This video describes my backpacking trip to the Linville Gorge Wilderness in North Carolina. It highlights our 3 day/2 night adventure hiking the Linville Gorge Wilderness Loop the weekend before Memorial Day 2023. Below is my 3 day itinerary and things you should consider if you are planning this trip.

May Weather: Average High is 68. Average Low is 59.
• I took my puffy vest as the nights did dip into the low 50s, no gloves or beanie needed.

Two significant water crossings:
• Southern portion of the loop (Day 2) – up to knees, no problem crossing
• Northern portion of the loop (Day 3) – water proof everything as you may need to swim across with your pack

Water Sources:
• Linville River has high mercury levels; not recommended for drinking
• Eastern Side of loop
- Water pipe coming out of mountain near top of Shortoff Mtn.
- Also pond on Shortoff Mtn; stagnant water, don't recommend
- At Saddle, water .1 miles down steep hill
- Nice flowing creeks at bottom of Little Table Rock trail
• Western Side of loop
- Several creek crossings, no issues with obtaining water


Day 1: Thursday (no permit needed), May 25th
• Start @ Spence Ridge Trailhead (north east portion of the loop)
• Morganton is the last major town before getting to the trailhead.
• Hike ~8 miles; heading clockwise. Several great campsites on Shortoff Mountain area near the cliffs with great views.
o Hike west .4 miles from Spence Ridge TH to the Little Table Rock Trail.
o Hike south 1.2 miles up to Table Rock Mtn. Gain 700 ft. in about .6 miles, pretty steep.
o Hike south ~6 miles to Shortoff Mountain Area. Camp here for the night.
• Water options: Not many to choose from on the east side.
o Nice creek just before heading up Table Rock. If fill up here, basically caring all the water you need for most of the hike on this day.
o Water option near the “Saddle”. This requires hiking down some steep terrain about .1 mile to find a spring.
o There is a pipe/creek near Shortoff campsite, .1 miles from the campsite.


Day 2: Friday (need permit), May 26th
• Hike ~7-9 miles; great campsites all along the river. We stayed just beyond the Pinchin Trail.
o Hike south .4 miles from camp; take right onto Shortoff Mountain Trail
o Hike south 1.5 miles down to the Linville River. This river crossing should be no problem. Just be ready to get your feet wet.
o Hike north 5-7 miles on the Linville River Trail after crossing the river.
o Gorge miles are not like regular miles. The west side of the loop can be challenging terrain and not always the best marked.
• Water Options: There are several good water options from creeks as they flow into the Linville River. I hear that the Linville River has “elevated” levels of mercury and may not be the safest to drink even with a water filer.


Day 3: Saturday, May 27th
• Hike 4-5 miles; depends on where we camp
o Hike 2-3 miles north on the Linville River Trail. I remember this being the trickiest part of the trail and losing the trail a few times. Trail is overgrown in spots on the west side. Navigating can be tricky at times.
o Cross the river. Crossing the river at the northern end of the loop can be challenging and will take some time. Feet are definitely going to get wet, just depends if you will need to swim across or can hop across the rocks based on the river level. Definitely ensure that you have a pack liner to keep the stuff dry inside your pack or waterproof stuff sacks for the things that shouldn’t get wet. It’s the last day so not the biggest deal if things do get wet.
o Hike 1.5 miles to Spence Ridge TH; once you get across the river, the hike is a gradual climb out of the gorge and back to the trailhead.
• Water Options: Same as day 2. Plenty of creek crossing; fill up as we go.

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#hammockcamping