Hiking Max Patch

My family and I found ourselves in North Carolina for a couple of days back in December and had time to knock out a bucket list Appalachain Trail hike of mine. Max Patch Trail is a beautiful panoramic hike located in Spring Creek, North Carolina. The trail borders the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Just 20 miles away lies The Great Smoky Mountains.

Over the years, I've watched the tag for Max Patch pop up on Instagram whether it's a morning, afternoon, or evening hike, and the pictures are always gorgeous. Come spring and summertime, the trail is well known for being a great place to camp overnight so we chose to visit Max Patch Trail during its offseason to avoid the crowds.

The drive leading to Max Patch was your typical gravel road/off the grid kind of drive. The drive to Max Patch was similar to our drive-up Springer Mountain, which is also another Appalachian Trail. It was a solid 30-minute drive on a windy gravel road, which led us to a parking lot. We parked and layered up. There were few clouds in the sky and the sun was shining bright. Temperatures were in the 50s, but it was a windy day! 

We climbed the trail and reached the Max Patch summit after 0.7 miles. The hike was short and sweet with a breathtaking view! 

The views from the top of Max Patch were beautiful! It definitely lived up to its big reputation. With 360-degree views, you could see rolling hills in every direction you turned. As the wind whipped around on the open mountain top, we took a quick group photo and we made our descend back to the car. Every time the wind caught us by surprise, you could hear Viviene gasp for air like, "That's cold!!" We bundled her up in our jackets and did our best to shield her from the wind.

For more information on Max Patch Trail, visit Asheville Trails here for trail info and gps coordinates.