Jonas Ridge

Jonas Ridge is along the east side of Linville Gorge in the Pisgah National Forest. There are several peaks along the ridge: Gingercake Mountain, Sitting Bear Mountain, Hawksbill Mountain, and Table Rock Mountain. You can hike to all of these and experience some amazing views!

The Jonas Ridge Trail goes to Gingercake Mountain and Sitting Bear Mountain. This is an easy, mostly flat hike. There are not many views along the way, but if you walk through the campsite on Sitting Bear Mountain (off the trail to the left), the trees open up and there’s a great view. The trail seems to continue southward to Hawksbill Mountain, but I haven’t tried this myself.

The Hawksbill Mountain Trail off of Table Rock Road goes directly to Hawksbill Mountain. This a fairly strenous climb, but it is relatively short and offers exceptional 360 degree views. When you reach the top you can go left or right. To the left you can climb down along the ridge and see various views of the gorge. To the right is the summit where you can see all around.

The Table Rock Summit Trail, also off of Table Rock Road, goes to Table Rock Mountain.

These trailheads all begin from unpaved roads. Coming from the north, from highway 181, the first trailhead you’ll reach is Jonas Ridge Trail (35.940426, -81.887879). You’ll need to drive through the Gingercake Acres neighboorhood, which is unpaved. The parking area is very small, and the last part of road is very rough. I parked in the neighborhood and walked up the last bit of road. To get to the Hawksbill Mountain Trail (35.91465, -81.87838) you’ll drive down Table Rock Road, which is also unpaved. There is some parking space at the Hawksbill Mountain Trail, but on the day I visited most cars had to park along the side of the road. The Table Rock Summit Trail (35.88693, -81.88496) is another 5 miles or so south on Table Rock Road.

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