This might be my new favorite hike in SNP. It was really quiet in the late morning on a Saturday (usually peak foot traffic time), there are spectacular views, and the elevation changes are pretty tame, even though the hike itself is on the long side (at least for me), pure mileage-wise. This reflects my marathon training philosophy. I'm totally down with a 14-mile long run, but the 4-mile hill training day fills me with dread. But, I digress...
The first half of this hike is mostly downhill, sometimes steep at parts. You're mostly on horse trails for the first half, and the second half is a combination of fire road and the Appalachian Trail. The HikingUpward directions are really good for this one (http://www.hikingupward.com/SNP/HawksbillFranklinCliffs/)
Note that the views don't get good until the second half of the hike, but then they're pretty great. If you're looking for a place to lunch/hang out, I actually recommend the lookout located maybe 1/3 mile below the summit. The summit gets crowded, because there's a parking area about a mile down. I actually think the views from the spot below the summit were superior, for what it's worth.
Overall- well-maintained trail, views almost as good as Old Rag, without the crowds of Old Rag. Winning.
Trail Name: Hawksbill Mountain / Franklin Cliffs
Distance (RT): 9.2 miles
Elevation Change: 1,980 ft.
Time: 4 hrs (hikingupward is definitely wrong. it will not take you five hours, given that one of my fellow hikers was carrying a bunch of bricks and we were traveling at a moderate pace, and still finished at just about 4 hours).
The first half of this hike is mostly downhill, sometimes steep at parts. You're mostly on horse trails for the first half, and the second half is a combination of fire road and the Appalachian Trail. The HikingUpward directions are really good for this one (http://www.hikingupward.com/SNP/HawksbillFranklinCliffs/)
Note that the views don't get good until the second half of the hike, but then they're pretty great. If you're looking for a place to lunch/hang out, I actually recommend the lookout located maybe 1/3 mile below the summit. The summit gets crowded, because there's a parking area about a mile down. I actually think the views from the spot below the summit were superior, for what it's worth.
Overall- well-maintained trail, views almost as good as Old Rag, without the crowds of Old Rag. Winning.
Trail Name: Hawksbill Mountain / Franklin Cliffs
Distance (RT): 9.2 miles
Elevation Change: 1,980 ft.
Time: 4 hrs (hikingupward is definitely wrong. it will not take you five hours, given that one of my fellow hikers was carrying a bunch of bricks and we were traveling at a moderate pace, and still finished at just about 4 hours).
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