Day Hike 8: Cascades Recreation Area to Benge Gap
Enchanted by the Escarpment
Distance: 4.1 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate. Generally downhill, with quick climbs along the way.
- Camping: No.
- Land manager: National Park Service.
- Volunteer Task Force Leader: Jeff Simpson, jsncmst22@gmail.com.
- Piggyback trail: Cascades loop trail.
- Connecting trails: Cascades loop trail.
Galax is a frequent companion along the montane portion of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
Throughout your hike on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail between Beacon Heights and Devils Garden Overlook, you’re generally aware of the Blue Ridge escarpment. Running from Virginia to Georgia, this 220 million-year-old geologic upheaval marks the delineation of the Southern Appalachians and the Piedmont. And a none-too-subtle delineation it is, with elevations changing as much as 4,000 feet in a relatively short distance from placid Piedmont to rugged high country.
But you’re most aware of the escarpment on this 4.1-mile stretch of MST, where the trail rarely leaves the lip of this impressive cliff. Here, it’s not unusual for the mountain to lose 1,300 feet of altitude in less than a half-mile. The drop is most notable, obviously, from the occasional clearings that provide sweeping views to the southeast. It’s perhaps most impressive, though, in dense forest, where the tops of mature hardwoods seem within reach from the trail. How these trees cling to impossibly steep slopes is testament to Mother Nature’s engineering skills.
For detailed hiking directions and parking information, download the Segment 5 guide from our Trail Guides page, using the “Primary Trailheads” section to pinpoint the location. You can also visualize the route on our interactive map; click “Day Hikes” to view the endpoints.
