Max Patch Bald is the kind of place that becomes a part of you after just one trip. The route up to the summit passes through picturesque mountain communities that have largely escaped the mass tourism radar. Passing by old red tobacco barns, little white churches, pumpkin patches, Christmas tree farms, and even the occasional country store, the route eventually starts a long gradual climb through the deep forest. Then out of nowhere it appears, an enormous grassy bald, and what may be the single most stunning view in the entire region.

Though many mountains are higher, none seem so when you are on the summit of Max Patch Bald. On a clear day you will see completely across most of eastern Tennessee, the Great Smoky Mountains, the Black Mountains, Craggy Mountains, Pisgah Ledge, the Newfound Mountains of Haywood County, and Walnut Mountains of Madison County. Pictures cannot do justice to the summit, a la Sound of Music. This exceptionally beautiful grassy peak is often covered in wildflowers and affords a spectacular 360-degree view. At near the 5,000-foot level, this is one of the first places to see brilliant fall color and substantial snowfall. The one-mile loop trail to the summit is easy to moderate. Take the trail to the left. It is best done in the clockwise direction, saving the steepest sections for the downhill return. You don’t have to be a serious hiker to enjoy what has been called The Crown Jewel of the Appalachian Trail.

Pack a picnic. You won’t find restaurants or stores in the Max Patch community and very few en route. There is a single table picnic area that is easy to miss, along the Little Creek Road. Most enjoy their picnic on the summit. Speaking of which, Earth Fare at Westgate Shopping Center off I-240 near Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza and an appropriately named restaurant and caterer, Picnics on north Merrimon Avenue (US 25 north of I - 240) in Asheville are favorite places for locals to purchase a grand picnic lunch for the trip.

These directions are written as the best route for an excellent day trip from Asheville. Plan to spend at least four hours for the trip and the trail from Asheville. The route follows mostly paved state roads, though a relatively small part of the route is on gravel United States Forest Service roads. Except under the worse weather conditions, these gravel USFS roads are easily passable with a standard car. Directions were verified as of October 2006, though they should be good for the indefinite future. Since directional signs on the route seem to change or disappear from time to time, they are written with that in mind. Though you may return the same direction you came, it makes for a longer and less interesting trip. Please Note: the route seems much more natural and less logistical when you are actually driving it, than it appears here in writing.

• From downtown Asheville follow US 19/23 S- I-240 W- I-26 E (Patton Avenue) across the Smoky Park Bridge staying on US 19/23 to West Asheville in one of the left lanes. Avoid the two right lanes, which exit to I-240 and I-26 east.
• Turn right at fourth red light past the bridge onto well marked NC 63 (Leicester Highway). You will pass through Leicester and Sandy Mush communities. Continue 26.9 miles to the small community of Trust. The last few miles before arriving at Trust, NC 63 will slow considerably with the twist and turns up and over Dogget Mountain.

Near the summit of Dogget Mountain, there are a few areas that are wide enough to pull over for an outstanding view of the entire valley that contains Asheville and Weaverville behind you, as well as the Craggy and Black Mountains beyond them. As the road flattens out and undulates on the summit of Dogget Mountain, look carefully ahead for the only glimpses of Max Patch Bald on the route. It looks very close, though you are still several miles away by car. As you approach the next turn onto NC 209 north, the beautiful little chapel of St. Jude at Plum Nilly Farm is hard to miss. Trust General Store / Spring Creek Cafe is a worthy stop at this location - if they are open.

• Turn right on NC 209 North towards Hot Springs at what appears to be a new roundabout intersection at the end of NC 63. Hopefully the signs will have been replaced when you travel this route.
• Turn left on Meadowfork Road at around seven to eight miles from where you turned onto NC 209 north - before you reach the community of Bluff. This narrow paved road to the left is well marked with a brown NFS sign that reads Max Patch Bald - 10 miles. It’s actually hard to miss.

Watch out for that little white church a few miles up the road! The road literally swerves around this century old landmark that still survives and holds services.

• Turn right, after about 6 miles, onto Little Creek Road (FS 1181) . There is a small brown NFS directional sign marker for Max Patch, across from the intersection on the left hand side of the road. (You will be turning right.) Stay left at the Y shortly after turning, avoiding paved Long Branch Road. Stay on Little Creek Road (Gravel FS 1181), and go several miles to the where the road ends at Max Patch Road. It is all gravel road from this point to the summit.
• Turn Right onto Max Patch Road (gravel NC 1175). There is a brown NFS road sign for Max Patch Mountain. You are just a couple miles from the summit now.

The trip up through Madison County offers unforgettable scenery, but is quite a drive. The shortest and most scenic return trip is the twelve mile route to the Fines Creek Community in Haywood County. The return trip is faster utilizing I-40 east to Asheville. (South of the often treacherous and heavily traveled stretch of I-40 through the tunnels in Pigeon River Gorge) The quickest and shortest route to I-40; however, is the more northerly gravel Cold Creek / Harmon Den Road. This is only preferable if you are approaching from, or heading into Tennessee from Max Patch.

• Return the way you came - down the mountain on Max Patch Road (gravel FS 1175). Continue heading south for a little over 5 miles. (Avoid turning left on Little Creek Road or right on Cold Creek / Harmon Den as you descend.)
• Turn right onto Meadowfork Road at the intersection of Meadowfork Road and Max Patch Road. Shortly after the turn this road becomes Wesley Creek Road which is paved after a few miles. (Max Patch Road will also take you to Fines Creek, but less directly.) Continue on Wesley Creek for 5.7 miles.

Watch for the occasional view of the western wall of the Great Smoky Mountains across the Pigeon River Gorge as you descend into Fines Creek. Christmas tree farms, red barns, and beautiful old mountain homes dot the landscape.

• Turn right onto the paved Patch Road at the end of Wesley Creek Road. Go 0.5 miles to Fines Creek Road.
• Turn right at the Y onto the paved Fines Creek Road from Max Patch Road. (Avoid the new bridge and directional sign to the left for NC 209.) There is a sign for I-40 to the right, though it is easy to miss. This will lead directly to I-40 east and back to Asheville.

Yes it is a long drive, but it would be a challenge for anyone to find a more scenery-packed day trip from Asheville. Unlike the Blue Ridge Parkway in Autumn, there will be no bumper to bumper traffic. Leave the fall crowds behind, and join the locals. Some Asheville residents would like to keep this a secret. With regional travel section newspaper coverage, the secret has been out for a long time. (Though many gave bad directions, or only directions for the less scenic and Tennessee oriented Cold Creek Road Approach through Harmon den) There is plenty room at the top for all of us. After all, it is National Forest landmark.

The old mountain communities that you travel through en route to and from Max Patch Bald are living and breathing, unlike their counterparts across the Pigeon River that were swallowed up or frozen in time by the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park so many years ago. In spite of the remote location, there are lots of fairly sophisticated, proud, honest, and independent people who live in these small communities. In many ways they are smarter than most city dwellers in their sheer wit and ability to cope with whatever nature gives them. They manage to eek out a lifestyle that is disappearing quickly throughout the mountains, though many suffer long commutes to jobs where they can actually earn a living for their families. A wave of the hand or a nod to passing cars is still the norm in these parts of the mountains. Remember that these communities largely stay the same because, as you will discover, they are on the “road less traveled by.”

Recipe for the perfect visit to Max Patch Bald: Pause near the summit. Turn very slowly in a complete circle. Lie down in the grass. Close your eyes for one full minute. Think about what you just saw. Take a really deep breath. Hold it. Slowly exhale. You will never forget it. Now Max Patch has become part of you too!