Daniel Ridge Loop Trail (#105)
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Route map for the Daniel Ridge Loop Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app and depicted a la Google Earth...
Route map for the Daniel Ridge Loop Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app...
Daniel Ridge Trailhead -- 2,630'
The large parking area at the Daniel Ridge Trailhead is located along Forest Service Road 475 about 2.5-miles west of the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education (fish hatchery). This is one of the busiest trailheads in the District so expect crowds. Luckily most are just here doing the out and back to Toms Spring (Daniel Ridge) Falls, however, rather than the whole loop...
Daniel Ridge Loop Trail -- 2,630'
Built for Forest Service heavy equipment, not hikers, this large steel bridge over the Davidson River is crossed shortly after setting out...
Overlooking the Davidson from the steel bridge, with campsites visible in the trees beyond...
Daniel Ridge Loop Trail -- 2,630'
The loop portion of the trail begins here, a short distance past the bridge. For the purposes of this album we'll be heading straight-left to do the loop in a clockwise direction. If just here for the waterfall, taking a right is a shorter option as you'll arrive at it in only around 1/3-mile...
Daniel Ridge Loop Trail -- 2,640'
The Daniel Ridge Loop as it heads out in a clockwise direction from the previous intersection...
Daniel Ridge Loop Trail -- 2,640'
For the first while the Loop Trail follows the Davidson River quite closely. There are a number of beautiful little cascades along this stretch of the river...
Daniel Ridge Loop Trail -- 2,660'
This lower section of the trail is an easy walk as the uphill grade is fairly gradual...
Daniel Ridge Loop Trail -- 2,710'
Before long, however, the trail does start to climb a bit. What seemed to be a fairly fresh slide offered this, now-overhead, view of the Davidson River...
Daniel Ridge Loop Trail -- 2,750'
This is about as bad as the loop would get, incline-wise, along its entire route. A couple places were steeper but, as far as mountain trails go, isn't strenuous in the least...
Daniel Ridge Loop Trail -- 2,780'
As you can see this is a fantastic trail to enjoy the fall foliage from...