Bald Mountains: Pigeon River Gorge (was Wildcat) Location: Haywood County, NC, 20 miles northwest of Canton, French Broad Ranger District, Pisgah National Forest USGS Topographic Maps: Waterville, Lemon Gap, Cove Creek Gap This nifty little area is the first one a hiker enters after leaving the Smokies, heading north on the Appalachian Trail. The northern boundary is the North Carolina-Tennessee state line which the Trail follows. Immediately to the north is the recently acquired Gulf tract, which has potential for addition to this area. The major creek draining the area is Groundhog Creek, which usually has a large volume of water. Download this Map Bald Mountains: Pigeon River Gorge 2.5 mb pdf file Approximate size: 7,309 acres Old growth acreage: 41 acres The southern boundary of the area is Interstate 40, which runs along the bottom of the Pigeon River Gorge. The topography from the ridge down to the river is exceptionally steep. Protected by this natural feature, the lower slopes support a large amount of old growth forest. There is an Appalachian Trail in this unit. A scenic trail runs south from the shelter along Groundhog Creek, then bears east on an old logging railroad grade to Rube Rock Branch. After crossing that branch, the trail turns north to rejoin the AT. There is a trailhead on I-40, and this makes a good day-hike loop trip.

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