3 Days Ahead Gear Checklist

What shapes your gear on Linville Gorge

Terrain

The Linville River drops 2,000 feet through the gorge, and the Forest Service calls every trail inside primitive and very strenuous. Trails carry signs at the trailheads and nothing after that, with no signs or blazes inside the wilderness. Writers describe long straight climbs with few switchbacks, and one found the climb out of Chimney Gap much steeper than the contour lines suggested.

From U.S. Forest Service, National Forests in North Carolina, Backcountry Post and Seeking Lost

Loop length

Counts for the full loop differ by who measured it. One magazine writer gives 33.93 miles with 16,605 feet of elevation change, and a five-day trip report logged 33.22 miles on a custom version of the same loop. A shorter two-night loop from the west rim was about 10 miles, but its writer said the gorge makes each mile feel like three.

From Blue Ridge Outdoors, Seeking Lost and The Crossroads

Water

The Forest Service lists no potable water at the site. A magazine writer was warned off filtering from the main river and filled from springs and side streams. A guidebook helped them find where to refill.

From U.S. Forest Service, National Forests in North Carolina and Blue Ridge Outdoors

River crossings

The Forest Service reports that the Spence Ridge Trail bridge over the Linville River is washed out, so hikers must wade. A December hiker said the bridge there was the only place to cross, and he forded the cold, wide river near the south end by taking off shoes, socks and pants. A 2012 report put the south-end ford at about knee deep with water shoes.

From U.S. Forest Service, National Forests in North Carolina, Backpacking Light forums and Seeking Lost

Weather swings

One December trip went from a 65-degree afternoon to heavy rain that lasted about ten hours and then wind gusts the writer put near 50 mph, with temperatures falling to the mid 20s. An October trip had fog and a forecast low of 34 with rain. A January overnight near the Chimneys dropped to the low teens.

From Backpacking Light forums, Seeking Lost and Reddit r/hammockcamping

Camps and wildlife

Campsites sit on the ridges and beside the river, many with rock fire rings. Two writers saw timber rattlesnakes or copperheads, and one saw two black bears over time. A 2012 report called the sites trashed.

From Blue Ridge Outdoors, The Crossroads and Seeking Lost

What hikers carry on Linville Gorge

• A topographic map and compass

  The Forest Service tells visitors to be able to read a topo map and use a compass, and sells maps at the district office. A magazine writer said nobody should enter without both. A December hiker found the trails hard to follow because they were unblazed, rocky and overgrown in places.

  From U.S. Forest Service, National Forests in North Carolina, Blue Ridge Outdoors and Backpacking Light forums

• A water filter, and a plan for where to fill

  With no potable water inside the gorge, writers filter. The magazine writer used springs and streams, not the main river, and carried a guidebook that marks refill points. The 2012 trip report started filtering on the second night at a riverside camp.

  From U.S. Forest Service, National Forests in North Carolina, Blue Ridge Outdoors and Seeking Lost

• Water shoes or camp sandals for fords

  With the Spence Ridge bridge out and a ford at the south end, crossing means wading. One group changed into water shoes and carried their boots across, then dried off with a towel on the far bank. A December hiker packed his shoes, socks and pants and waded in bare legs, and noted the bed rocks were round and slick.

  From Seeking Lost, Backpacking Light forums and U.S. Forest Service, National Forests in North Carolina

• Trekking poles and bear awareness

  One writer took poles plus a bear bell or spray, or a hiking partner, because the gorge is bear habitat. They had seen two bears and heard a third, with no close encounter. The same writer watched for snakes and saw a rattlesnake and a copperhead.

  From The Crossroads

• A tarp or tent that handles wind on the ridge

  The December hiker pitched a tarp when the rain began, then broke camp in the dark after hours of rain and gale-force wind. A January camper near the Chimneys slept in a hammock under a tarp, and another winter camper tested a flat tarp in snow.

  From Backpacking Light forums, Reddit r/hammockcamping and Reddit r/CampingandHiking

• Warm sleep layers, even in October

  The 2012 writer wore long johns and socks inside a 30-degree bag on a damp night with a forecast low of 34, and kept breakfast food in his pockets in the morning so it was not frozen.

  From Seeking Lost

• A lighter, and fire tinder that stays dry

  Fog and damp left everything wet on the October trip. A firesteel and charcloth failed to light the fire, petroleum-jelly cotton balls helped only a little, and a lighter finally did it. Building the fire on a raised platform with air underneath worked on the next two nights.

  From Seeking Lost

• Crampons and extra stove fuel for winter

  A January camper near Table Rock walked about 12 inches of snow to the Chimneys and was glad to have crampons. No reliable water showed because streams were buried, so snow had to be melted, which took roughly 40 to 45 ml of alcohol fuel.

  From Reddit r/CampingandHiking

Gear questions for Linville Gorge