OverviewThis mountain is the county highpoint of Madison county NC and one of the few county highpoints in the North Carolina mountains on private property. Like most balds in the Southern Appalachians, the views from the summit are outstanding. Looking the west, the eastern end of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) can be seen;Mt Sterling, Big Cataloochee, Mt Guyot ,and down the ridge to Mt Cammerer. Past the Smokies one can trace the path of the AT along Snowbird Mt, Max Patch, Tennessee Bluff and beyond. This is a great hike to a view not very well known to area hikers. Highpointers and local Appalachian trail clubs are the most frequent visitors.
Route East of the Bald,the routes from Surritt Cove and Boyd Cove Roads are each about 6-8 miles roundtrip and involve over 2000 foot elevation gain. These routes follow old logging skids, have many turns, and a map/compass or GPS is recommended. The USGS 7.5 minute quads are Fines Creek and Sandymush.
The TH for Surritt Cove begins at gate 0.5 miles from the end of pavement at intersection of Surritt Cove and Randell Cove Rds (see photo below). There are multiple logging skids and depending on the route taken this may end up a partial bushwhack My experience in December was the skids became increasingly grown over on the climb up. I counted a total of 11 logging road intersections on my ascent Our logging road ended and the last 1/4 was an easy bushwhack up to the ridgeline NE of the summit. On the summit ridge is a primitive road and a fence line Other routes out of Surritt Cove eventually attain the ridgeline SW of the summit at Buckeye Gap. (see topo)
The route from Boyd Cove Road begins at the Long Branch Environmental Education Center (LBEEC). From the TH the route climbs to Chestnut Gap and traverse the ridge SW to Little Sandymush and Sandymush.
Access via Bald Cove is uncertain at this time. (See route TR.)
Getting thereFollow various roads west off NC 63 and travel past the community of Sandymush to the trailhead. This is NW of Asheville NC. The tract of land that both of these routes traverse is owned by the LBEEC. The director is Paul Gallimore who can be contacted at the center for permission to hike. The drive from NC 63 to the trailhead is confusing and directions can be obtained from Paul (828-683-3662). The Center acreage is roughly approximated on the south by Randell Cove Rd, on the east by Boyd Cove Rd, and the ridgeline that is the boundary of Haywood, Buncombe and Madison counties. This ridgeline includes Sandymush and Little Sandymush Balds. This tract is the watershed of Bald Creek (see topo)
Red Tape The recommended contact is listed above. I would avoid hiking during hunting season. Paul Gallimore would appreciate a report on your trip; including signs of wildlife and 4 wheelers. He would also like you to visit the center on Boyd Cove Rd. Below are some pictures from the center.
When To ClimbAnytime except summer will have less undergrowth. Because of the elevation, summer heat shouldn't be too intense.
CampingEvidence of a campsite is seen on route up and the summit. I'm sure Paul would allow camping on Center land, with permission. Although the lower route follows a creek, I am unaware of any water sources on summit ridge.
Mountain ConditionsSnow levels can be aproximated by snow fall amounts in the GSMNP
(865-436-1299 ext 630) and Mt Mitchell State Park (828-675-4611). Or call Paul at the center. Winter in the SE can be unpredictable. One may be hiking in shorts and a t-shirt in January or a foot+ of snow in March.
Miscellaneous InfoOther mountain counties in NC with privately owned summits are: Allegheny (Catherine Knob), Ashe (The Peak), Watauga/Caldwell (Calloway Peak AKA Grandfather Mt), Buncombe (Potato Knob), Polk (Tryon Peak), and Cleveland (Benn Knob).
The only privately owned highpoint in the Tennessee mountains is Johnson county (Snake)
Some of the pics aren't great but when all you have is a disposable camera with 400 speed film; well , you make do.
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