The iconic Art Loeb Trail was dedicated in November 1969 in honor of avid hiker and Carolina Mountain Club member Arthur J. Loeb. It’s a beloved and heavily-used trail for day hikers and backpackers alike.
This particular section of the Art Loeb Trail between Ivestor Gap and Tennent Mountain was suffering from severe erosion, degradation, and many areas that were prone to standing water. In areas where trail erosion and degradation were the most severe, hikers were seeking alternate routes around the original trail which was causing the trail corridor to widen.
To address these issues, the TPC Trail Crew designed and constructed Black locust step structures to re-establish proper grade on the trail. Each set of box steps was equipped with a waterbar and joined by a grade dip (drain) to ensure that moving water would be pushed off of the trail.
In addition to box steps, check steps were installed in other areas along this section of trail where complex step structures were not necessary. All of the step structures were filled in and tamped with gravel that was hauled in by TPC’s UTV, CanyCom, and crew trucks.
These improvements restored the trail to grade level, will mitigate future erosion, and will allow for needed drainage on this beautiful high-country trail.
- Approximately 0.3 miles of trail improved
- Approximately 9 black locust box step structures installed
- Many individual check steps installed
- Approximately 5 individual waterbars installed
