We tackled Poor Mountain on a brisk Friday morning with essentially no one else around. This was, by far, my favorite hike of the 3 we’ve hit thus far. We met one other person along the trail and heard a family somewhere off in the distance but given the tight and twisty nature of this trail, we never saw them.

The trail was very “traily” and featured a big loop that’s a little over 4 miles total when you count the trek to and from the parking lot. The main loop trail features over 500 feet of vertical drop and return climb. Since this trail is a loop, you get to experience elevation changes along the route instead of simply climbing up to the summit and trekking back down. Along this trail we experienced a couple of creek crossings, LOTS of steps cut into the rocks, and a wide variety of plant life.

The loop features several Y’s that aren’t really marked very well. The signage at the trailhead does provide a map and I highly recommend you take a photo of the map before you head past it so you have a decent reference while you are out there!