Old Mitchell Trail Best Hike

• Difficulty: More Difficult
• Total Length: 4 mi
• Trail Tread Condition: Moderately Rough
• Climb: Hilly
• Lowest Elevation: 6040 ft
• Highest Elevation: 6700 ft
• Total Elevation Gain: 975 ft
• Trails/Roads Used: Old Mitchell Trail, Camp Alice/Mountains to Sea Trail, Commissary Trail
• Hike Configuration: Loop w/ Out-and-back extension
• Starting point: Park Office at Stepps Gap
• How to Get There: From Asheville, take the Blue Ridge Parkway north for 27 miles to the entrance for Mount Mitchell State Park. Turn left, on NC 128. Park just past the gated entrance, at the Park Office.

This hike takes you along the Old Mitchell Trail, which follows the ridge from the Park Office, around and over a couple of small, unnamed summits, and along the mountainside to the peak of Mount Mitchell. You'll then descend from the summit to a scenic historic site, Camp Alice, and return via an easy walk on a gravel road. This is an excellent, moderate hiking opportunity within the park.

Start by taking the Old Mitchell Trail, leading up the hill behind the park office. You will ascend moderately through fields and brambles where large Fraser Fir trees once stood. All that remains are tall, gray skeletons or fallen logs, and succulent saplings. This is one of the most evident things along this hike: the changing forests. As you continue to climb, you reach the edge of the remaining standing, live forest. The trees start out thin at first, but then you enter a relatively healthy stand where it is possible to imagine what these mountains must have looked like before the Balsam Wooly Adelgid began ravaging the fir forests. The trail levels, swings left and skirts around this unnamed peak. This section, like much of this trail, is quite rocky and rooty. Some wet and muddy spots exist as well.

The trail will then descend into the gap occupied by the park restaurant. Here you'll get your first view of the summit straight ahead. Go straight across the lawn and pick up the walkway to the parking area. Turn right and pick up the trail again behind the map/sign board at the restaurant. You'll pass the employee barracks on your right. The trail then heads up again through fields filled with blackberry bushes. Some good views back toward the restaurant and of the surrounding mountains can be seen from here. You'll cross over the next summit but it's not very high. On your left will be the water storage tank for the restaurant. The forest of firs is still intact up here as well, but who knows for how long.

Several very large Red Spruce trees survive along the next section of trail, though there are many dead ones as well. Taking the place of the dead trees are mountain maples, mountain ash, birch, and beech. The trail travels through a rugged area as you approach the base of Mt. Mitchell itself. Many impressive, large sets of rock steps carry you up and around rock outcroppings. The trail will bottom out and climb again to the intersection with the Camp Alice/Mountains to Sea Trail in a stand of almost pure Fraser Fir.

Turning right here would take you down to Camp Alice. We'll save that for later in the hike - to reach the summit, turn left. This begins the out-and-back portion of this hike. You������¢���¯���¿���½���¯���¿���½ll return to this intersection after exploring the summit. The trail climbs moderately and passes some more remnants of the large spruce forest of old. Vibrant, young firs grow between here and the summit. Another intersection is reached in a clearing, which used to be the parking area for the summit. A stand of many dead firs is straight ahead of you. Turn right here; you are approaching the summit at this point. Turning left would take you to the campground - this is the "old" Old Mitchell Trail!

You'll enter another stand of Fraser Firs, which shorten as you approach the top. This very rocky section travels alongside the park road so you will hear cars driving to your left. Upon reaching the wide summit path, you'll see a sign reading "You are now 1 1/4 miles above sea level." Though you probably won't notice any thinning of the air, it is an alpine environment and it can get quite harsh at times. It's rather exposed from here to the top, so be prepared. Turn right and climb a few more steps before reaching the tower. For information and descriptions of the summit area, follow the captions of the pictures in the Mount Mitchell Image Gallery.

Take some pictures, maybe enjoy a snack from the concession stand or a picnic at the picnic area or at the summit, and (especially if you are not driving up later) check out the excellent new museum. Then head back down the Old Mitchell trail the way you came to continue the hike. Turn left at the first intersection. It is 0.75 miles to Camp Alice. At the next intersection with the newly built Old Mitchell Trail, keep straight on the Mountains to Sea/Camp Alice trail. All intersections are signed. This begins the loop portion of the hike, and this section of trail descends steeply. The forest becomes mixed spruces and firs. You'll hear the rushing of streams during wet weather increasing as you descend. Shortly, you'll emerge from the forest onto what is now a gravel road, called the Commissary trail.

As the sign states, it is 1 mile to the right to the park office, but if you were to go left here, it's 0.7 miles through Camp Alice to a popular campsite on Commissary Ridge. Our hike officially goes right here, but this area is very interesting and you may wish to turn left and do some exploring first.

Just to your left, Lower Creek crosses the road/trail. The entire open area on the other side of Lower Creek is known as Camp Alice, which is the site of the terminus of the Mount Mitchell passenger railroad. This railroad operated through the early 1900's. The railroad grade from here at Camp Alice to the Commissary Ridge campsite is an easy walk and is incredibly scenic. Exploring all the way to the campsite would add 1.4 miles to the hike. I'll say this too (probably to the dismay of some folks and the bears): this is especially recommended when the blueberries are ripe!

When you're finished exploring Camp Alice, head uphill on the old railroad grade toward the park office. This easy, graded walk takes you back into a forest of mostly northern hardwoods before again mixing with spruces and firs. You'll round the open, grassy ridge below the park's restaurant shortly before again reaching the park office. There is an excellent view back toward the summit from here. After skirting the unnamed peak behind the office once again, you'll arrive back at the park office and your vehicle.