Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy

History. Art. And the Great Outdoors.

western north carolina

Walking with Bartram: Jones Gap to Hickory Knoll Road

Join us this month as we traverse the Fishhawk range to hike from Jones Gap to Hickory Knoll Road on the Bartram Trail. This 9.6 mile hike will lead us through stunning terrain and views of Whiterock Mountain, and will go through botanically unique areas of “montane cedar glades”.

We’ll be meeting at 9am at the Hickory Knoll Road Trailhead and shuttling from there to Jones Gap.

Come prepared to be outside in the heat of the summer all day, and ready to observe and appreciate the surrounding nature.

Please RSVP below if you’d like to join us, and feel free to email us if you would like to be put on a waitlist.

 

June 28th Walking with Bartram – Full

This hike is full this month, Check again to join our hike next month!

It’s time for Section 5 of Walking with Bartram, and the first stretch of the trail in North Carolina. This is a strenuous section, with a lot of elevation gain over 10.8 miles, but with spectacular geologic features and views from Jones Gap, Scaly Mountain, and Osage Overlook.

We’ll meet at the trailhead on Hale Ridge Rd at 9am and shuttle to Jones Gap to hike Southbound back Hale Ridge. 

We hope you’ll join us and experience this unique section of the trail. Come ready to observe, hike, and immerse in nature for the whole day.

This hike is limited to 14 people to minimize impact and keep logistics manageable.

If you are interested in leading hikes on or off the Bartram Trail in the future, let us know!

Register here

April 21st: Jones Gap to Whiterock Mountain

Spring wildflowers, a wildlife meadow, and views are highlights of this moderate forest hike of 4.6 miles round trip. A steep but short spur trail up Whiterock Mountain offers some especially stunning views of Tessentee Valley and the Nantahala mountains.

The overall elevation gain is modest with a few steep, rocky sections both on the way to Whiterock Mountain and back to Jones Gap.

Since this is a popular hiking spot, we’ll limit the number of people to 10. Karen Wallace and Jill Osborne will be leading this one!

We’re meeting at Macon Plaza (Food Lion), 155 Macon Plaza Dr., Franklin, NC 28734 at 10:30am. We’ll carpool from there to the trailhead which includes a few miles on gravel roads.

Please RSVP here:

April 23rd: Full Moon Hike

Join Star Henderson to hike the Bartram Trail through Franklin on this April’s full moon.

We’ll take the new route through the Fairgrounds and Rec Park, continuing down Allman Drive, through the Cartoogechaye Creek meadow, onto the Little Tennessee Greenway to Big Bear, then continue down Main Street Franklin to the Lazy Hiker for refreshment and rides back to the start.

We’ll meet at the Fairgrounds Kiosk and 5:30pm and hike the easy 7 miles through town.

Here is a video of the section:

https://www.facebook.com/BacklotCinema/videos/1113080585961669/

This hike will be limited to 12 people.

Please RSVP here:

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