Deer Lake Lodge Trail Map

"The Lodge Is Gone, But The Path Remains"

GPS Coordinates: 35.490558, -82.628526 (Ledford Branch Trailhead)

GPS Coordinates: 35.496437, -82.615737 (Rice Pinnacle Trailhead)

Album Direction-Of-Travel: Eastbound

Highlights: Bent Creek Experimental Forest, Wolf Branch

Length (one-way): 1.4 miles

Petzoldt Rating: 1.70

Difficulty: EASY

Total Elevation Gain: 150'

Elevation Gain/Mile: 107'/mile

Min. Elevation: 2,150'

Max. Elevation: 2,270'

Blaze Color: ORANGE

See Following Trip Reports for more info:

Bent Creek - Rice Pinnacle Double Loop

Connecting Trails:

Hardtimes Connector Trail (#661)

Wolf Branch Trail (#666)

Deer Lake Lodge Trail (#664)

Deer Lake Lodge Trail Map
Route map for the Deer Lake Lodge Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app and depicted a la Google Earth...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail Map
Route map for the Deer Lake Lodge Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app...
Ledford Branch Trailhead -- 2,230'
The Ledford Branch Trailhead is the location of the western terminus of the Deer Lake Lodge Trail. It's located along Forest Service Road 479 at Bent Creek...
Ledford Branch Trailhead (Deer Lake Lodge Trail) -- 2,230'
At the lower end of the parking area is a privy and a large kiosk..the Deer Lake Lodge Trail enters the woods to the right...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,230'
Starting out from the west end of the Deer Lake Lodge Trail at the Ledford Branch Trailhead...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,240'
Into the laurel...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,250'
From the Ledford Branch Trailhead the path meanders through the woods on an easy uphill grade...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,260'
This is a wonderfully easy section of trail to walk...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,260'
Some pines start to mix in...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,270'
Walking through a pine cathedral...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,260'
The piney woods didn't last all that long, however...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,250'
A bit over a half-mile from the Ledford Branch Trailhead the trail reaches a T-junction at a power line cut. Luckily a handy arrow (seen in the next shot) keeps hikers headed in the right direction...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,250'
Following the arrow left at the T-junction the trail begins a rather unattractive journey along a power line cut...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,250'
Making a moderate but brief descent...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,200'
...and quickly climbing back up again...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,180'
Shortly before reaching the Wolf Branch Trail the path thankfully turns away from the power lines...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,160'
Emerging at the south end of the Wolf Branch Trail. The Wolf Branch is to the left in this shot while the Deer Lake Lodge Trail makes a hard right...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,160'
Looking back at the sharp turn the Deer Lake Lodge Trail makes at its junction with the Wolf Branch Trail...as seen if arriving via the latter...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,160'
The route becomes completely flat as the trail now nears the former location of Camp Deer Lake...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,170'
Trading dirt for asphalt...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,160'
Passing the green field marking the former site of Camp Deer Lake...
Old Deer Lake Dam -- 2,160'
Just off trail are the remains of the old stone dam which once held back the waters of Wolf Branch, creating the former camp lake...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,150'
Wolf Branch now meanders alongside the trail...
Deer Lake Lodge/Hardtimes Connector Trail Junction -- 2,150'
Passing the junction with the Hardtimes Connector Trail (right), while the Deer Lake Lodge Trail heads across the bridge on the left. There is only 2/10-mile to go from this point to the Rice Pinnacle Trailhead...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,150'
The trail now crosses Wolf Branch via this large footbridge...
Wolf Branch -- 2,150'
The downstream view of Wolf Branch from the bridge...
Wolf Branch -- 2,150'
The upstream view of Wolf Branch from the bridge...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,170'
The trail even sports a few interpretive signs along this short stretch...
Deer Lake Lodge Trail -- 2,180'
The Deer Lake Lodge Trail as it arrives at the Rice Pinnacle Trailhead, its eastern terminus...
Rice Pinnacle Trailhead (Deer Lake Lodge Trail) -- 2,180'
The Rice Pinnacle Trailhead is the location of the eastern terminus of the Deer Lake Lodge Trail, which enters the woods alongside this large kiosk at the parking area.