Starting at Black Balsam Road and going generally north, this is one of the most popular stretches of the Art Loeb trail as it crosses over the 6,200' summit of Black Balsam Knob. It then winds along the grassy summit of the ridge, including the summit of Tennent Mountain, before descending thru Ivestor Gap. The trail follows Shining Rock Ledge past Shining Rock itself - the quartzite rock outcrop which gave this wilderness area its name. It continues along the ledge at or above 5000' in elevation all the way to Deep Gap, where an out-and-back extension climbs up to the summmit of Cold Mountain.
KML is the main file type used by Google Earth. If you have Google Earth installed, clicking the KML link should open the trail or point directly
in Google Earth for viewing. This is the native file format used by Google Earth, but many other map applications can use and understand KML as well,
so if you're not sure which one to download, KML is a good bet.
GPX
The GPX format stands for GPS Exchange - a free, open, XML format for exchanging GPS and map data. GPX is compatible with Google Earth,
many other mapping programs, and most GPS devices (such as Garmin). Load the file directly into your GPS to help find your way on your next trip!
GeoJSON
GeoJSON is a newer, lightweight data exchange format which can be used to quickly share map data and may have a smaller size than KML or GPX. Many
professional mapping and GIS applications support the GeoJSON format.
About the Map
Copyright
Base Layers
Base layers provided by Google, MyTopo.com and Microsoft Research (MSR) Maps. Base layer images are subject to
the respective copyright policies of their owners.
Trail and Marker Overlays
Trail layers and downloadable data are all original works created by WNCOutdoors with guidance from a variety of
sources, including ensembles of our own GPS tracks, user contributed GPS tracks, official maps and GIS data from
government agencies, and field observations. WNCOutdoors data is made freely available under the
Open Database License - you are free to copy and use
it for any purpose unde the terms of that license (summary).
Tips
The map will scroll and zoom, just like a normal Google Map.
Click MyTopo to use a USGS topographic maps as the base layer.
Hover over a trail to see it highlighted. Helps to see start and end points for an individual trail.
Click a trail for more details and to download it.
Patrick said: Very popular in the warmer months. It is easy to get off course when you approach Shining Rock, There are several spurs off this section that go to campsites and overlooks. Bring a map and compass, or GPS if your headed to Cold Mountain. Love this area!
