South Mountains State Park - Jacob Branch & Sawtooth - North Carolina | 3-day Backpacking Report
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- This is the full length trip report with natural sounds and on-trail commentary from a 3-day backpacking adventure that I took to South Mountains State Park in North Carolina. In December 2019 I did a loop that included High Shoals Falls, Sawtooth Overlook, Chestnut Knob and Jacob Fork River Gorge Overlook. I only covered around 13 miles in SoMo SP, it was as much of a camping trip as a hiking trip. My campsites were at Jacob Branch and Sawtooth.
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I strive to improve with every video, let me know what you like to see and what you don't like to see!
Great video. Been wanting to backpack at SoMo and knowing nothing much about the place, I used your video and route as a guide. I went just after peak fall colors so I got the views and the colorful leaves. Such a beautiful place.
Good stuff Tony, thanks for sharing! Glad you got to experience SoMo during that beautiful time of year
Thanks man!
Another great video man - I'm headed there this weekend!
You're gettin out more often than I am Drew, good stuff! Enjoy SoMo this weekend
@@LayneComfort man I'm just happy to have finally found a hobby that I love AND gets me in shape. I'm really appreciating your videos along the way. In fact, a buddy of mine are planning to do the Art Loeb trail early summer 2022 and got some good inspiration from your video there too.
It is a great hobby with a ton of benefits. I’m glad my videos have been helpful. Happy Trails this weekend and on the Art Loeb
Hey Layne. Great video. I like the way you show us the trails,the views and the campsites. I also like the way you show the days hike on the maps. Keep up the great work.
Hey Randy, thank you! I'm glad that you like those aspects and appreciate you sharing with me
Great video, this place is on my list for sure.
Thanks Tim. South Mountains SP is definitely worth checking out
Nice job. I gotta remember that place when things cool off in the fall. It's just a 1.5 hour drive from CLT
Yes sir, one of the best parts about SoMo is how accessible it is for a lot of the state
I live roughly 30 minutes from SoMo SP! What a great place with so much to offer. Can you belive they used to deliver cut firewood to the backcountry sites?!! The Sawtooth sites are one of my favorites. I have 2 videos on my channel from camping trips there with my dog. Great job on your video and looks like you had a wonderful trip! :)
Lucky fella getting to live that close! Wow, firewood delivered, it was basically a luxury resort in the SoMo backcountry. I’ll have to check your videos out before my next trip down to figure out what other areas to explore
I've hiked these trails way before they built all those bridges and steps. That was long ago back in the 70's.
Very cool Reid! I figure the forest looked different in the 70s, much younger?
I, too, hiked there before it became "accessible". I believe the boardwalks were built in '89 or '90 not long after I started going. I preferred being able to rock hop, as it were....
I appreciate your vide mate, lovely work documenting this trip. I was just there for the first time this past weekend. Loved it!
Thank you my brother! Glad you loved your first visit, hope you get to make it back soon
Pardon the intrusion, but a few more comments on the SM State Park. Historically, the South Mountains have served as a important drinking water source for the area. One area, the Clear Creek area, and the associated Broughton Reservoir which lies west of the area you visited is also a beautiful area and part of the SM State Park. Where Clear Creek enters the impoundment, there are remains of an old sand filtration system that was used at one time. When water borne organisms became a health issue, such a giardia and crypto (ref: the Milwaukee outbreak in the past) sand filtration was abandoned and the water was chlorinated to address those issues, but later cities in the area along the Catawba began using water from said stream in their water treatment plants. Yet, the concrete works reminds us of the era when those sand filtration systems were widely used. The Broughton Reservoir provided water to Broughton Hospital for many years. Also, when standing on the damn and looking to the right, Buzzards Roost, the highest peak in the SM Range can be seen. A little difficult to get there, but offers some good views of the Catawba Valley.
Thanks for the info on the South Mountains here Jerry! Not an intrusion at all. I saw that western area on the map and wondered why the 2 sections of the park weren’t connected by trail. Buzzards Roost sounds like a neat visit!
@@LayneComfort The parking area is off Brandstrom Orchard Road. That area closes at sunset and there are not campsites available yet. There are some trails which can consume several hours to walk, a beautiful area for a day trip.
Noted! Maybe SoMo should’ve spent some of that fancy new park office money on trails and campsites instead . . .
Good coverage. Keep up the good work. Another place to consider for one of your adventures is the Upper Creek Section. The AT runs from 181N via Greentown Trail to Chestnut Mtn. and then to Harper Creek Area. Some of the trails are parts of old logging roads from logging operations in the early 1900's. Upper Creek was well settled at one time. Burke County's oldest mineral spring was located in the lower section of the gorge and was the first "watering hole" in the county being built around 1858. A man that was murdered on one of the old trails is buried at the base of the Chestnut Mtn. fire tower. The tower was demolished, but the base of the tower is still there. Good campsites in the area, plenty of places to replenish water supplies and some nice water falls.
Appreciate the suggestion here AJ! That is definitely an area I'd like to check out in the future. Next month's video is from Lost Cove but I haven't been to the Upper Creek or Harper Creek sections yet.
Awesome bits of history there! Thanks for sharing all that, really enjoyed it. I always find it interesting when hiking through an area that is now wilderness but was once well settled. Gets me thinking about how they used to live back in those days.
@@LayneComfort Thanks for the comment. It is so refreshing to see the excellent coverage of your treks. If you would like a pdf booklet I did back in 1982 about some of the history of an area on Upper Creek, PM me on Face Book (jerry miller) and I will send you a copy. The booklet is about Piedmont Springs Hotel. I have started revision of the booklet with updates, but have not completed those yet. A former governor of NC dated his to-be wife at the hotel and proposed to her there. Also, there is an old trail, still there, but not marked, on which a family argument turned into a murder. The person killed is the one buried at the base of the old fire tower on Chestnut Mountain. The lands there were acquired by the USFS using the Weeks Act for acquisition of the land for incorporation into the Pisgah National Forest. As Roy Rogers and Dale Evans sang, "happy trails to you"!
That sounds good! I am on my way out to the Smokies for a couple days and will look you up when I get back into town. Happy trails!
Awesome videos! Thanks for the content, just subbed 👍
Glad you enjoy, thanks for the support!
How were the stars on night two in the meadow?
The stars can be visible on a clear night but there is light pollution with SoMo being just over an hour outside Charlotte
do you have to check in with the visitors center to leave your car parked overnight?
Yes you do, check in and register the license plate
Layne- what degree topquilt and underquilt did you use/need this time of year?
Hey Barragin! I used a 20 degree top and 20 degree underquilt on this trip in December. 20 degrees are my go-tos in the NC winter.
How long is the trail at South in miles???? And what are the water sources like and camping along the trail????
There is close to 50 miles of trail in South Mountains State Park. I covered ~13 on this trip. Camping is good and water sources are fairly common - I recommend checking out SoMo's NCParks.gov website for camping location specifics
@@LayneComfort I will certainly check that out, we are currently planning a 3-day 2-night backpacking trip in mid-april we just haven't decided where to go in this looks like a place and the best part is it's only like an hour and 30 minutes from my house..
South Mountains will be beautiful in April! That’s awesome you live so close. Enjoy
I love this park, but the stairs and some of the uphills are killer.
No doubt about that! High Shoals Falls is a climb up to the top
Two questions: How well marked are the trails? How was the cell phone coverage? Ok, third question. Any idea how much elevation gain? Thank you. PS. Great Video
Thanks John! The trails are very well marked - easy to follow and big signs at every intersection. I keep my phone in airplane mode to extend the battery so can't comment on coverage. Elevation gains (approximate) - Day 1: 1300 feet Day 2: 1300 feet Day 3: 600 feet
Cell coverage is pretty non-existent there. Once you get up above the falls, you can pick up a little signal though.
Thanks for sharing that info Alex!