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A scenic, occasionally steep loop that connects Davidson River Campground to the Art Loeb & North Slope.


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Map Key

7.4

Miles

11.8

KM

86%

Runnable

3,084' 940 m

High

2,138' 652 m

Low

1,330' 406 m

Up

1,329' 405 m

Down

7%

Avg Grade (4°)

32%

Max Grade (18°)

Dogs Unknown

Features River/Creek · Swimming · Views · Wildlife

Overview

Starts and finishes at the beautiful Davidson River. Along the way, you encounter some steep climbs, rutty roots, and twisty descents. At 7.5 miles this has become one of my favorite loops around Brevard.

Need to Know

*It may be better to take this loop the other way - starting in the upstream direction on the Davidson River along the Exercise Trail - because you'll finish with a mellow cool-down section by the river and the actual end of the Art Loeb Trail - but navigation might be a little tougher if you aren't familiar with the area. You could accidentally head the wrong way on the North Slope loop...making the route noticeably longer.

Description

Park at the Davidson River Campground / Art Loeb Trail. Take the Art Loeb Trail downstream (from the back of the parking lot), cross the river and make a left. You'll cross one more bridge and then the climbing begins. Enjoy the views along the ridge and winding singletrack.

The trail crosses a FS road **don't take the FS road** look across the road for the Art Loeb sign. Climb up along the ridge to the North Slope Connector, which will be a signed fork off to the right. You almost make a U-turn, so keep your eye out.

Continue down the North Slope Connector and make a left when you reach the North Slope Loop. This takes you downhill and back to the Davidson River.

Make your way back to the Davidson River Campground, passing the English Chapel and joining the Exercise Trail. Jump in the river. Stay on the Exercise Trail, heading downstream (river right) along the Davidson River. When you get to the bridge you are finished! To return to the parking lot, make a left on the road and cross the bridge.

Contacts

Shared By:

Wes D

Trail Ratings

  4.0 from 11 votes

#3

in Avery Creek

#3399

Overall
  4.0 from 11 votes
5 Star
27%
4 Star
55%
3 Star
9%
2 Star
9%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

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Overall
27 Views Last Month
3,492 Since Nov 12, 2017
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult

0%
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36%
27%
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Photos

View of Davidson River
Aug 31, 2018 near Brevard, NC
Davidson River along the Exercise Trail
Dec 13, 2017 near Brevard, NC
Art Loeb Connector!
Dec 13, 2017 near Brevard, NC
Trail along the Davidson River
Aug 31, 2018 near Brevard, NC
Green Tunnel along the North Slope Connector
Dec 13, 2017 near Brevard, NC
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Weather


Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 91 days ago
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Check-Ins

Jun 11, 2022
Chris Leonetti
Nice one.
Sep 4, 2019
Jeremiah Townsend
Out for a hike today, ran this trail several times last year and is an absolute blast. 7.6mi — 2h 30m
Jun 24, 2019
Stan stan.bizub@yahoo.com
Trails in pretty good shape. marked well although it gets a bit tight in some places, typical for summer, no severe overgrowth though. 6.8mi — 1h 23m
Mar 16, 2019
Kelly Boone
"The Connector" sign was down so I missed that turn and went to the next Art Loeb exchange. It's a sharp right turn so it was easy to miss. 7.4mi — 1h 41m
Oct 19, 2018
Ryan Brennan
8.8mi
Jul 26, 2018
Jeremiah Townsend
May 5, 2018
Caitlin Mooney
Enjoyable loop! 7.3mi — 1h 47m
Mar 31, 2018
Kimi deMent
Art Loeb was mostly rhododendron coverage at this time of year. Nice climbs. Not a lot of scenery on North Slope trail. Carry water for dogs.
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