Weather: 73ยบ, sunny
About this Hike: Many hiking blogs and websites warn that the Cabin Loop Trail is not easy to follow in spots. That may be true, but you have to actually be on one of the trails first...
We followed Rim Road (FR 300) to Battle of Big Dry Wash Monument and parked there. The plan was to follow Fred Haught Trail as an out-and-back for so long as we had daylight.
The General Springs Cabin is in the meadow area immediately north of the battle monument. Of all the cabins on the nearly 20-mile loop, I'd say it's the easiest to get to. After admiring the restored old cabin, we continued following the rough dirt road north. The directions did say Fred Haught Trail follows an old road for a while....
We stopped to admire all the pipelines and pumping infrastructure coming out of Blue Ridge Reservoir—after all, the plan was to kayak the lake tomorrow. At one point I noted a trail marker on a tree and we began to follow it. Right into a dead end in the woods.
Confused, we returned to the meadow. Behind the General Springs Cabin I noted a trailhead. We were wrong the whole time. Fred Haught Trail did not follow the forest service road, as I had originally believed. The trailhead did have a warning posted about a washout some seven miles north or so. With daylight running low, we hiked just a short jaunt on Fred Haught, me kicking myself for the wrong turn and wishing we had more time to explore this beautiful trail.
The final bust was when we returned to the parking area and I insisted we cross the street and at least check out the Old Railroad Tunnel Trail. My hiking partner was not happy. I got close to the tunnel, but we were now in a time crunch and the trail was too treacherous.
We were off Rim Road before dark and back to Pine just before THAT Brewing Company closed it's takeout window at 7 PM.
While a bust of a hike, it's another excuse to escape the summer heat and come up to Rim Country to do it right next time.
About this Hike: Many hiking blogs and websites warn that the Cabin Loop Trail is not easy to follow in spots. That may be true, but you have to actually be on one of the trails first...
We followed Rim Road (FR 300) to Battle of Big Dry Wash Monument and parked there. The plan was to follow Fred Haught Trail as an out-and-back for so long as we had daylight.
The General Springs Cabin is in the meadow area immediately north of the battle monument. Of all the cabins on the nearly 20-mile loop, I'd say it's the easiest to get to. After admiring the restored old cabin, we continued following the rough dirt road north. The directions did say Fred Haught Trail follows an old road for a while....
We stopped to admire all the pipelines and pumping infrastructure coming out of Blue Ridge Reservoir—after all, the plan was to kayak the lake tomorrow. At one point I noted a trail marker on a tree and we began to follow it. Right into a dead end in the woods.
Confused, we returned to the meadow. Behind the General Springs Cabin I noted a trailhead. We were wrong the whole time. Fred Haught Trail did not follow the forest service road, as I had originally believed. The trailhead did have a warning posted about a washout some seven miles north or so. With daylight running low, we hiked just a short jaunt on Fred Haught, me kicking myself for the wrong turn and wishing we had more time to explore this beautiful trail.
The final bust was when we returned to the parking area and I insisted we cross the street and at least check out the Old Railroad Tunnel Trail. My hiking partner was not happy. I got close to the tunnel, but we were now in a time crunch and the trail was too treacherous.
We were off Rim Road before dark and back to Pine just before THAT Brewing Company closed it's takeout window at 7 PM.
While a bust of a hike, it's another excuse to escape the summer heat and come up to Rim Country to do it right next time.
