Look Who it Was Random video

Snowball Trail - Pisgah National Forest, NC

1,557 views · Published 1 July 2017 · 12:56 · Indexed 11 October 2026

Channel: Zachary Robbins · 2017 · Travel & Events

Watch on YouTube

My second hike of the day after peakbagging in the Black Mountains. This hike was a short drive west on the Blue Ridge Parkway so I could bag another lookout tower site - Little Snowball Mountain-Northeast Peak. I started at the Beetree Gap-MST crossing in the vicinity of Craggy Gardens, and took the Snowball Trail into Pisgah National Forest. Initially the trail climbs the forested Snowball Mountain, then drops onto a narrow ridge full of mountain laurel and rhododendron. The main destination for most is Hawkbill Rock (4,960+ ft), a series of outcrops with good views of the Great Craggy Mountains. Beyond Hawkbill Rock there were no views, but I was pleasantly surprised by the impressive number of old-growth hardwood trees along the trail. There were some monsters on this half-mile stretch. After Snowball Gap the trail skirts Little Snowball Mountain then follows the ridge to the lookout tower site on the northeast minor summit. This ridge boasted an even better collection of mountain laurel, it was a tunnel of flowers. The lookout tower was completely dismantled and removed from the northeast peak (4,740 ft), all that remains are the concrete footings. There are no views, I only did this for the lookout tower challenge. On the drive down I stopped at the Big Ivy Historical Campus to see the rebuilt lookout tower, a challenge requirement. While this hike isn't packed with views, it is one of the better tree and flower hikes I've been on. 

Hike was 7.1 miles in 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Hike location
https://goo.gl/maps/52oQ5YjHS3jqaEmn8

Hike report
https://www.hikingupward.com/PNF/SnowballTrail/

More from this channel