Middle Prong Wilderness Area,                   Mountains-to-Sea access

Canton
13.4 miles backpacking roundtrip, various day hike options
No. of days: 3

I love cracking a good trip caper.

Six years ago, I was part of a small expedition that tried to go up the gut of the Middle Prong Wilderness Area in mid-winter. We didn’t know much about Middle Prong, thanks in part to the fact none of the backpackers I tried to chat up beforehand knew much about the area, either. At 7,460 acres, it’s on the small side for a wilderness. And it lives in the shadow of its considerably larger (18,483 acres) and popular neighbor to the east, the Shining Rock Wilderness. Shining Rock is at or near the top of most backpackers’ to-do, and do-again lists: It’s got stellar mountaintop meadows, hosts a good portion of the Art Loeb Trail, is home to the famous Cold Mountain and, of course, has Shining Rock, an outcrop of white quartzite that’s good for both scrambling and contemplating. We’d all done Shining Rock numerous times; we were intrigued by its mysterious neighbor.

Our effort to solve that mystery was short-lived. At our first crossing of Middle Prong we came upon a creek running high and cold. In summer, a refreshing crossing. In winter, a fast-moving, frigid hazard; one misstep and we’d be candidates for hypothermia. We retreated next door to Shining Rock, but I vowed to return.

That happened in February, when I made a two-day escape to this wilderness on the western edge of the Pisgah National Forest. My plan was to start on the 6-mile Fork Mountain Trail, take it to Ivestor Gap, then make my way to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and head west into the Middle Prong, where I’d take the the 5-mile Green Mountain Trail down to the car.

Technically, Fork Mountain Trail is in the Shining Rock Wilderness but on its less popular west flank, a flank that faces the Middle Prong Wilderness. I could tell from the map that the trail started on the opposite side of the West Fork of the Pigeon River, but if memory served, there was a wide spot in the river where a rock crossing would be possible.

Memory did not serve.

Despite the fact there was a high fire danger (an illegal campfire the night before had singed 11 acres on Green Mountain), the West Fork was running high. If there was a wide spot, it was under water. I scouted possible crossings for about 15 minutes. The good news was that when I did fall and take a swim, I could be back in the car, with the heater on, and headed home within five minutes.

I decided to simply reverse my trip: Instead of returning on the Green Mountain Trail, which spit out on my side of the river just opposite where I’d parked, I’d start up it. If I took a bath at trip’s end crossing the West Fork, who cared? Trouble was, I couldn’t find the Green Mountain trailhead. I followed one path along the Middle Prong for five minutes until it disappeared in a rhododendron hell. I tried another that went straight up the mountain. That’s not unusual for a Forest Service trail, but this scramble seemed beyond the pale. (Later, I ran into a fellow backpacker who confirmed that I had indeed found the trail: “I started up it once and my dog just looked at me.”)

I pulled out the map and studied it. That’s when it dawned on me to take the back door into the Middle Prong Wilderness: the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

More than six miles of the MST — a trail-in-progress that will one day run nearly 1,000 miles, from Clingman’s Dome on the Tennessee border east to Jockey’s Ridge on the Atlantic — runs through the south end of Middle Prong. And while Middle Prong is a wilderness, the MST is one of the state’s Cadillac trail systems. It’s well maintained, easy to follow. Granted, in a wilderness it must forgo blazes and signs (for the most part), but that’s small concession for this impeccably groomed path. Plus, the MST traces the top of the Blue Ridge; what water there is that high up (between 5,500 and 6,000 feet) would be easy to hop across. And according to the topo, there was surprisingly little elevation gain.

The MST, I discovered, also allowed access to the upper reaches of the Middle Prong trails that are impassable below during winter’s high water: Haywood Gap Trail, squeezing through a steep canyon choked with rhododendron; Buckeye Gap Trail, a mellow hike along an old roadbed before it drops down the mountain; and Green Mountain Trail, which hangs out for a mile or so in ridgeline forest dominated by balsams.

Wilderness areas shouldn’t be the private domain of only the most intrepid swashbuckling types who have no compunction about pushing through where the trail disappears, about fording waist-deep streams, about scrambling through rhododendron hells ever-so-deserving of the name. Wilderness areas shouldn’t be their private playground and they needn’t be.

Provided you know how to get in the back door.

MiddleProng2.map.jpg


For an interactive Google Map version of this map, click Middle Prong Wilderness.

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Trip details

Trailhead: From I-40, take Exit 32 into Canton. From here, staying on NC 215 to the trailhead is unnecessarily difficult, so be alert. After 2 miles, just before entering downtown, veer right. At US 19/23, go left, but not all the way left (watch the signs closely). In less than half a mile, the road tri-forks; take the far right fork to stay on NC 215. Continue on NC 215 until you reach US 276. Go right; NC 215 piggybacks on US 276 until just after it crosses the river. To stay on NC 215, go right at the first intersection after the river. The trailhead is just over 11.5 miles, on the right. There6.7’s trailhead parking about 50 yards farther up the road, on the right. Pick up the Mountains-to-Sea Trail on the west side of the road.
Distance: Backpacking: It’s 6.7 miles on the MST to Haywood Gap. Day hiking: Green Mountain Trail is 5.0 miles, Haywood Gap is 6.0 miles, Buckeye Gap is 3.1 miles.
No. of days recommended: 3.
Loop / out-and-back: Out-and-back.
Difficulty: Moderate.
Campsite locations: 0.1 mi. (N35 18.222 W82 54.567); 0.6 mi. (N35 18.499 W82 54.737), 3.0 mi. (N35 18.558 W82 55.502), at the Green Mountain Trail junction (there are several additional good campsites with the first half mile of the Green Mountain Trail); 4.0 mi. (N35 18.622 W82 56.158). Camping is also possible at Haywood Gap, mile 6.7 (N35 18.837 W82 57.218), though the flatest portion of the gap is occupied by the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Map: “Shining Rock & Middle Prong Wilderness: Pisgah National Forest,” U.S.D.A Forest Service/Southern Region, 50-foot contours, 1:24,000.
Fee? No.
Water (with GPS coordinates): Water is generally available for the first two miles of this trip. From there: mile 2.3 (N35 18.296 W82 55.263), mile 3.3 (N35 18.581 W82 55.625), mile 3.7 (N35 18.589 W82 55.9060), mile 6.0 (small spring, N35 18.839 W82 56.971), and beginning about 300 yards down Haywood Gap from the Middle Prong Wilderness sign.
Trip highlight: The MST takes the high ground through Middle Prong, meaning much of it goes through balsam stands. The upper reaches of Green Mountain Trail flirt with the 6,000-foot mark and provide several particularly scenic campsites. The day-trip descents into the wilderness offer true opportunities to explore.
Special considerations: This is a wilderness, meaning the trails are not blazed or marked. The MST portion, however, is well maintained and easy to follow.
Night hike in? Yes. There’s a nice meadow campsite a quarter mile in. If you plan on camping along the upper reaches of the Green Mountain Trail, however, I wouldn’t try finding it at night: The trail connection off the MST is difficult enough to find in daylight.
Solo? The backpacking portion along the MST is solo-friendly. However, once you start descending into the heart of the wilderness, tricky water crossings and unmarked, unmaintained trails increase your chances of getting lost. It’s always better to be lost with a friend.
Family friendly? Again, the backpacking portion of this trip is not hard. The day-trip descents into the gorge, however, could be taxing for younger hikers.
Bailout options: At the 4.8-mile mark and again at Haywood Gap, at mile 6.8, the trail encounters the Blue Ridge Parkway. Provided the parkway isn’t closed by weather, it makes for an easy return to the trailhead on NC 215.
Seasons: All.
Solitude rating: 3/5. You will have some company on the MST portion of this trip; you’ll have little company on the trails dropping into the wilderness.
Nearest outfitter: Backcountry Outdoors, Brevard, (828) 884-8670.
Hunting allowed? Yes. Consult N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission for local seasons.
More info: USDA Forest Service, Pisgah Ranger District, (828) 257-4200.