Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy

History. Art. And the Great Outdoors.

western north carolina

March 28th Walking with Bartram

It’s about time to tie a bow on our complete section hike of the Bartram Trail. We’re going to start at the northern terminus (Cheoah Bald) and hike the 8.5 miles back to Beechertown. This section has some very steep downhill sections, but will be freshly maintained by the time we are there.

Join us for this finale to a great year of section hiking the BT. But don’t fret if you still have sections of the trail you want to do with us- we’ll be starting all over in Georgia this spring!

Please RSVP if you’d like to come. We’ll meet at Beechertown parking area at 9am and shuttle to the top. Please reach out if you would like to carpool from Franklin.

January 31st Walking with Bartram – Lake Nantahala to Appletree Campground

This month we’re picking up our complete section of the Bartram Trail at Lake Nantahala and heading to Appletree Campground. This is a roughly 6 mile hike that follows old road beds and skirts the upper gorge for spectacular views of the lake and the river.

We encourage anyone to come and join us! This is an approachable section that will transect some of the most beautiful mountains and rivers of western North Carolina.

Please RSVP below if you are interested. We will meet at 9am at Appletree group campground to organize a shuttle.

Happy Trails!

December 27th Walking with Bartram

This month we’ll be hiking into one of the most remote areas of the Bartram Trail, through the estimable Nantahala National Forest between Wayah Bald and Nantahala Lake. There is a chance that Bartram himself stood atop of Wayah Bald when he described the “most elevated peak” of the Jore mountains. Of course, Lake Nantahala didn’t exist at the time, but the “mountains piled upon mountains” that Bartram reverently expounded on are much the same.

This is a 7.4 mile hike that descends, sometimes very steeply, towards the lake. Be prepared for very cold weather, ice, and an early sunset! We will meet at the Bartram Trail Parking area at Lake Nantahala at 9am and then shuttle to Wayah Bald from there.

Looking forward to seeing y’all there!

Bartram Awe Walk – Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest

Come walk beneath the giants. We will be sauntering alongside the eldest Poplars and Buckeyes of Appalachia in the old growth of Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest.

This won’t be a super long hike, but be prepared to be on the trail, and potentially in some cold weather.

Plan to meet at the Cowee School at 8am, and we’ll carpool out to the forest. The drive will be over an hour from the Cowee School.

We’ll get to see some really impressive virgin forest and talk about this region’s natural history and winter tree ID.

Please RSVP if you’re interested in coming. We hope to see you there!

 

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