Western North Carolina is a paradise for hiking, camping, and soaking in the views. We love the region and love to hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Sadly, Hurricane Helene ravaged the area in the Fall of 2024. Since then, our visits to the area have been about helping with the recovery effort. As of the date of this post, there is still much work to do. However, the area is resilient and open for business.
On our last trip to the mountains, before Hurricane Helene, we visited Max Patch and Lake Powhatan. I waited to post about these special places until now because I wasn’t sure if Max Patch was accessible – it is! Enjoy the views!
Max Patch Loop Trail
Late in the summer of 2024, we entered the Pisgah National Forest to take on the long drive to Max Patch. We longed for the breathtaking scenery. The drive up the mountain was long and winding. The parking lot was small and almost full. We immediately felt like the drive was worth it.
The summit hike was only 1.5 miles. Short in length but gigantic in views.
We were lucky enough to enjoy the clear views while experiencing the fog rolling in. We enjoyed the field of wildflowers before visibility decreased.
The entire mountain took on a completely different mood as the layers of clouds and fog took over.
As we made our way through the fog back to the truck, we noticed bright red mushrooms. The trip down the mountain was just as long. Even so, we were glad to have experienced the brief hike. We would go back again – it was worth it.
Lake Powhatan Loop Trail
After leaving Max Patch, we made our way back to camp. We stayed at Lake Powhatan Campground in Asheville. We found the campground to be very conveniently located to the North Carolina Arboretum and downtown Asheville.
The next day, we only had time for a short hike. We decided to check out the lake loop trail. We hiked the loop trail from the campground along the creek to the lake.
We enjoyed how the trees formed an arch over the trail.
We followed along the creek until the lake became visible.
The trail was easy and short – only 1.5 miles. It ended at a small overlook with a view of the waterfall. We noticed mushrooms on this trail also!
Camping near Brevard, NC
After visiting Asheville, we wanted to spend some time in another favorite mountain town – Brevard. We stayed at Pisgah Forest RV Park. It was our first time staying at the park and we loved it. The owners were friendly and working hard to add many amenities to the park. We plan to stay again soon.
We always love visiting Western North Carolina (see our post: March in the Blue Ridge Mountains).