Welcome to the Carolina Mountain Club section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail – Heintooga Road to Black Mountain Campground. Here are some hints and tips to supplement the excellent advice on the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (Friends) website.
1. I assume that you’ve joined Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
2. I also assume that you’ve read the trail guides on the Friends website. The CMC section of the MST starts at the end of the Peak to Peak Guide (Segment 1A). It goes through Segment 2: The Balsams – Waterrock Knob to Pisgah Inn and Segment 3: The High Peaks and Asheville – Pisgah Inn to Black Mountain Campground.
3. Carolina Mountain Club wrote a detailed book with maps on the MST sections it maintains. Look at:
MST Trail Profiles and Maps: From the Great Smokies to Mount Mitchell and Beyond by Walt Weber for the Carolina Mountain Club.
I strongly suggest that you buy the book – either locally from the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center store or on Amazon.
4. This section of the MST weaves in and out of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Check this official site to see if the road is open at https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
Shuttlers
Here’s the legal stuff.
This listing is provided as an information service for MST hikers and does not constitute an endorsement by me, this website, or Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (Friends) of the dependability or safety of the service providers listed. Friends does not conduct background checks of shuttlers on this list, nor do we verify that they hold licenses, permits, or insurance. While some service providers may be members of Friends, they are not representatives, employees, or agents of Friends, and their services are not in any way affiliated with Friends of the MST.
Arrange shuttles at your own risk; you are responsible for your own safety.
Plan your shuttle before you start hiking. We recommend that you arrange your shuttle at the beginning of your hike and walk back to your car. This way you are not bound to a rigid schedule once you start your hike. Some people on this list shuttle on their time off. Arrangements are best made at least one to two weeks in advance.
A. The Pisgah Inn may offer car shuttles. They book up quickly during the season. They are not open all year round, so check their website.
B. Jean Gard runs a B&B with AirBNB in Asheville.
Look at other AirBnB in the area and discuss shuttles with them. They may not know about the MST and you may have to guide them. That’s where the Mountains-to- Sea Profile book is useful.
C. Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham of Cherokee
Cherokee, NC (828) 497-7800
Shuttles between the Smokies and Cherokee for hotel guests only.
D. Donald Henderson Asheville, NC [email protected] 828-450-1160 (24/7)
ashevilleareatransportationservices.com
I’ll add more shuttlers as they come up.
Oh, yes. Have fun!