Bearwallow Mountain & Eagle Rock
Hiking Bearwallow Mountain | Hiking to Eagle Rock & Shumont Mountain | January 2023
On Monday morning, the sun was shining and we were ready to hit some peaks! We drove Southeast from Asheville on Alt US-74 to an area where Curtis had a few hikes saved that would help towards his 300x300x33 goal (300 300-meter prominence peaks by 2033, when he turns 40). When we got to Gerton, we turned off the highway and took forest roads up to the trailhead for Bearwallow Mountain, which was his priority for today.
We parked in the small pull off area across from the trailhead and set off on the trail. This hike was just over 2 miles and had almost 600 feet of elevation gain. It started with long, gradual switchbacks before heading straight up to the bald summit. The green mountain laurel around the trail played tricks with my mind, making me forget that it was still January, but the cold wind on my bare hands and face helped to remind me.
When we cleared the treeline and started the final stretch to the summit, we were met with great views in either direction, and a strong, biting wind. We pushed through and made it to the summit. We were able to see the neighboring ridges and mountains on either side, but some low-hanging clouds obstructed our view much further, hiding Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountains from us. After taking some pictures, we hid from the wind behind the shelter of one of the structures at the top to rest before beginning our descent.
After making it back to our car, we drove a little further East to go for another hike to Eagle Rock in Chimney Rock State Park. This part of the park is free, though a bit more of a drive off the main highway to reach. We took Alt US-74 to NC-9 until the turn off for Eagle Mountain. Once at the trailhead, we packed some sandwich supplies and snacks and made the short trek up to Eagle Rock. This offered a great view to the North and East, and we sat down here to enjoy the views and some lunch.
We had considered following the ridge trail some more to try to get better views of Lake Lure, but then Curtis realized the nearby peak, Shumont Mountain, was also on his 300 meter prominence list. It wasn’t signed, but it was still in the state park and there was a maintenance road that went up to the top, so we decided to follow that up. Curtis had warned that we likely wouldn’t have a view, but I was okay with it since Eagle Rock had given such great views. The road to the top was steep, so I took it slow while Curtis and Charlotte pushed ahead to the top. When I caught up with them, I was shocked to find that there actually was a view — an opening in the trees facing Southeast, giving views of Bearwallow and other mountains to the South, Lake Lure, and the eventual diminishing of the mountains as they gave way to the Carolina piedmont to the Southeast. The wind and clouds that had plagued us on our first hike had passed, leaving us with a warm spot in the sun and an unobstructed view. What a pleasant surprise after the steep trek up to the summit! Needless to stay we took our time before heading back down.
To wrap up our day, we hiked back to the car and continued our drive North on NC-9 up to I-40 and drove back to Asheville. It was a great day spent on a couple of mountain tops, and while we enjoyed the trail up Bearwallow more, the unexpected view on Shumont Mountain made that one our favorite for today!
