Thrift Cove Loop Trail #603
2.4 mi (3.9 miles if hiked as a loop) - Easy - This is a pleasant, relatively undemanding hiking trail that can easily be done as a loop by using the Black Mountain Trail (#127) for your return leg. This loop is also popular with mountain bikers as a short warm-up. After starting as a gravel road, the trail becomes a grassy road for most of its length. Approximately ¼ mile after its departure from the Black Mountain Trail, the trail is intersected by several others [see map on reverse]; follow the signs and old roadbed to stay on course. The trail climbs steadily for over a mile before leveling off; you may be rewarded with glimpses of wild turkeys in this area. At the halfway point, the scenery changes dramatically as you move from an upland hardwood forest into a shady cove forest. The trail tread becomes narrower and more “trail-like” here, and throughout the summer the thick grasses are bright green. Finally, you will circumvent a large field being maintained as wildlife habitat before again encountering the Black Mountain Trail (#127), where the Thrift Cove Trail ends. *If you proceed downhill (to your left) on the Black Mountain Trail (a traditional, single-track, mountain trail), you will, after 1.3 miles, return to the parking lot. The elevation profile below represents a 3.9-mile loop starting and ending at the parking lot.
Approximate Elevation Change: 600 feet
Blaze: Red
At a Glance
Open Season: | Year-round |
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Usage: | Heavy |
Restrictions: | Mountain Biking Trail: Mountain biking and hiking trail. Bikers please yield to hikers. Mountain biking prohibited in wilderness areas. |
Water: | yes |
Restroom: | none |
Operated By: | US Forest Service |