Exploring the ghost town of Lost Cove
I’m lucky enough to live in an amazingly beautiful place full of rich history and more hiking trails than I could cover in a lifetime. One of my favorite things in the entire world to do is explore the Blue Ridge Mountains that surround my home of Asheville, NC. That’s why I was SO excited when a colleague of mine recently told me about this little abandoned ghost town in the middle of Pisgah National Forest about an hour outside of Asheville called Lost Cove.
It took a lot of searching to find directions I felt were truly precise, as you have to hike down a mountain over 2 miles to find the place. Not only that, but the main gravel road leading to the start of the hike was closed during my exploration yesterday, adding 2 miles each way to the trip…on foot.
The drive out there alone through some serious backwoods was fascinating. There were more abandoned structures than inhabited ones. Like these…
There’s a feeling you get driving through a ghost town that is unlike anything else. You just imagine the history…I always think I can almost feel it.
I was so excited to get into Lost Cove that I didn’t care about the extra 4 miles I had to walk because of the closed road.
It took a little over two hours from the time I parked my car to get into Lost Cove, but when you’re seeing sights like this, it’s no bother…
It was a steep, rocky climb almost the entire way, but it was worth it to walk into this, literally miles into the woods where there are no roads…
Originally established during the Civil War, the thing that’s truly amazing about this place is that so much is really untouched, aside from what vandals have written on or carved into this one remaining building. You can walk these woods and literally find all kinds of artifacts – mattress frames, metal mattress springs, roofing, washing tubs, and especially lots of things pertaining to moonshine (one of the town’s main sources of income) scattered through the woods.
At it’s peak, there were 13 homes, a sawmill, several barns and storage facilities, and a combined church/school in the community. Many of the buildings remained far beyond the last family left in 1957 until ten years ago when fires swept the forest.
If you keep exploring, you find one amazing site after another…
Chimney and fireplace standing in the middle of the woods.
1938 pickup truck still stuck in a ditch, parked in front of where the owner’s home once stood (his fireplace pictured above).
Car motor sitting in a the brush.
Oven near where a home once stood.
Cemetery where family members of the three families who lived in Lost Cove are buried.
According to my phone, I took 26,732 steps (10.5 miles) and climbed 106 floors yesterday. I can’t emphasize how steep about 45% of this hike was, but I felt so accomplished for having done it! This place is truly worth venturing to…I’m truly in awe of it, and I will definitely be back.
I think exploring ghost towns (and the woods in general) will always fascinate me. I feel so alive when I do these things!
So I’m curious, what makes you feel invigorated and alive?
Totallllyyyyyy switching gears here…
Just a reminder that I have my 4 week challenge starting a week from today! I’ve got about a dozen ladies signed up already. This one is going to be WAY different from the reset program I ran last month. And this time, there’s a cash prize up for grabs, in addition to creating new, fitter, leaner bodies!
You can check out all the details and sign up by clicking here! If you have questions, let me know.
I hope you enjoyed the photos! Have a phenomenal week!
