The story below is an excerpt from our November/December 2017 issue. For the rest of this story and more like it subscribe today, log in to read our digital edition or download our FREE iOS app. Thank you!
The little North Carolina town is one of the Appalachian Trail’s most-fun walk-through towns. And just beyond: A great viewpoint.
Hot Springs, North Carolina, is one of the few towns the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) passes directly through. My first five times here I was looking at it with the eyes of a thru-hiker. Where could I purchase socks to replace the ones that were getting threadbare? Had the post office received my resupply box? Was there a laundry to get some of the trail dirt off my clothes?
I arrive on my latest visit via automobile, so I’m really in more of traditional visitor mode this time, wondering just what there is to see. A historical walking tour map of downtown, found in the welcome center, sets me off in search to learn more.
I find that the hiker hostel I stayed in, Sunnybank Inn, is one of the town’s oldest structures, dating from 1840. The hardware store where I had purchased some batteries has been owned by the same family since it was constructed in 1942. Another inn, Mountain Magnolia, was built in 1868 by Colonel J.H. Rumbough, proprietor of the Warm Springs Hotel—one of the first places to offer accommodations for those wishing to “take the waters.”
On a side street, I happen upon ArtiSUN Gallery and Marketplace. In addition to selling the creations of regional artists and crafts persons, owner Sunny Riggs offers an eclectic breakfast and lunch menu, along with teas and coffees. Who would have ever thought you could enjoy a cup of Jahmu chai with ginger and fresh grated turmeric in this little, out-of-the-way town in western North Carolina?
Of course, I can’t ignore the lure of the A.T. and one of its more renowned overlooks, Lover’s Leap. The rocky outcrop was named by the Cherokee when Mist-of-the-Mountain jumped from the precipice after her sweetheart, Magwa, had been murdered by Lone Wolf, an envious rival.
Following the A.T.’s white blazes through town, I cross the French Broad River and turn upstream. The pathway’s fairly level terrain provides an opportunity to gaze across gurgling Surprise Falls, enjoy abundant wildflowers, and see a great blue heron majestically swoop down on its six-foot wingspan.
Leaving the river, the A.T. negotiates a series of switchbacks leading to the three rock outcroppings of Lover’s Leap. While all have nice views, the one reached by a short side trail provides the most sweeping and impressive vista. Directly below, the small falls and rapids churn up whitewater as the French Broad wends its way westward. Across the river, Deer Park Mountain provides the backdrop for the small town laid out along the flat valley floor.
I could have opted for a shorter outing by taking the Lover’s Leap Trail to the left to arrive back in town for a walk that would have totaled less than 2 miles. Instead, I continue on the A.T. to rise onto Lover’s Leap Ridge (with nice winter views) for 2 miles before turning left onto Pump Gap Loop Trail. This option soon makes another left to follow rhododendron-lined Silvermine Creek back to town for a total of 5.4 miles.
