Looking Glass Mountain Backpacking

Warning: this post is super photo heavy. So all my tips and thoughts are right here at the top and you can then scroll to your hearts desire!Thoughts: We set out on another backpacking trip with the same friends who originally tried to murder us with walking on my first ever backpacking trip (read about my near death experience here). But since we loved them so much, we braved the trail again! This time we went to Looking Glass Mountain in Brevard, NC. We drove up around lunchtime and got on the trail around 3pm and had plenty of time. The hike is rated 'more difficult' mostly because it is straight up a 2000 foot incline and has a ton of switchbacks. But, if you are hiking without a pack, it is a fairly easy hike (just straight uphill and then steeply downhill). We camped before we got to the actual campsites. If you follow the trail it takes you out onto an overlook that has a lot of flat rock and space you can camp on, which we felt had an even better view and because it was so flat was much more enjoyable. The only challenge was finding flat enough campsites. Fun fact, the rocks are actually flaking off , so there are thin, hollow seeming 'flakes' everywhere that are ginormous! We set up camp, cooked dinner (premade spaghetti! Ill never go back!!) and then turned in for the night. We left up our campsites the next morning and hiked the rest of the way up the trail to the top. Had a snack, came back and packed up. Coming down was much easier, but beware of your toes! Its so easy to stub your toes when you are slightly falling downhill due to pack weight and ya know walking straight down a hill. We stopped and ate dinner in Ashville, NC and were back home in about 30 hours total! This is a fun trail to do for the challenge seekers and especially if you only want a short day hike. I would estimate about 2 hours to make it to the top without carrying any weight and you are in fairly decent shape! This was a great trip to get some fresh air, stretch our muscles, hang out with friends and  reset our minds and bodies after a long, stressful winter. (Ps we totally had cell services at the top...)Tips:

• Pack light!
• Parking, camping, hiking is free! You park right at the entrance of the trail.
• This would be a great spot to hike up to for lunch during a day hike.
• The best/most flat overlook is the first one you come to, so eat there!
• Make sure you follow the trail when it loops to the left to get to this overlook.
• There are some great campsites almost at the very, very top on the left. There is a fire pit, logs set up for seating and nice flat ground, but it has no view and is right off the trail so just know everyone will walk by you! This is the only 'official' site we saw. There are a few smaller places you could squeeze a small tent, but again, it has a very steep incline which is not great for sleeping! But, we were the only campers that night, so you normally should not have to worry about it being crowded since it is such an easy day hike. It is first come, first serve though.
• Sunscreen! You are more exposed than you think during the hike and on top.
• Dog friendly trails, but again the lookout is steep and small up top, so keep them close and on leash as you will pass a lot of other pups!
• Bring pre-cooked but frozen food and just reheat! I made spaghetti at home the night before, exactly like I would for home eating. I added my meat, sauce, veggies and cooked noodles together, placed it in gallon ziplocks and froze. We kept the food in a cooler on the drive up. Then wrapped it in some clothes and packed them. (ps, pack it in the middle of your pack. The outside gets warmed by the sun and the inside gets warmed by your body heat. Insulation is key!) Besides, you want the food to thaw a little! We poured the slightly thawed spaghetti into our pots and heated. It was beyond delicious. Ill never go back...
• Water, water, water.
• Hiking poles are very helpful on these inclines.
• It is very windy up top and at night. So bring pants and a long sleeve shirt even in summer, but of course if you are in spring, summer months, it is blazing hot during the day!
• Snack like a pro! Have some good dried fruits, nuts, crackers, etc on hand!

Have you guys visited Looking Glass Rock? We wish we would have also driven by to see how crazy shaped the rock is! When we were on top we could see across to the overlook of people looking at the  rock from afar! It was funny to think we were both taking photos of each other without realizing it! Please share your backpacking/hiking tips in the comments or share your favorite scenic overlook!