April 21, 2020
Willis Knob Horse Trail NW
We took this trail on a chance without any past knowledge, reviews or recommendations since many of the Forest Service trails in the area have been closed during the COVID-19 outbreak. We were not disappointed. For a horse trail, the trail is in mostly good condition for foot traffic with a few short sections of washouts. We encountered a couple of places with fallen trees across the trail, but they were passable. We had intended to turn around when coming back to Willis Knob Road, but were stopped by a fair amount of water in the Gold Mine Creek. This could have been crossed with a little bit of use of dead fall or repositioning or rocks or wet feet, but we chose to turn around at that point. Considering it being Spring, we were disappointed in the lack of many wildflowers in bloom and there were not any great views or overlooks along the way, but it was an nice hike in a mostly pine forest.
The route
6.0 mi · 866 ft climbing · 3h 35m out, 3h 1m walking · 2.0 mph moving
Elevation
Hover over the profile to see the elevation and steepness. Your position will be shown on the map.
- Steepness
- Gentle under 5%
- Moderate 5–10%
- Steep 10–15%
- Very steep over 15%
Photos (15)
Group Photo with Proper Social Distancing Violet, Primrose-leaved (Viola primulifolia) Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia) Water Crossing at Gold Mine Creek Cinquefoil, Common (Potentilla canadensis) Dwarf Iris, Crested (Iris cristata) Southern Ground-Cedar (Diphasiastrum digitatum) Southern Ground-Cedar (Diphasiastrum digitatum) Dwarf Iris, Crested (Iris cristata) Horseshoe But No Horses This Time Yellow Star Grass, Common Goldstar - Hypoxis hirsuta Yellow Star Grass, Common Goldstar - Hypoxis hirsuta Dog-hobble (Leucothoe axillaris) Dog-hobble (Leucothoe axillaris)