Greasy Cove Trail Map

Route map of the Greasy Cove Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app and depicted a la Google Earth...

Greasy Cove Trail Map

Route map of the Greasy Cove Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app...

Greasy Cove/Graveyard Ridge Trail Junction -- 5,650'

The upper terminus of the Greasy Cove Trail is here, at its junction with the Graveyard Ridge Trail about 1/4-mile east of Ivestor Gap. This is the edge of the Shining Rock Wilderness so the sign at the trailhead will be the only trail marking of any kind seen from here on out...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,650'

The Greasy Cove Trail as it departs from its junction with the Graveyard Ridge Trail...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,660'

It will be immediately apparent you're now on a trail which sees very little traffic...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,670'

These couple of early openings are the only places on the entire trail with any kind of a view, so enjoy them while you can...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,670'

The trail as it curves past the viewpoint in the previous shot...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,680'

This is more typical of the scenery along the ridge...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,690'

Cutting a narrow path through the laurels...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,700'

Directly east of Grassy Cove Top the trail crosses a broad, shallow gap in the ridge. The combination of the width of the ridge and the tall brush covering it mean there are no views to be had, unfortunately, despite the relative openness of the spot...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,680'

There is something quite appealing about these long narrow tunnels through the laurel...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,660'

The first major drop, heading east along the ridge, begins here...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,600'

A gap in the trees reveals Chestnut Ridge across the valley to the northeast, while Mount Pisgah (5,721') cuts a hazy profile on the distant right...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,550'

Like most paths in the district, the Greasy Cove Trail existed in a former life as a logging route...as evidenced by an occasional rusted cable protruding from the ground...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,500'

Trust me, it's steeper than it looks...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,450'

Down is definitely a better direction of travel than up on this section of trail...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,400'

On the steeper portions of the hillside the trail, thankfully, makes a few sweeping switchbacks to aid the descent...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,320'

Curving through the tall grass, the downhill grade regains a bit of sanity...for now...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,300'

Loosing the green for a bit under the shade of a large rhododendron grove...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,280'

Again, there isn't much to see up here but, regardless, there is still something quite beautiful about these surroundings...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,250'

The extensive stretches of thick, tall grass along this ridge is quite fascinating...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,220'

Crossing another broad, shallow gap in the ridge...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,230'

Despite their location atop this high ridge, there are still a few impressively large trees to be found along the trail...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,240'

Just before making its final drop to Greasy Cove Gap, the trail climbs ever so slightly over a broad knob atop the ridge...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,260'

The trail as it begins its drop down to Greasy Cove Gap...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,220'

The moderately steep route down to Greasy Cove Gap passes through a beautiful open woodland carpeted by thick grasses and ferns...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,150'

At Greasy Cove Gap the trail makes a hard southern turn to head down the steep fern-covered hillside...the beginning of the steep drop to the valley floor...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,100'

Looking back up the fern-covered slope towards Greasy Cove Gap...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 5,050'

The trail is now losing elevation at an impressive clip...in the roughly one mile between Greasy Cove Gap and Greasy Cove Prong it drops almost 1,000 vertical feet...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 4,980'

Before long the trail emerges alongside a steep-sided drainage, at the upper end of a tiny unnamed tributary of Greasy Cove Prong...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 4,900'

The incredible fern tour continues...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 4,800'

Passing a particularly huge and gnarled old maple(?)...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 4,700'

The steepness of the ridge behind you at this point is such that, even at midday, the sun doesn't reach the forest floor...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 4,600'

As if the crazy steep grade wasn't enough the trail is littered with large, loose stones...any one an ankle-killer if you're not careful...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 4,500'

The unrelenting grade never lets up...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 4,400'

The trail is now following along Greasy Cove Prong though, aside from the sound of running water far below, you'd never know it as the stream remains hidden from sight far down the slope...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 4,320'

Down, down, down...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 4,280'

Greasy Cove Prong finally makes an appearance below...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 4,240'

The trail as it makes its steep, quasi-scramble down to the crossing of Greasy Cove Prong...

Greasy Cove Trail @ Greasy Cove Prong -- 4,200'

Arrival at the crossing of Greasy Cove Prong means that the majority of the crazy steep downhill trek is complete...if headed the opposite direction, it's just getting started...

Greasy Cove Prong -- 4,200'

This pretty little cascade lies directly upstream from the crossing...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 4,220'

After the crossing the downhill walk continues, now with Greasy Cove Prong as a close companion...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 4,180'

The grade remains fairly steep...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 4,100'

There are a number of large cascades to be heard and glimpsed below the trail on this stretch...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 4,020'

Moss-covered remnants of an old corduroy road are cool to see but very, very slick to cross...

Greasy Cove Trail -- 3,990'

Suddenly flat ground appears ahead...the steep drop from the ridge is complete...

Greasy Cove Trail @ East Fork Pigeon River -- 3,960'

Now you'll have to determine the best way across the boulder-strewn channel of the East Fork...