Gully Creek Trail

I hiked this trail in the late afternoon on a Wednesday and was blown away by what I great hike we had found such a short drive from Winston-Salem. It literally took us exactly an hour to reach the trailhead, and once there we were not disappointed. The signs warn you that the trail is extremely strenuous, and we all thought that was bogus until we got to the second half of the loop. So, as you begin the hike down the switch-backs that lead to the beautiful cascading creek, remember that "what goes up must come down"! Also remember though, that it will be worth the effort. The hike down to the creek takes maybe twenty minutes and then for a large portion of the hike you cross back and forth over a beautiful mountain stream as it cascades down small waterfalls and large boulder strewn rapids. After leaving from the creek, the trail heads straight up, and there aren't a lot of switch-backs to lessens the incline, but the views from the ridge-line will take your mind off your burning thigh muscles. We spotted several bright red newts along the trail (maybe salamanders?) and spotted a deer running down the ravine. The hike took us about an hour and a half to complete, but because a storm was rolling in we did not take the extra loop trail out to Cumberland Knob. I thought this was one of the better short day hikes I have done in NC, and I was astonished to find a gem like this so close to home!

I hiked this trail in the late afternoon on a Wednesday and was blown away by what I great hike we had found such a short drive from Winston-Salem. It literally took us exactly an hour to reach the trailhead, and once there we were not disappointed. The signs warn you that the trail is extremely strenuous, and we all thought that was bogus until we got to the second half of the loop. So, as you begin the hike down the switch-backs that lead to the beautiful cascading creek, remember that "what goes up must come down"! Also remember though, that it will be worth the effort. The hike down to the creek takes maybe twenty minutes and then for a large portion of the hike you cross back and forth over a beautiful mountain stream as it cascades down small waterfalls and large boulder strewn rapids. After leaving from the creek, the trail heads straight up, and there aren't a lot of switch-backs to lessen the incline, but the views from the ridge-line will take your mind off your burning thigh muscles. We spotted several bright red newts along the trail (maybe salamanders?) and spotted a deer running down the ravine. The hike took us about an hour and a half to complete, but because a storm was rolling in we did not take the extra loop trail out to Cumberland Knob. I thought this was one of the better short day hikes I have done in NC, and I was astonished to find a gem like this so close to home!