Robert L. Williams - Explorers Guide 50 Hikes in the Mountains of North Carolina ()

50 Hikes in the Mountains of North Carolina

JIM HARGAN

Hikes

in the Mountains of
North Carolina

Walks and Hikes from the Blue Ridge Mountains
to the Great Smokies

ROBERT L. WILLIAMS, ELIZABETH W. WILLIAMS,
ROBERT L. WILLIAMS III

Third Edition

An Invitation to the Reader

Over time trails can be rerouted and signs and landmarks altered. If you find that changes have occurred on the routes described in this book, please let us know so that corrections may be made in future editions. The authors and publisher also welcome other comments and suggestions. Address all correspondence to:

Editor, 50 Hikes Series

The Countryman Press

P.O. Box 748

Woodstock, VT 05091

Maps by Erin Greb Cartography and Mapping Specialists Limited, Madison, WI, The Countryman Press

Book design by Glenn Suokko

Text composition by Chelsea Cloeter

Interior photographs by the authors unless otherwise noted

Copyright 1995, 2001, 2012 by Robert L. Williams, Elizabeth W. Williams, Robert L. Williams III

Third edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages.

Published by The Countryman Press

P.O. Box 748

Woodstock, VT 05091

Distributed by W.W. Norton & Company Inc.

500 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10110

Printed in the United States of America

50 Hikes in the Mountains of North Carolina

978-0-88150-975-5

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the memory of Steven Wise and Johnny Williams, both of whom found the world of nature to be a constant friend and unfailing source of comfort and joy.

50 Hikes in the Mountains of North Carolina at a Glance

DIFFICULTY RATINGS E: Easy; M: Moderate; S: Strenuous

CONTENTS

Introduction

Selecting 50 hikes out of all the hiking trails in North Carolina was no easy task. In truth, selecting the hikes required more time than making many of the hikes.

When it was time to prepare a second edition of this book, we found that the task was no easier. However, after reviewing the contents of the first edition carefully, we decided that several hikes should be added in order to provide more variety to the hiking experiences. So among other changes, we included an underground hike; at least, the major part of the hike is underground, in an old gold mine that is now a state historic site. This hike is both fun and educational, particularly for the young hikers in the group. We also added one hike that follows the Broad River for the entire duration of the hike, and this hike is great during every month of the year. Other changes include hiking along the ridge of one of the legendary mountains in the state, climbing to the top of the highest peak along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and hiking along the highest waterfall east of the Mississippi.

The Tar Heel State offers more than 750 hiking trails, providing a total of nearly 2,500 miles of outdoor recreation. Imagine this distance in terms of hiking from the mountains of North Carolina closest to the Atlantic Ocean to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and you will have a rather impressive concept of the trail system. These many hikes range in distance from ten-minute walks of only a hundred yards or even less to one trail that traverses the entire width of North Carolina. The Mountains-to-Sea Trail covers about 475 miles of North Carolina terrain and crosses the highest mountains and the flattest farming territory in the state.

This book began as a hiking sampler of the entire state, but rather quickly we decided that the mountains of North Carolina would provide the best sampling of hiking trails. While there are trails from one end of the state to the other, many of them in totally urban areas and others in the Sandhills part of the Tar Heel State, the mountains provide the greatest variety in scenery, animal life, wildflowers, nature study, and photographic opportunities available.

About the North Carolina Mountains

Even by limiting the hikes to the North Carolina mountains, the selection was still awesome and difficult. Some people may think of North Carolina as a rather small state; however, it is the sixth largest state east of the Mississippi. The greatest width of the state is 187.5 miles, while the greatest length is 503.4 miles.

Lying completely within the warmer part of the northern temperate zone, North Carolina has a mean elevation of about 700 feet above sea level; however, in the western mountains there are more than 40 peaks with an elevation of greater than 6,000 feet and 80 peaks between 5,000 feet and 6,000 feet. There are literally hundreds of peaks between 4,000 and 5,000 feet in elevation.

Avery County in the North Carolina mountains is the county with the highest elevation east of the Mississippi. It was also the one hundredth and final county to become recognized in the state.

The state has a series of mountain ranges, the best known of which are the Blue Ridge, Great Smokies, Uwharries, Black, Balsam, Nantahala, and Unakas. The average elevation of the Blue Ridge Mountains is about 4,000 feet. The highest peaks in the state are Mount Mitchell, at 6,684 feet, and Clingmans Dome, 6,642 feet.

Not only is the state impressive in terms of size and elevation, it is one of the most beautiful states in the Union, and the western mountains provide some of the most scenic vistas to be found in the South.

These same mountains are also rich in resources, with great numbers of deer, quail, bears, wild turkeys, and other large animals in abundance. Of the 33 species of oaks identified in the nation, 25 grow in North Carolina. Other trees in great numbers include several species of pine, hickory, elm, maple, dogwood, fir, hemlock, walnut, pecan, magnolia, birch, beech, basswood, ash, and poplar. Laurel and rhododendron are virtually everywhere throughout the mountains.

The state at one point led the nation in gold production, and some of the mountains produce amazing emeralds and other precious stones. One of the finest emeralds ever discovered was the 13.2-carat Carolina Emerald; in recent months another enormous stone, this one 112 carats, was found in the Carolina mountains.

But for the outdoorsman, the leading attractions of the Tar Heel State are fishing, hunting, hiking, skiing, and sightseeing, all of which are generously available in North Carolina. Several national forests, including the Nantahala and Pisgah, are located in the state.

Organization of the Book

Our trail selections were made with the convenience of the hiker in mind (as much as possible and within reason). Therefore, we have included two or even three hikes from the same geographic part of the state and, at times, within the same state park. For instance, we supposed that if you are traveling in the area of Hanging Rock, which is a good days drive from hiking trails in the far western part of the state, you would prefer to enjoy hikes that can be reached within a few minutes rather than spend an inordinate amount of time in driving from one point to another.