Distance: ~12
The Brushy Mountain trail begins from the Porters Creek Trail in the Greenbrier area of the park. The first mile of the Porters Creek trail is a gravel road which passes many historical sites. Look for the post about Porters Creek for the details. At the end of the 1st mile, the Brushy Mountain trail leaves Porters Creek.
From this intersection, the signpost indicated that it was 4.5 miles to Trillium Gap.
The 1st section of the trail was through a hardwood forest with many colorful trees.
After a total of 5.5 miles, the trail meets the Trillium Gap trail which goes to Mt Leconte. I sat here for lunch before walking the last 0.4 miles to the summit.
The peak of Brushy Mountain is a Heath Bald. The trail winds through the bushes which are over head height most of the time.
However there are several overlooks which give great views of both the park, and areas outside the park.
This was a strenuous hike due to the elevation rise (3000'). The rise is steady and while it is tiring, I didn't find the need to stop to rest often. It did offer awesome views at the summit and many beautiful forest scenes along the way.
Start time: 9:40am
Trillium Gap: 12:00
Back to Car: 2:25pm
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