Neels Gap to Cowrock Mtn - Great Views!

This hike will take us from Neels Gap to Cowrock Mountain along the AT. In addition to the spectacular views from a couple overlooks on Cowrock, there will be some other great viewpoints along the way, such as at Leveland Mtn and Wolf Laurel.

We will actually begin the hike from the Byron Reese Memorial parking lot, as hikers are not allowed to park in the Mountain Crossing store lot at Neels Gap. After we hike up to Neels Gap, we'll then head NoBo (actually east) on the AT climbing about 800 ft until reaching the top of Levelland Mtn. There will be a nice viewpoint on the east side of Levelland where we'll take a few minutes to hydrate and enjoy the view. We'll then proceed on, losing about 500 feet of elevation, before heading back up another 400 ft to the top of Wolf Laurel Mtn where we'll be greated with another nice view. Again, we'll take a few minutes to enjoy the view and then make another big dip along the way to Cowpen Mtn.

There's an overlook about a quarter of a mile south of the "normal" overlook on Cowpen which has great views from the top of a cliff. We'll take a break here to enjoy the views and eat lunch before returning the way we came.

This hike will be about 11.5 miles and have about 2,700 feet of ascent. Folks wishing to register should have solid D4+ hiking experience prior to registering for this event.