Pilot Cove Loop Trail (#320A)
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Route map of the Pilot Cove Loop Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app and depicted a la Google Earth...
Route map of the Pilot Cove Loop Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app...
Pilot Cove Loop/Pilot Cove-Slate Rock Trail Upper Junction -- 3,820'
The upper terminus of the Pilot Cove Loop Trail (left) as seen arriving from the north on the Pilot Cove-Slate Rock Trail...
Pilot Cove Loop/Pilot Cove-Slate Rock Trail Upper Junction -- 3,820'
The the Pilot Cove Loop Trail as seen departing its north terminus at the Pilot Cove-Slate Rock Trail...
Pilot Cove Loop Trail -- 3,880'
The trail starts out by immediately making a moderate, but short-lived, climb...
Pilot Cove Loop Trail -- 3,930'
Atop the ridge mountain laurels take over for rhododendron, with small patches of waxy-green galax beneath...
Pilot Cove Loop Trail -- 3,970'
Where the laurel is more dense, nothing but moss can grow beneath...
Pilot Cove Loop Trail -- 3,950'
Things now flatten out a bit as the trail travels the crest of the ridge...
Pilot Cove Loop Trail -- 3,900'
Continuing on through the laurel...
Pilot Cove Loop Trail -- 3,870'
More galax, laurel, and moss...
Pilot Cove Loop Trail -- 3,820'
No doubt this is a spectacular stretch of trail when the white and pink laurel blooms arrive in spring...
Pilot Cove Loop Trail -- 3,800'
The trail starts to descend slightly as it approaches the gap just to the north of Slate Rock...
Pilot Cove Loop Trail -- 3,750'
If you look close through the leaves of the laurel on the right you'll see Slate Rock...
Pilot Cove Loop Trail -- 3,720'
The trail now drops to a shallow gap, just to the north of Slate Rock, via a quick series of switchbacks...
Pilot Cove Loop Trail -- 3,700'
Entering the laurel-choked gap just north of Slate Rock...
Pilot Cove Loop Trail -- 3,720'
A visible opening at the end of the tunnel...this is the trail as it arrives at Slate Rock from the north...
Pilot Cove Loop Trail @ Slate Rock -- 3,740'
Suddenly the trail bursts forth from the laurel onto the open ledges of Slate Rock where, almost impossibly it seems, large pine grow straight from the granite surface...
Stepping out onto the north side of Slate Rock another familiar landmark greets you from across the valley...Pilot Rock...
A panoramic view from Slate Rock looking across the adjacent valley in the direction of Pilot Rock. The ridge the trail traveled to arrive here is on the right...
The tenacity of life always amazes me on these open ledges...
A panorama from Slate Rock looking across towards Pilot Rock...
Another look across to Pilot Rock...
Wandering over to see the views from the more west-facing side of Slate Rock...
Funneltop Mountain (4,265') rises across the valley to the southwest...
