Transylvania County Highpoint Trip Report

Chestnut Knob (6,025 ft)

Date: August 7, 2004
Author: Ron Tagliapietra

Park at the Devil's Courthouse Overlook and hike toward the overlook on top of the rock. Take the north fork and connect to the Mountains to Sea Trail (#440). Follow #440, east, north, and southeast around Chestnut Bald, which will be on your right the entire time. When you first see sky to your right, you will be at the west end of the gap between Chestnut and Silvermine Balds. Visit a viewpoint a few steps from the trail that looks down across the steep slopes of Silvermine Bald to Pilot Mountain and beyond to rock climbers' heaven on Looking Glass Rock. Return to the trail and backtrack a few steps to the uphill slope toward the summit. There is a obvious manway (southeast version of the herd path in New England) on the uphill slope. Follow it with difficulty to the summit. You will be ducking under low trees and limbs, climbing over logs, and pushing stuff aside the whole way (it is not a trail - just a manway). There are a couple of sticker bush sections but these had been trampled down pretty well. Still, this manway is wonderful compared to the ribboned route through the young evergreen forest and it is easier to find. We found two or three ribbons on the route but all close to the top. It is tougher to follow coming down but we stayed with it most of the way.