Great Smoky Mountains: Clingman’s Dome, Andrew’s Bald & Mountain Layers Brewing

March 27, 2023hikesandhopsblog Leave a comment

Bryce City, NC

Okay finally getting around to sharing one of our Hike n Hops from Sep ‘22 trip to the Great Smoky Mountains! Although we didn’t get to spend as much time as I wanted here, we did do this awesome hike that included the iconic 360 view from Clingmans Dome. Then we did a trek along Andrew’s Bald, which took us through incredibly lush forests. After exploring more of the park, we ended our day at Mountain Layers Brewing in Bryson City!

THE HIKE: Clingmans Dome & Andrews Bald Trail

Length: 4.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 1100 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Time: 2.5 hours
Trail use: Hiking Only
Parking: Large lot at trailhead with pit toilets
H&H: 5/5

Clocking in at just over 6,600 ft tall, Clingmans Dome is the tallest point in Great Smoky Mountains National Park! It’s a popular spot for visitors, who, after a heart-pumping climb to the top, can see up to 100 miles on a clear day. You can access Clingmans Dome by taking the Clingmans Dome Access road at about MM 15 on Newfound Gap road (the main scenic byway linking Gatlinburg, TN to Cherokee, NC). This is a very popular area of the park so be prepared for traffic and crowds! We aimed to start our day at this point so we could beat the crowds! After parking at the trailhead, there’s a paved path up to the viewing tower. But don’t let the pavement trick you, it’s an incredibly steep hike and we had to stop and catch our breath a few times. The view from the Dome absolutely makes it all worth it though! It was fairly cloudy when we first arrived but thankfully a cool breeze moved some of the clouds away and we got some stunning views of the woods.

PRO-TIP:
Always bring extra layers when going to Great Smoky National Park! The weather can be much cooler than expected!

After the Dome, a friendly ranger convinced us to check out a side trail to Andrews Bald. We’re so glad that we took this advice since it ended up being one of our favorite parts of the trip. We had the trail nearly to ourselves and couldn’t believe the amount of plant life in the overgrowth! The unique climate of GSMNP makes it flush with mushrooms and moisture-loving critters. In fact, the Mountains are known as the salamander capital of the world since more than 30 distinct species of salamanders can be found there! The Great Smokies are also known and beloved for their black bear population but sadly we didn’t see any on this trip!

So you might be wondering, what the heck is a bald? Grassy balds are treeless, grassy meadows that occur below timberline and mostly on ridgetops in the southern Appalachian Mountains. The really cool thing about them is no one is really sure where they came from. These areas are incredible to experience though because one minute you’ll be hiking through dense tree coverage and then suddenly it opens to a grassy field with vistas of the surrounding mountains. We sat with the majesty of Andrew’s Bald for a while, especially since we had the place to ourselves. It was the perfect spot to relax and even a little bird friend wanted to say hi! But for the most part, I think I’ll just let the pictures of this awesome trail speak for itself!

THE BEER: Mountain Layers Brewing Company

Address: 90 Everett St, Bryson City, NC 28713
Distance from Trail Head: 30 miles, 50 mins
Website: http://www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com
Food?: Food Trucks
Details: Outdoor seating, dog friendly outside

After a day full of hiking, beautiful vistas, stunning waterfalls, and many granola bars, we were ready for a brew! Honestly sometimes doing a Hike n Hop can be pretty difficult in a National Park because you have to go to the nearest city which can be quite a drive! For our trip, we were staying in Asheville and knew that we wanted to head back along the Blue Ridge Parkway, so a stop in Bryson City seemed like a plan!

Mountain Layers Brewing Company has been a local establishment in Bryson City since 2014. They pride themselves on making fresh delicious beer and being a welcoming spot for the community and visitors alike! Their location has a small front taproom inside or a sprawling roof patio. They also frequently have rotating food trucks for all of your post hike needs! Having visited in mid September, we were happy to see some fall beers on the tap list and really enjoyed the Oktoberfest! The folks at Mountain Layers were incredibly friendly and I’m so glad that we chose this spot to fuel up before our long drive back to Asheville!

Our Beer:

Oktoberfest – Amber Layer – 5.9%
Fontana Hoppiness – IPA – 6.5%
Elk Watch Stout – Irish Dry Stout – 5.6%
Dragon Tamer – NEIPA – 5.8%
Wee Be Heavy – Scotch Ale – 6.5%
Prickly Pear – Gose – 4.3%

Stay tuned for more of our Great Smoky Mountain NP and Asheville trip!

Emerald View Trail & Inner Groove Brewing (Allentown)

March 12, 2023March 16, 2025hikesandhopsblog 2 Comments

Mt. Washington, PA

This loop is the best of urban hiking! It starts out on the wooded Emerald View trail, meandering around Mt. Washington then pops you out right at the overlook! From there, enjoy walking along Grandview Ave and then back through the historic neighbors of Mt. Washington. If you’re feeling extra frisky, you can even continue along the Grandview park section of the Emerald View trail. Or stop for a rest and treat at the Shiloh Street shops! The world is your oyster with this one. One big recommendation though is to end your excursion with a visit to Inner Groove’s Allentown taproom! They’ve got awesome beer, bar games, and an outdoor patio. What more could you want?

THE HIKE: Emerald View Loop

Length: 5 miles
Elevation Gain: 660 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Time: 2 hours
Trail use: Hiking, Biking, Leashed pets
Parking: Various parking lots and street parking
H&H: 3/5

As much as I love visiting state parks with acres and acres of untouched greenery, there’s also something to be said for our local CitiParks which are doing a lot with the little bits of greenspace they can find! One of my new favorites has been the Emerald View trail on Mt. Washington. I used to see the signs for trail crossings on my commute home from work and always wondered about where it could lead. Well, it was time to finally find out!

Emerald View Park is one of the many green spaces maintained by the City of Pittsburgh Citiparks and their dedicated group of rangers. This park encompasses over 250 acres on Mt. Washington and is a successful story of restoration. In Pittsburgh’s early days, Mt. Washington was heavily mined for soft coal, so much that it became known as Coal Hill. In the 1930s, access to the housing communities on Mt. Washington was created, including some of Pittsburgh’s well-known streets like McArdle, Shiloh, and Grandview. Into the 1970s, the City took greater strides to regulate mining and to take advantage of the beautiful view. The scenic overlooks were built and groups started to advocate for the restoration of the area. Finally in 2007, the park was named as a regional park!

This is such a great park system because there are beautiful wooded areas right in the midst of an urban neighborhood, then suddenly you come out to that iconic view of Pittsburgh! We started our trek by parking at Olympia Park and heading right into the woods at the end of Hallock Street. We stayed on the Emerald View Trail, although there are several other offshoot trails and neighborhood access points. I really loved this section of the trail because we were able to be in such a little slice of nature while also looking out over the hills to see the highways and iconic Pittsburgh neighborhoods. As you start into the big turn to head towards Mt. Washington and the overlooks, you’ll encounter the steepest parts of this hike. It can’t be Pittsburgh without some inclines! Finally, the Emerald View Trail pops out right on Grandview Ave by the Point of View Sculpture (Jim West, 2006). From there, the trail became more of an urban walk as we stopped at the Duquesne Incline and the various overlook spots. My favorite viewpoint is by the St. Mary of the Mount Church! We continued on Grandview Ave until we reached the Monogahela Incline, then started to make our way back towards Olympia Park. This was about a 5 mile loop. If you were looking for more, you could also add in the 2 mile loop in Grandview Park! Or if you want to avoid sidewalks, you could turn around at the Point of View sculpture and retrace your steps back along the Emerald View Trail.

This was a great hike to explore our city a bit more and also to appreciate the wonderful greenspaces that exist in the city limits. This park has definitely inspired me to check out more of the City’s regional and neighborhood parks! Do you have a favorite?

THE BEER: Inner Groove Brewing

Address: 827 E Warrington Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15210
Distance from Trail Head: 2 miles, 8 mins
Website: https://www.innergroovebrewing.com/
Food?: BYOF or takeout
Details: Outdoor seating, dog friendly outside

Inner Groove is a microbrewery based out of Verona, which is quite a trek for me! So I was excited when they opened a taproom in the City of Pittsburgh up in the Allentown neighborhood of Mt. Washington. This taproom opened in May 2022 and boasts a large taproom and nice outdoor side patio. Although they don’t have a kitchen, there are plenty of great places to grab a bite in Allentown. Plus, that also means their outside patio is dog friendly, as I brought a furry friend with me the first time we visited and sat outside! In addition to a large selection of their own beers, they also have local wine and a selection of cocktails.

Inner Groove has been a staple in the small borough of Verona since 2019 when two couples finally realized their dream of opening a brewery together. Inner Groove is known for unique styles and flavors and always has a broad range of beers on tap. As a nod to their name, most of their beers are also inspired by music and feature a music lyric in their names. I love how witty some of them are!

Inner Groove is a great addition to the Allentown neighborhood and I’m so glad that we have another brewery in our area! Be aware that parking is limited and the small lot off E. Warrington Ave can be a little challenging to pull into.

Our Beer:

Stout Stout – American Stout – 8.5%
Domo – NEIPA – 6.5%
Boysen Da Hood – Fruited Sour – 5.3%
Daytime Campfire – Smores Stout – 8%
Tin Roof – Irish Red – 5.4%

Updated March 16, 2025

Looking for more Hikes & Hops in the city? Check out Frick Park & East End Brewing, Riverview Park & Late Addition Brewing + Blending, or Allegheny Cementery & Coven Brewing.

Looking for more adventures in Pennsylvania and beyond? Check out my new book: Beer Hiking Pennsylvania and New Jersey

Nature Nugget – Spotted Lanternfly Egg Masses

March 9, 2023hikesandhopsblog 1 Comment

Popping on with my first Nature Nugget in ages! As I’m sure a lot of you are aware, the Spotted Lanternfly is an invasive species that has spread across the United States. Currently, many counties in Western Pennsylvania are under a quarantine in order to mitigate the further spread of this harmful creature. You may have seen a lot of ads and billboard talking about squishing these bugs. It may seem harsh, but these swarming bugs cause serious damage to plants. Because of this, they have been labeled a “plant stressor” in that they will contribute to the “long-term weakening of established plants and trees”. These bugs are particularly harmful in the agriculture industry which is why everyone can help slow the spread of them!

*https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-what-to-look-for*

.Spotted Lanternflies are dormant right now, BUT there is still something you can do to help eradicate them. Whenever you’re out hiking or walking around your neighborhood, keep an eye out for egg masses. The Spotted Lanternfly lays egg masses in September to November which will then hatch in late April to June. Each one of these egg masses can contain 30-50 individual eggs. Ugh! Egg masses are typically found on trees, near the base but can also be found on other smooth surfaces like buildings or concrete. Especially on trees, they might be hiding in the ridges between bark.

We got together with some other nature lovers last weekend to Smash and Trash the Spotted Lanternfly. We learned from rangers and an entomologist how to identify the egg masses and how to squish them so the eggs cannot hatch. In just over an hour, our small but mighty team managed to squash over 30,000 eggs! I’m definitely going to be keeping my eyes open for these masses as I take more hikes these Spring. Every little bit helps to eradicate this invasive species!

Please note that PennState Extension is still requesting that all sightings of Lanternflies be reported! This information is incredibly helpful in gathering data about the spread of these pesky critters.

Resources:

https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly

https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Plants_Land_Water/PlantIndustry/Entomology/spotted_lanternfly/quarantine/Pages/default.aspx

https://extension.psu.edu/how-to-remove-spotted-lanternfly-eggs

https://dof.virginia.gov/spotted-lanternfly-egg-mass-scouting-diy/

Hell’s Hollow – McConnells Mill SP & ShuBrew

February 27, 2023March 9, 2025hikesandhopsblog 5 Comments

Portersville, PA

McConnell’s Mill State Park is a perfect day trip from Pittsburgh! It’s only about an hour north of the city and is a great nature retreat. You can visit the popular old gristmill and covered bridge or follow the more secluded North Country Trail along the creek. On this visit, we started out with the easy Hell’s Hollow hike to see the beautiful waterfall and then did a nice out and back section of the Slippery Rock Gorge Trail. Afterward, we headed back toward town and stopped in the lovely town of Zelienople for dinner and a brew at Shubrew. We’ve been spoiled with such a mild winter and that means getting outside as much as we can!

Looking for more adventures in Pennsylvania and beyond? Check out my new book: Beer Hiking Pennsylvania and New Jersey

THE HIKE: Hell’s Hollow & Slippery Rock Gorge Trail (NCT)

Length: 6.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 720 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Time: 2.5 hours
Trail use: Hiking, trail running, leashed pets
Parking: Large lot with port-a-potty
H&H: 4/5

McConnells Mill State Park is located in Portersville, PA in Lawrence County and encompasses over 2,500 acres of land. It included the Slippery Rock Creek Gorge, a National Natural Landmark. The unique landscape around the gorge was formed by glacial runoff thousands of years ago, leaving behind boulders and beautiful waterfalls. This is one of those places that’s hard to believe is in Western Pennsylvania!

Hell’s Hollow is a particularly beautiful section of the state park. Despite its name, it’s an easy 0.5 mile, flat trail to view the waterfall. The area’s name actually comes from the nearby old lime kilns that locals thought looked like portals to hell in the nighttime. I highly recommend starting out by checking out Hell’s Hollow and then venturing onto the Slippery Rock Gorge Trail. There’s a lot of parking at the trailhead, although I imagine that this fills up quickly on a nice summer day! To get to Hell’s Hollow, bear to the right and follow the well-marked trail. It’s a simple in and out that follows along a babbling creek. You do have to come most of the way back before you get on the Slippery Rock Gorge trail.

The bulk of our hike was along the Slippery Rock Gorge trail which is also part of the North Country Scenic trail. If you have two cars, I think it would be awesome to leave one car at the main McConnell’s Mill parking lot so that you could do the whole 7.5 mile trek from Hell’s Hollow to the Gristmill. Unfortunately, we just weren’t up for a 15 miles round trip! This hike is definitely a moderate hike with a lot of ups and down and some rocky spots. We found it to be particularly challenging to walk in some of the muddy spots. The joys of winter hiking is that the sunny side of the hill is mushy and the shaded side is still icy! This is a hike that I would recommend crampons in during wintery weather and hiking poles if you’d like some extra balance.

If you have time, be sure to visit the main section of McConnell’s Mill as well! The Kildoo Trail is a particular favorite of mine and is just around 2 miles. Be sure to see the historic gristmill and the covered bridge, both of which were recently featured in the Netflix movie The Pale Blue Eye

THE BEER: ShuBrew

Address: 205 S Main St, Zelienople, PA 16063
Distance from Trail Head: 14.6 miles, 26 mins
Website: http://shubrew.com/
Food?: Full Menu
Details: Rooftop Seating, dog friendly outside

Shubrew has been a staple of Zelienople since it first opened in 2013. It offers a nice (delicious!) menu as well as a large list of house-made brews. And if beer isn’t your thing, they also offer a wide selection of cocktails and wine! Subrew has grown quite a bit since their early days 10 years ago. Now, they operate a brewing facility in nearby Harmony, which allows them to brew a lot more and save space in their taproom for more seating! The owners of ShuBrew also operate General Shu’s (located just across the street) which features fast-casual Chinese food as well as a selection of ShuBrew beers! The taproom also features a full menu with some nods to Chinese influenced food, as well as more traditional pub fare. We don’t usually eat out at breweries, but we made an exception for the pulled pork nachos and they were heavenly!

ShuBrew is definitely one of those places we will make a trip to visit and I know we’ll be back again soon! We’d like to visit again in warmer months to sit on the rooftop deck!

Other great spots in the area: The Harmony In (North Country Brewing), Union Brothers Brewing, Burgh’ers Brewery

Our Beer: