Although the park literature describes this hike as "strenuous", it is hardly that - only to the casual picnicker who rarely strolls past the tables. For the purposes of this site, and in comparison to hiking trails across Western North Carolina, this is a pleasant, easy hike through a spectacular forest setting on a magnificent mountain. It doesn't get much better!
The hike starts in the picnic area and heads uphill immediately. The trail at this point actually a road, used to access the transmission towers on the summit. The climb is a bit steep, but the steep part is less than 1/4 mile long! The surface is hard-packed gravel, with no obstacles to hinder the climb. Just beyond the restrooms for the picnic area, the bottom portion of the Rhododendron trail joins on the right. Continue on the road, uphill. As you near the top of the climb, the road turns left and you reach the top portion of the Rhododendron trail. Bear left, staying on the road, to reach the summit and the towers on the summit. Although there are a couple of side paths to the right, the views are nothing compared to those found later along the Rhododendron trail. If you walk under the main tower, there is a better view, but the area doesn't have much of a wilderness feel to it. A sign on a rocky outcrop proclaims the elevation to be 4,683'. Return to the upper portion of the Rhododendron trail, grab a booklet from the box, and then head down the trail into the woods.
Now the real hiking begins. Use the booklet to identify what you're seeing at each numbered post along the way. There is a wealth of information and though some of it is hopelessly outdated, a lot can be gleaned with a careful study. You can even use the outdated information in conjunction with what you see to learn how the natural environment changes over the years. For example, at post number 7, the guide talks about the American Chestnut, and says a tall, dead trunk still stands. Well, the trunk has long since fallen and you can see it lying on the ground in front of the post. But the guide then mentions older and younger sprouts, and here you can see at least three distinct sizes of Chestnut sprouts growing from the base of the fallen log. Fascinating! And all along the entire loop, you will notice the understory of Rhododendron and mountain laurel, for which the trail is named. The rhododendron shrubs are short and scraggly, with big, long, waxy leaves. The mountain laurels are similar, but the leaves are smaller and rounder. In mid June and sometimes into July, these plants put on a spectacular display of purple flowers. This would be an excellent time to visit.
The trail travels through a rare, virgin Northern Red Oak forest along the gently curving ridge. The trees on this exposed mountaintop are buffeted by the wind. Big, gnarled limbs reach out from thick, stocky trunks. I suppose these short trees wouldn't have been very valuable as timber, but as a forest they're more valuable than we can even begin to imagine. The surface of the trail is generally smooth with a few rocks and roots here and there. The ridgeline is nearly level, and at several points an excellent cliff-top views open up to the left. This is proclaimed boldly by several bright signs warning of the danger of falling off cliffs. Seriously, especially if you have children, be careful - there is nothing to guard you from a fall. You can see along the ridge to Luther Rock, where you're headed next. As you walk the ridgeline, notice that to your left, on the cool north slope of the mountain, you see many maples and birches. These Northern hardwoods are rarely so distinctly separated from the drier oak forest as they are here. More often than not it's a gradual, slow transition from the moist coves to the dry ridges. But here, it's easy to see how micro-climates can affect the forest.
Soon you'll reach another intersection, with a map and an information board where you can read a detailed account about the environment you'll soon be entering. Turn left here and ascend for just a couple hundred feet to Luther Rock. You'll pop out of the forest onto a small heath bald surrounding a rock outcrop. The view from here is, of course, incredible. You can continue down a short ways where the trail dead-ends. The sparse trees are really short on top here, and mostly blueberry bushes grow with rare ferns beneath them. And looking below you, back toward the summit, you'll see one of the truly unique aspects of this particular mountain's environment: an aspen forest! They normally grow much farther north and west, in New England and the Rockies, but don't tell this detached patch of trees that. They look perfectly comfortable growing below this rocky, wind-blown summit!
Head back down the trail to the sign board and go left. The trail descends a little ways through a forest that is a bit more protected from the elements, on the south side of the mountain, and is therefore a bit taller. You'll see some Basswoods and Ash trees, which don't grow right on the summit. Although you don't descend far from the summit - maybe 100' - the forest is immediately different and it provides more pleasant hiking. You may want to look down along this stretch of trail too, as there are several species of wildflowers that grow here primarily during the spring. It's a well-built trail, and soon you'll be following some type of metal pipe or conduit. Just past that you'll be back at the road to the summit. Turn left, and head back to the parking area.
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