the direction you hike. 

Established in 1969 by the Carolina Mountain Club (CMC), the trail connects the Davidson River Campground in Pisgah Forest to Camp Daniel Boone in Canton, NC. 

ENO Hammock Camping the Art Loeb Trail

There are many ways to enjoy the Art Loeb Trail. From day hiking sections to ultrarunning the whole thing in one day - there’s an option to enjoy the trail for most skill levels. 

The most common approach to seeing the whole trail is spending 3 days, and 2 nights backpacking. Due to the dense woods throughout, hammock camping is not only possible, it’s abundant. 

Hammock camping is lightweight, comfortable, and if done properly can leave a minimal impact on your surroundings. 

When the ENO team hiked the Art Loeb in early spring, they brought an ENO SuperSub Ultralight Hammock, ENO Helios Ultralight Hammock Straps, an ENO ProFly Sil Rain Tarp, and ENO Hammock Insulation. 

These pieces of gear were chosen because of their supreme comfort, light weight, and small pack size. A hammock bug net was omitted due to the seasonality of the hike.

The Art Loeb Trail Full Guide Notes

Want more? ENO teamed up with fellow Asheville business, Adventure Nerds, to produce a 40-page guidebook of hiking the Art Loeb Trail. Adventure Nerds provides inspiration and resources to help make adventuring more accessible to all people.

The guidebook is a comprehensive resource to help you easily plan your next backpacking adventure. It includes information on campsites, water points, side trails, recommended routes, cultural and natural history, weather, regulations, maps, GPS data, full packing lists, and more.

Not to mention, the photos alone will get you excited for the sights you'll see along the way. 

You can purchase the guidebook or learn more, by heading to adventurenerds.com.