Carver's Gap to Grassy Ridge Bald

Start by parking in the parking lot at Carver's Gap.  It is easily accessed off of Hwy 143 as it passes thru the saddle between Roan Mountain and Round Bald.  Pick up the Appalachian Trail immediately across Hwy 143 as it begins to wind its way thru a fir tree forest.  Then it breaks out into the open as you approach the top of Round Bald.  From there, the views are 100% unobstructed all the way to Grassy Ridge Bald, which is just under 6200' elevation.

And by the way, if you are into an overnight on this trail (or are a backpacker), there is a stand of fir trees on the top of Round Bald that is about 50 feet off the Appalachian Trail that is rated as one of the Top 10 campsites in the nation for backpacking.  It is perfect for hammock or tent camping.  

You pass over Round Bald first, then Jane Bald and eventually Grassy Ridge Bald.  The cumulative average elevation gain is about 250' headed to Grassy Ridge Bald, but that is a deceptive number with the ups and downs of going over the balds.  Case in point, you will climb right at 700' from 5500' elevation between Round Bald and Jane Bald to the top of Grassy Ridge Bald and some of that is done by stair-stepping on rock slabs.  It can take more effort than the elevation gain suggests if you are not in fit hiking condition.

The Appalachian Trail is well maintained thru most of the first mile of the hike and starts out with the trail lined with landscape timbers and crushed gravel as a base. As you start descending Round Bald, then the trail becomes more of a well-traveled dirt pathway strewn with rocks.  The approach to Jane Bald involves some rock steps that can be like a stair-stepper machine and there is more of that between Jane Bald and Grassy Ridge Bald.  Eventually, the trail to Grassy Ridge Bald splits off to the right from the Appalachian Trail and the final quarter of a mile becomes mostly high-altitude meadow grass as it makes its way up to the summit of Grassy Ridge Bald.

With this like being an out and back hike, most of the actual elevation gain is in the first half of the journey.  On the return trip, it is somewhat easier as you will be mostly descending on all the rock steps, although the pounding of constant downhill steps can be hard on the joints of older hikers (like me).

This section of the A/T looks very different depending on the season of the year.  In May and early June, the Catawba Rhododendron is in bloom and adds a lot of color to the hike.  The color of the grasses and other foliage is great in Spring also, due to the fresh green colors.  The pictures uploaded in this summary were taken in mid-September and depict how the area looks that time of year.

Due to the fact that the elevation of this hike is high enough to be in the clouds a lot of the time, the weather can change very quickly, so be prepared for that in Spring and Summer.  It can also get quite windy if the winds are already moving due to weather fronts.  This is because you are going to be hiking along the top of an exposed ridge all the way from Round Bald to Grassy Ridge Bald.  This trail can be hiked in winter too, but be prepared for very severe winter conditions with ice, snow, low temps and wind chill.

Finally, if you like to do astrophotography, the top of Round Bald is a great location for that because it is away from light pollution and is right at 5800' elevation, so the air is usually very clear unless there is weather in the area.  The image of the Milky Way posted with this summary was taken there.  (The sunset image was taken from "Sunset Rock" which is at the top of Roan Mountain and can be accessed from the parking lot on top of the mountain.)

This is a location I continue to go back to and I never get tired of it because it has the ideal combination of some of the higher altitudes found in the eastern United States, combined with fabulous scenery.