Fall-like weather got you in a fall hiking mood? Perhaps a full day on the trail? Or, better yet, a full day on two trails?
You have that option this Saturday when the N.C. Dept. of Natural and Cultural Resources’ Hometown Strong initiative leads two hikes totaling 9 miles on two State Trails. The trails in question: the Fonta Flora State Trail west of Morganton and the Wilderness Gateway State Trail just south of Morganton. Let’s take those hikes in order.
Fonta Flora State Trail
When: 9:30 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 14
Where: Lake James Visitor Center, Nebo
Details:
- Difficulty level: moderate
- Distance: 5 miles total
- Estimated hike time: 2.5 hours
- We will take a short break at the turnaround point.
The trail: Authorized in 2015, the Fonta Flora State Trail eventually will connect Morganton and Asheville with a hiking and biking trail, a distance of about 100 miles. The trail will traverse Lake James State Park, part of Pisgah National Forest and Fonta Flora County Park in Burke County. It will also connect to the Overmountain Victory State Trail and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. About 30 miles of the trail are currently complete. On this hike we will hike a 2.5-mile stretch (5 miles out-and-back) starting from the Lake James Visitor Center.
The stretch we will hike spends time both along Lake James and in an inland forest. We will take a mellow pace for this hike.
For more info and to sign up, go here.
Wilderness Gateway State Trail
When: 2:30 p.m.,Saturday, Sept. 14
Where: Clear Creek Access, South Mountains State Park, Morganton
Details:
- Difficulty: The Clear Creek portion of the hike is moderate to moderately strenuous, the Lake View portion moderate.
- Distance: 4.2 miles
- Estimated hike time: 2 hours
The Wilderness Gateway State Trail is one of the most recent additions to the North Carolina State Trails system – so new that it doesn’t yet exist. But N.C. State Parks and the Foothills Conservancy, the nonprofit administering the trail, have a pretty good idea of where it will go as it links the Hickory area with South Mountains State Park and Chimney Rock State Park; the 4 miles we will hike at the Clear Creek Access to South Mountains State Park is a good representation of what the Wilderness Gateway State Trail will be like.
On this hike, we will hike 1.5 miles out on the Clear Creek Trail, then return and hike a mile on the Lake View Trail. The former will give you a sense of the elevation gains in the area, the latter circles a mountain lake.
For more information and to sign up, go here.
It’s about a half hour drive from the Fonta Flora trailhead to the Wilderness Gateway trailhead. The morning hike should end around noon, leaving plenty of time to catch lunch and make the afternoon hike.
A great way of experiencing the future of North Carolina hiking today. For more about the Fonta Flora State Trail, the Wilderness Gateway State Trail and the state’s 12 other state trails, go here.