Lake Powhatan Loop
Posted By auntie on November 2, 2020
4.7 miles; 383 feet total ascent; Asheville, NC
This was a route I basically created using the “make route” function in gaia.gps. The app allows you to draw a route, it snaps to existing trails and roads, so you get a pretty good estimation of the mileage and ascent. The mileage wasn’t entirely accurate, but it did create a route that I could upload to my phone and follow. I like this feature. Anyways, this was an awesome hike, and just what I wanted… shorter but still in the woods. Loved it.
Lake Powhatan
This hike started from the Hard Times Trail Head in Pisgah, which is where a lot of hikes start. There’s a large complex of trails accessible from here. This one I created circumnavigated Lake Powhatan, which is also the site of a large campground. It’s a pretty small lake, as lakes go, but it was nice. Had a fishing pier (that’s the structure you see) and a beach.
Bridge Across Bent Creek
This route crosses and re-crosses Bent Creek, and I was a little apprehensive considering my experience of water crossings here in NC. This hike was a very pleasant surprise in that respect, with lots of nicely constructed bridges. There was one final crossing just before I got back to my car that stressed me out a little, but I got across with not even one wet sock, so that was a win.
Lake Powhatan, again
Again, this was an awesome walk in the woods, with only a very small little bit of road walking where it skirts the edge of the campground. And I hardly noticed the hills, which were minimal. Only caveat is there were lots of mountain bikers, as usual for this area. You gotta keep your ears open, particularly on the narrower stretches of trail. But everyone was nice. Really highly recommend this route.
You can find out more about the trails around Lake Powhatan from this Forest Service website. As always, click the image above for details about this hike and to download the gps track.
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