Appalachian Trail: Lovers’ Leap Loop
Posted By auntie on April 11, 2022
1.81 miles; 367 ft. total elevation gain; Hot Springs, NC
I did start out with the best of intentions on this hike, I really did. I meant to do a longer route called the Pump Gap Loop which includes a bigger section of the Appalachian Trail but, well, it was HARD, as in steep and very rocky and climby, and I wasn’t really in the mood for HARD. So I took this much shorter loop instead, the Lovers’ Leap Loop (try saying that 3x fast).
Carolina Spring Beauty (Claytonia caroliniana)
Slender Toothwort (Cardamine angustata)
It was a bit early in the season to get the full panoply of wildflowers, but there were still some to see.
Lovers’ Leap, I presume
Some really fantastic views from up here.
French Broad River
French Broad River
This is the same French Broad River that flows through Asheville. The AT, which I picked up about halfway through, leads VERY steeply down to right along the bank, as you can see from the two photos above. I can quite honestly say I was glad I didn’t have to do it in the uphill direction!
You can find out more about the Lovers’ Leap Trail (and the Pump Gap Loop) from this Madison County website. As always, click the image above for details about this hike and to download the gps track.
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