Tar Hollow South Loop

The trail as described starts after crossing a cement bridge at the spillway along a nice singletrack with a gentle ascent, which is very manageable. Make a left turn onto the "South Loop" at point "M" (if you end up at the fire tower you have missed your turn and can choose to hike the loop in the counterclockwise direction). After a couple of miles have passed, you begin a very aggressive descent of 300 feet downhill in about 0.2 miles. Mile 3.7 is the first road crossing you'll encounter, and the trail abruptly punishes you on the other side with a 390-foot climb with numerous switchbacks. Two more very hike-able miles pass and you start to descend again, however, not quite as steeply as the first descent. The final big climb begins at about mile 8.3 and goes up 300 more feet. You'll pass the fire tower at about mile 10 (camp bathrooms) where you'll begin the descent back to the spillway parking lot, repeating your first 1.5 miles.