Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy

History. Art. And the Great Outdoors.

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Walking With Bartram: Section 1 – Sandy Ford to Russell Bridge

October 28th, 2022

Trail report:

This group for the first section hike of another Walking With Bartram journey thoroughly enjoyed the autumn views along the way. We met at Russell Bridge on HWY 28 for quick introductions and shuttle planning, then off we went to Sandy Ford. Easier day of shuttling this way.

Plenty of parking for this group and just before 10am, we were gathered around at the trailhead for a reading from Bartram’s Travels from Brent Martin.

TRAILHEAD NOTE: The road up to the Sandy Ford trailhead is mostly traversable by all vehicles. There is a creek crossing (Upper Dick’s Creek) that everyone successfully navigated, even a Mazda Miata! Please use caution when crossing this creek!

The weather was near perfect warming up from the 40’s to near 70 degrees in the middle of the day. Plenty of sun and just the right amount of wispy clouds created great viewing opportunities along the trail sharing the Chattooga River corridor.

We hiked at our own pace, stopping occasionally for a little Bartram story to be woven into the day. Lunch at Earls Ford provided a great sound of flowing water as a backdrop while folks chatted over their snacks.

Most of the trail was in really great condition with some recent volunteer work recently completed. With the exception of the Dick’s Creek Bridge being out for some time, all other creek and river crossings were in great shape.

Enjoy the photos and if you’re interested in joining us for the next hike in November, please visit this link to RSVP. We did have a record turn-out for this one and if there is a demand for it, we’ll figure out how to offer another outing!

We look forward to seeing you on the trail!

Photo Gallery

Dicks Creek Falls near the Bartram Trail
Looking down the Chattooga River just below Dicks Creek Falls.
View from top of Dicks Creek Falls looking upstream
A break in the trees opened a view down the Chattooga River
View from top of Dicks Creek Falls
Brent Martin telling a Bartram story while on the trail
Looking at the confluence of the Chattooga River just below Dicks Creek Falls.
Quiet section of the river
Horseback riders approaching Earls Ford crossing
Walking with Bartram hikers on the trail
Walking with Bartram hiker on the trail
Walking With Bartram hikers on section 1, October 28, 2022
Looking up the West Fork of the Chattooga River from the steel bridge
Confluence of West Fork and Chattooga Rivers
Philip at the Russell Bridge Trailhead

October 31st: Bartram Trail Hiking Map Release Party!

Here’s one a lot of y’all have been waiting on for a hot minute, the release of our updated Bartram Trail Hiking Maps! Our friends at Outdoor 76 in Clayton are allowing us to set up camp in the store for a bit on Halloween, October 31st from 4pm to 7pm, to celebrate the release of our new Hiking Map of Georgia’s Bartram Trail and our updated Hiking Map of North Carolina’s Bartram Trail.

Brent Martin, our Executive Director, William Bartram Author, Historian, and Botanist will be there to chat with you and answer questions. Maybe even get yours signed!

While the maps may be ready for sale online ahead of this event, we would love to see you at Outdoor 76 to purchase your new Bartram Trail Hiking Map. We will also have Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy items available for a modest donation. All proceeds from the sale of these maps and other BRBTC items go towards funding trail maintenance projects along the 110 miles of the Bartram Trail.

If you think you will swing by, please RSVP below to help us plan. But, feel free to swing by if you happen to be in the area.

We hope to see you there or on the trail!

Trail Report for Week of October 10th, 2022

Summary of trail conditions, trail maintenance, and other information about the Bartram Trail.

This post is our first trail report with a goal of publishing any and all information pertaining to the trail that we receive from hikers, members, and from our own volunteer work days.

If you are out on the trail and see something that needs to be addressed, like a tree down across the trail, muddy section, or potential hazards, please let us know by submitting a trail observation report. We review and prioritize all reports we receive and assign trail work days to address them.

New Trail Observations for week of October 10th through 16nd:

  • Date: 10/12/2022
  • Source: Member(s)
  • Section: Rabun Bald (GA)
  • Observations: As part of assistance to prepare for the Sky to Summit trail race, scheduled for 11/5, members and volunteers were out on the stretch of trail connecting to Rabun Bald and a connector trail down to Hale Ridge Road. Other than the tricky and steep rock descent directly off of Rabun Bald, this trail is looking great. We didn’t encounter any significant issues from Beegum Gap up to Rabun Bald. On the way down, minimal cutting back of overgrowth, some minor brushing, and some clearing of water diversions was completed.
  • Date: 10/15/2022
  • Source: Member(s)
  • Section: Warwoman Dell to Hale Ridge Road (GA)
  • Observations: Trail was cleared of brush from the Warwoman Dell parking area up just past Becky Branch Falls.
  • Date: 10/16/2022
  • Source: Member(s)
  • Section: Jones Gap to Osage Overlook (NC)
  • Observations: This section looks good overall with the exception of a few blowdowns across the trail. Most are easily stepped over and are less than 16″ in diameter, but there is one tangle of a tree that is not easily passable, located about 1 mile from Jones Gap. It is located near the end of a switchback, so hikers can go down/up the short distance to connect back with the trail. This blowdown will need chainsaw work to remove. The primary water source along this section is at the Tessentee campsite along the short forest road section between Jones Gap and Scaly Mountain. This section has had a lot of great work done on it since this summer with a long section of new tread, stone and wood steps, and much easier steps to take.

Walking With Bartram: Next series of section hikes

The Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy is starting its next series of Walking With Bartram section hikes. The next series will begin on October 28, 2022 and continue each last Friday of the month. We will be starting at the Russell Bridge / HWY 28 trailhead, in Georgia, for our first hike in October. This section takes us to Sandy Ford Gap.

The last series comprised of 16 monthly section hikes and 1 river paddle. The schedule below is our plan, but depending on the weather and other conditions, we’ll modify each hike as needed. We try to make the hikes as enjoyable and at an appropriate skill level for the group. We may decide to reverse the direction of a section to alleviate too much elevation change. We may split longer sections into two separate hikes. We hike at our own pace, whatever that may be!

New for this Series

Notably, for this upcoming series, we should be able to hike the proposed re-routes of the Bartram Trail from Hickory Knoll Road to Trimont Ridge. These new routes will eliminate a portion of the “road-walk” that many hikers skip. The lower portion of the re-routes are nearly finalized. The recent purchase of a large tract of land by the Town of Franklin will make the Little Tennessee Greenway route a reality in the near future.

Additionally, the Forest Service has also sent their letter of support for the Trimont Ridge approach. Our partners at Mainspring Conservation Trust, the Town Of Franklin, NC Department Of Transportation, and others are working to make this happen.

If you’re looking to join us for any or all of these upcoming hikes, we’d love to have you along. The Georgia section hikes are posted now, here on our website. Please RSVP if you’re ready to hike, or reach out to us for more details.

Walking With Bartram hike schedule:

Section 1: Russell Bridge to Sandy Ford

  • 9.5 miles in Georgia
  • Date: October 28, 2022
  • Time: 9am to 5pm
  • More information about this section
  • RSVP

Section 2: Sandy Ford to Warwoman Dell

  • 9.3 miles in Georgia
  • Date: November 28, 2022
  • Time: 9am to 5pm
  • More information about this section
  • RSVP

Section 3: Warwoman Dell to Wilson Gap

  • 8.5 miles in Georgia
  • Date: December 28, 2022
  • Time: 9am to 5pm
  • More information about this section
  • RSVP

Section 4: Wilson Gap to GA/NC Border Near Hale Ridge Road

  • 9.2 miles in Georgia
  • Date: January 25, 2023
  • Time: 9am to 5pm
  • More information about this section
  • RSVP

Section 5: Hale Ridge Road to Jones Gap

  • 10.8 miles in North Carolina
  • Date: February 24, 2023
  • Time: 9am to 5pm
  • More information about this section
  • RSVP

Section 6: Jones Gap to Hickory Knoll Road

  • 9.6 miles in North Carolina
  • Date: March 31, 2023
  • Time: 9am to 5pm
  • More information about this section
  • RSVP

Section 7: Road Walk from Hickory Knoll Road to Wallace Branch

  • 10 miles in North Carolina
  • Date: April 28, 2023
  • Time: 9am to 5pm
  • More information about this section
  • RSVP

Section 8 – Wallace Branch to Wayah Bald

  • 10.8 miles in North Carolina
  • Date: May 26, 2023
  • Time: 9am to 5pm
  • More information about this section
  • RSVP

Section 9 – Wayah Bald to Nantahala Lake

  • 8.0 miles in North Carolina
  • Date: June 30, 2023
  • Time: 9am to 5pm
  • More information about this section
  • RSVP

Section 10 – Nantahala Lake to Appletree Group Camp

  • 4.9 miles in North Carolina
  • Date: July 28, 2023
  • Time: 9am to 5pm
  • More information about this section
  • RSVP

Section 11 – Appletree Group Camp to Winding Stairs Parking Area

  • 12.4 miles in North Carolina
  • Date: August 25, 2023
  • Time: 9am to 5pm
  • More information about this section
  • RSVP

Section 12 – Winding Stairs Parking Area to Cheoah Bald

  • 5.1 miles in North Carolina
  • Date: September 29, 2023
  • Time: 9am to 5pm
  • More information about this section
  • RSVP

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