Hiking: The Green Knob
The green knob trail is located 2 hours from South End in the South Toe River area on the Appalachian Ranger District, and is about 30 minutes from Mount Mitchell (the highest peak East of the Mississippi). Starting on State Highway 80, the drive up (and I do mean up as you begin climbing into the Black Mountain range) has many tight twisting turns. This highway is also the main access for the several little towns / communities along its path. That means you will have locals driving a lot faster than you are comfortable with (at least that was my experience haha). When you get somewhere around 1-2 miles out from the trail head the paved road also suddenly turns to dirt. At this transition you will find some major potholes, so don’t get caught looking at the creak on your right if you want to keep your front bumper.
The trial itself is a 5.5mile out and back with 2,438ft of elevation gain. The uphill climb starts immediately and is unfortunately a warning for the next 5.5/2 miles. You will find the trail takes you along the outline of 3 hills (so don’t get too excited when you start descending for the first time), and each one gets a little steeper. If you have trekking poles, they might make your life easier, and I 100% don’t recommend doing this hike in jeans (speaking from experience on that one).
I found the trail to be quite unique. For the majority of the hike you are walking along a path that feels like your own private grove within the blue mountains. The twisting branches and foliage on either side create your own green tunnel, and every now and then you peak through and see the wonders beyond (although not really often enough for my liking). On my hike there was a spectacular plant with almost a blood red leaf that lined the floor of the path. It created a slightly creepy, mysterious, and mystical vibe that made it easy to create your own fantasy world to distract you from your jello legs. This description is about 96% of the trail in my opinion and you really don’t reap the rewards of your effort until you are basically at the summit.
Pretty crazy right!
All in all, I think this is a great trail for the workout and for the training, but I have to admit I wish there were more scenic outlooks along the trail to really make it worth it. I also say this because if you drove this far, just go along the blue ridge parkway and the views will be the same if not better (and your car does all the work)! The area itself is absolutely stunning however, and I’ll definitely be back!
Below are some useful resources if you also want to go on this hike!
🌦Weather (Summit) - Not exactly, but more likely than at the base.
🧗♂️My AllTrails Profile - Going to start using this to track my hikes (haven’t done the last few so it’s a little empty rn)