fun moderate hike and it's cool that Obama hiked here but there were soooo many wasps and I got stung like 6 times >:(

After reading the reviews, I will venture to say that some people hiked on the Craven Gap to Haw Creek Valley trail, and others hiked on Craven Gap to Lane Pinnacle. Both are part of the Mountains to Sea Trail. Both trails can be accessed from the Blue Ridge Parkway, with pretty much the same name. I hiked on Craven Gap to Lane Pinnacle, which is the harder/steeper/longer of the two. This was a nice walk in the woods on a winter day. However, the BRP was RIGHT THERE and the trail parallels the BRP for the first almost 3 miles from the trailhead. Had there been a large volume of cars -- which there wasn't as the BRP was closed in certain places -- it would have been annoying. There were kind of views, because there were no leaves, but in the spring/summer/fall, there would not be views until you hit the 5ish mile mark/summit from the trailhead of Craven-Lane Pinnacle. We walked 2.4 miles in, and then turned around. I would say it was moderate difficulty -- ups and downs mostly, but nothing super steep. We did use hiking poles, which are always helpful (at least to us!) There are a few other access points to this trail (look closely at the map), but parking at those access points is 2-5 cars max. Also, wear sturdy shoes with traction, hiking shoes/boots/sandals - no flip flops. Tennis shoes would prob be okay. My advice on this hike: Make sure you are on the Craven Gap you want to be on.( If you check various hiking websites/apps, they will have detailed descriptions). Would I hike this trail again? The one that goes to Lane Pinnacle? Yes, but I would go early, access at about the 2.5 mile mark off of Old Creek Road (about 5 cars can park there), and walk the about 2 miles to the summit. I am sure from there you will have views. Also, by starting at the 2.5 mile mark, you quickly get away (both elevation-wise and distance-wise) from the BRP, and thus the road noise.

Very relaxing. Occasionally you can hear car noise but it's a nice hike of moderate difficulty. Scenic with well defined trails and was not too crowded.

this is an easy trail, but I am so glad there were a couple places where steps were built in and one or two handrails to avoid slipping and falling. The trail is really beautiful and in late April, yes, you can see some vistas. The detraction was the near-constant road noise from the parkway below and i was hoping for more peace and quiet. The parking area is not marked where the trail begins, which is where the wooden steps are.

We got in about a quarter of a mile and met up with about 6 people heading back. Apparently the spotted a small black bear another quarter mile ahead. Where there's baby bear, mama bear isn't far behind. So we turned back. I noted many different butterflies along the trail .It was mid-August.