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