Took a few hours on July 4th to hike to the top of John Rock, above the fish hatchery in Pisgah National Forest, near Brevard NC. It was a great day. It was warm and humid, but not as bad as it will get in August. The trail by the creek was a bit of a mess, but once I started heading up hill, it cleared up nicely. If you are going to do this trail, plan to go early on holidays and weekends. It gets busy as the day progresses. Water along the trail is plentiful, and the fish hatchery has water as well.
Map for the loop that can be printed.
https://caltopo.com/m/UHTL