Table Rock Gap Trail (MST) -- 3,400'

Linville Gorge is always a favorite place visit, and one I don't get out to nearly as often as I should. It had been nearly seven years (thanks to my northern hiatus) since I had set foot on one of its trails and I wanted to make my return a special one. My planned route would take me up over the summit of Table Rock Mountain (one of the highest points along the rim of the gorge) down to the bottom and back out in a 7.5 mile loop. Utilizing some of the least used as well as most used trails in the gorge the hike would offer a little bit of everything that this wilderness has to offer. The hike would be a rugged one with an elevation gain over the entire route approaching 2,000-feet. Knowing it would be a classic, I headed out early to enjoy one of the last great days of fall...

A quick addendum...the Spence Ridge Bridge pictured in this album didn't even last a year after I took this hike. Floods in 2013 completely destroyed it and, as of the present, it has not been rebuilt nor, to my knowledge, are there any plans to do so. Please take this into consideration if you are hiking in this area of the gorge!!!

Trailhead GPS Coordinates: 35.903519, -81.878968

Route Type: Loop + spur Difficulty: VERY HARD (Petzoldt Rating: 11.70 ) Hike Length: 7.5 miles Hike Duration: 3:45 Trailhead Temp: 35'F Trail Traffic: 10-25 people Min. Elevation: 2,000' Max. Elevation: 4,100' Total Vertical Gain: 2,100' Avg. Elevation Gain / Mile: 280'

Trails Used (blaze color): Little Table Rock (unblazed), Spence Ridge (unblazed), Table Rock Gap (unblazed), Table Rock Mountain (unblazed)

11-5-2012

Linville Gorge - Table Rock Mountain Loop (7.5 miles; d=11.70)

Table Rock Mountain Loop Hike Route Map
The previous day to the hike, my work station was across the gorge at Wiseman's View, seen here. From the overlook I planned my route for the following morning. Starting at the Spence Ridge Trailhead, I'd ascend Table Rock Mountain via the Table Rock Gap Trail and then descend to the gorge via the Little Table Rock and Spence Ridge Trails. I'd then climb out along the Spence Ridge Trail...
Table Rock Mountain Loop Hike Route Map
The approximate track of my hike around the Table Rock Mountain Loop, at Linville Gorge, with a side trip to the former Spence Ridge Bridge...
Spence Ridge Trailhead -- 2,880'
The hike would start and end here, along FR 210. The Table Rock Gap Trail heads left out of the frame while my return route, the Spence Ridge Trail, emerges from the trees directly ahead...
Spence Ridge Trailhead -- 2,880'
Looking down the Spence Ridge Trail, which I'd be returning on. The Table Rock Gap Trail runs just along the edge of the wilderness, which I wouldn't enter until I was near the top of Table Rock...
Table Rock Gap Trail (MST) -- 2,920'
Heading up the Table Rock Gap Trail. From the trailhead it was pretty much a constant climb...
Table Rock Gap Trail (MST) -- 2,900'
The Table Rock Gap Trail isn't that well marked so a map is a must, as it is anywhere in the gorge. About a half mile in you break out into this campsite with trails to the left, straight ahead, and an old logging road to the right. The Mountains-to-Sea Trail/Table Rock Gap Trail continue straight ahead and the road goes, well, nowhere...
Table Rock Gap Trail (MST) -- 3,000'
The higher I climbed on Table Rock, the rockier it got...
Table Rock Gap Trail (MST) -- 3,200'
One of the rougher sections of the Table Rock Gap Trail...
Table Rock Gap Trail (MST) -- 3,400'
After gaining about 500' of elevation the trail started to circle beneath the summit of Table Rock and offered some limited views through the trees of neighboring Hawksbill Mountain (4,020')...
Table Rock Gap Trail (MST) -- 3,480'
As the trail circled beneath Table Rock's summit cliffs I lost the sun and it got rather chilly...
Table Rock Gap Trail (MST) -- 3,550'
More views through the trees along the Table Rock Gap Trail, this time across the gorge in the general direction of Wiseman's View...the summit is Laurel Knob (4,040')...
Table Rock Summit Trail -- 3,620'
Now on the Table Rock Summit Trail, the trail utilizes several switchbacks to ascend the steep slopes...