Lover's Leap Hiking Trail

Pretty easy hike. There's a little bit of an elevation gain. We had an issue with parking and signage. We use AllTrails app and it took us to park where there's a put in point for the river and it was packed. Didn't get a spot there and realized later there was a sign that indicated there was additional parking up the road, however, the sign was down. We took the loop clockwise from the "upper" parking area for lack of better clarification. In my opinion, it seemed to be easier than the counterclockwise option. There was a pretty good incline but it wasn't incredibly rocky and it was shaded for the most part. If you chose the counterclockwise option, there were more rocks/steps and switchbacks and the tree cover wasn't as great. The view from Lover's Leap was pretty and it's a nice spot to enjoy a snack and drink to recharge. The hike down is super easy. My advice, get there early if you're planning to travel on a busy weekend.

Trekking poles recommended. This climb can be steep. We, there were four of us , hiked the loop counter clockwise. Judging by the slope going down it was easier climbing the way we went. The trail starts along the river and you get the sound of water over the shoals before numerous switchbacks take you up fairly steep inclines to the top. There are a few nice lookouts to view the scenery before making your way back down . The descent seemed very steep. I had to make sure my foot was well planted before taking a step. I began with a heel to toe stride but the steepness of the slope had my heel slip a few times. Thanks to the clouds breaking up we had a nice view from the outlooks. We enjoyed our hike very much. The trail did not seem muddy at all even though there was some rain in the area in the morning.

The town of hot springs is a nice place to visit. But the hurricane Helen from last year took alot of suffering out so they are in the process of rebuilding alot of the stuff they had. They had small cabins you could rent. You could stay at the resort that also have private hot tubs that the natural springs filled up ab so relaxing. They are working on rebuilding them . Nice store that cooks food an has groceries an all kinds of neat stuff there was a few restaurants there but I think they are rebuilding then aswell . They have hiking trails. I think they have a rafting company too. But hopefully they will get everything rebuilt. My photo is where we was doing some work there

Awesome views of Hot Springs. Be sure to keep hiking to find additional out crops with other vantage points. Some are scarier than others. We actually hiked up silvermine creek to pump gap and then came back down the AT to lovers leap and made a 4.5 mile loop and we were thankful we didn’t have to climb up the river side of this trail. Only down it. You could also loop it the same direction by just starting from silvermine creek and taking the lovers leap trail from there.

A very fun and rewarding hike. It’s a steep trail but not too difficult. The views are beautiful and the outdoor air feels great. It’s a little tricky to get to the parking because the bridge is currently under construction. You have to actually go on a road that goes under the bridge. It looks like an active construction area but the road is still open.