We take a lot of groups on weekend hiking trips to the mountains. As a result, we stay in a lot of group campgrounds. When we book a group campground, we look at a number of factors, including:

1. Proximity to good hiking. Ideally, we look for a campground with immediate access to trails — and not just any old trails, but trails that will yield a full day of memorable hiking. If we can treat people to an entire day of using just their own feet to get around, we find they enjoy the day that much more.
2. Shaded camping. We group camp mostly in summer, so we need to pitch tents where they won’t broil during the day.
3. A commons area. A big fire pit, a picnic table or two, rocks or logs to sit on — we don’t ask much, but these are biggies.
4. Basic amenities. We need water at the campsite, we’d like a privy not too far away. A bathhouse, of course, is nice. And if we can park a reasonable distance away — within 50 yards of the campsite, say — all the better.
5. Privacy. From others in the group, to some degree (hey, we all need a little me time), but mostly from neighboring campers. We escape to the wild for various reasons; it’s those who escape to the wild to be wild that we prefer to avoid.
6. Good vibe. Most importantly, the site must have a good vibe. It needn’t be immaculately groomed; rather, we like a spot that fits in with the natural surroundings. Sometimes you know the second you drive up, sometimes it takes a night or two of camaraderie to summons that vibe.

There are other factors, but these are the basics. Based on these basics, here are our our five favorite group campgrounds in North Carolina.

Standing Indian Recreation Area

Nantahala National Forest, Franklin

No. of group sites: 3

Each site accommodates: 25 people

$83 per night

More info here.

The Standing Indian Recreation Area is a U-shaped bowl rimmed, for the most part, by the Appalachian Trail. From the bottom, several trails snake up and connect to the AT, making for all kinds of loop and near-loop options. The three Standing Indian group sites are located along  Kimsey Creek; an eponymously named trail parallels the creek to Deep Gap and connects to the AT; from there, it’s about a mile to 5,499-foot Standing Indian Mountain and a grand view of the Georgia mountains beyond, before returning to camp via the Lower Ridge Trail. Boom! An 11-mile loop right out of camp. Then there’s Kimsey Creek itself: On our first visit, after doing the aforementioned 11-mile loop on a steamy August day, we returned mid-afternoon to camp; within 20 minutes, everyone was parked in the creek (with some hoisting adult refreshments). We stayed until the sun slipped beneath the basin’s western rim and the temperature began to quickly drop: by 8 o’clock, we were sporting fleece around the campfire, a campfire in a generous stone firepit. We love this trip so much that rather than our typical 3-day visit we’ve extended this year’s visit in mid-August to 4 days. (See below for details.)

North Mills River Recreation Area

Pisgah National Forest, southwest of Asheville

No. of group sites: 1

Accommodates: 30 people

$40 per night

More info here.

North Mills River was our Plan B the first time we visited. We’d intended to stay at the nearby Davidson River Campground outside Brevard, but the campground was booked when we went to make reservations. We got out a map, started searching nearby … and noticed North Mills River about 20 crow-fly miles to the northeast. We wanted to hike in the region, so we booked. We were rewarded upon arrival with a grass meadow perfect for Frisbee, rimmed by hardwoods ideal either for camping beneath, or for stringing a hammock between. A nice commons area with picnic tables and fire ring, and we couldn’t have been happier. Or so we thought. The next day we set out from camp and hiked up the river to the old Hendersonville Reservoir, then continued up old-growth-rimmed Fletcher Creek, with about a dozen creek crossings. Eventually, we took the Spencer Gap Trail up to the Blue Ridge Parkway on one of those classically challenging-yet-rewarding Pisgah hikes. The following day we did a similar hike, on different trail, up to the parkway. There’s a good week of hiking out of this campground

Briar Bottom Campground

Pisgah National Forest, Burnesville

No. of group sites: 6

Each site accommodates: 50 people

$85 per night

More info here.

Basecamp for our annual Mount Mitchell adventure, this collection of six group sites sits at the base of the highest mountain east of the Black Hills, 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell — and there’s a trail you can catch right outside the campground that takes you 5.5 miles and 3,700 vertical feet to the summit. There are other hikes as well, and it’s only about a 30-minute drive to the top, where you can hike short nature trails or head out the rugged 13-mile Black Mountain Crest Trail, which spends much of its first few miles above 6,000 feet. At an elevation of 3,000 feet, the campground is blessed by cool nights for sleeping. Because of the number of sites and their capacities, large groups tend to flock here and take up multiple sites. Your best bet for a little privacy is the Ash camp site. If you like to fly fish, the South Toe River, known for its trout, is a short walk.

Cataloochee Group Campground

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cataloochee

Accommodates: 25 people

No. of sites: 3

$40 per night

More info here.

You get the distinct impression you’re in remote country on the windy gravel road that descends into the Cataloochee Valley from civilization. And you are, although that wasn’t always the case. Prior to the park’s creation, a town of 1,300 thrived in the valley, a town you can still see remnants of in the handful of preserved buildings you can tour in the south end of the valley. A popular evening activity is to walk from the campground into the valley as evening settles in and watch the elk heard emerge from the forest fringe to feed. Then hang out and watch the shadow rise on the valley’s east wall as the sun sets. Oh, and the hiking! Several shorter loops (shorter as in under 10 miles) can be created via trails on the south side of the valley. If you’re up for an epic, an 18-mile loop heading out on Little Cataloochee and Long Bunk trails takes you up to the boreal zone of Mount Sterling, then returns down Pretty Hollow Creek (trip No. 19, if you have a copy of “Backpacking North Carolina.”). Both options expose you to the restored buildings of Cataloochee.

Curtis Creek Campground*

Pisgah National Forest, Old Fort

No. of sites: 25

Accommodates: 6 per site

$10 per night

More info here.

Let’s start with the asterisk: this isn’t actually a group campground. Rather, it’s 25 separate sites, but because of the low cost and the fact many of the sites are walk-ups (no reservations; first come, first camped), this is a good bet for the group that failed to plan ahead and reserve a bonafide group site. The campground is in a steep, narrow valley that leads from Old Fort up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Trail from the campground climbs into old growth woods. For less challenging hiking drive up to the Parkway and either head south to Mount Mitchell or north to Crabtree Meadows. If you’re into mountain biking and getting a good workout, the campground is on the route of the 60-mile Off-Road Assault on Mountain Mitchell race, which includes some nice gravel road riding and some challenging singletrack.

Speaking of Curtis Creek …

We’ve just announced our first GetHiking! Hiking Weekend of 2021! We’re starting out at Curtis Creek, the area where the Pisgah National Forest got its start back in 1918. The rugged terrain supports some of the oldest forest in the entire half-million-acre Pisgah, which we’ll explore on a pair of 8-mile hikes. This camping weekend is a chance to reunite with the mountains, reunite with fellow hikers after a long absence. Learn more and sign up here.

Speaking of speaking …

Our latest GetHiking! Southeast Podcast dropped today, an interview with day hiker-turned-section hiker Henry Perangelo. Henry discusses the transition from weekend hiker to hiking for an extended period, as well as how to plan for a section hike. Give a listen here.

The post OUR 5 FAVORITE N.C. GROUP CAMPGROUNDS appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

We take a lot of groups on weekend hiking trips to the mountains. As a result, we stay in a lot of group campgrounds. When we book a group campground, we look at a number of factors, including:

1. Proximity to good hiking. Ideally, we look for a campground with immediate access to trails — and not just any old trails, but trails that will yield a full day of memorable hiking. If we can treat people to an entire day of using just their own feet to get around, we we find they enjoy the day that much more..
2. Shaded camping. We hike mostly in summer, so we need to pitch tents where they won’t broil during the day. 
3. A commons area. A big fire pit, a picnic table or two, rocks or logs to sit on — we don’t ask much, but these are biggies.
4. Basic amenities. We need water at the campsite, we’d like a privy not too far away. A bathhouse, of course, is nice. And if we can park a reasonable distance away — within 50 yards of the campsite, say — all the better.
5. Privacy. From others in the group, to some degree (hey, we all need a little me time), but mostly from neighboring campers. We escape to the wild for various reasons; it’s those who escape to the wild to be wild that we prefer to avoid.
6. Good vibe. Most importantly, the site must have a good vibe. It needn’t be immaculately groomed; rather, we like a spot that fits in with the natural surroundings. Sometimes you know the second you drive up, sometimes it takes a night or two of camaraderie to summons the vibe. 

There are other factors, but these are the basics. Based on these basics, here are our our five favorite group campgrounds in North Carolina.

Standing Indian Recreation Area

Nantahala National Forest, Franklin

No. of group sites: 3

Each site accommodates: 25 people

$75 per night

More info here.

The Standing Indian Recreation Area is a U-shaped bowl rimmed, for the most part, by the Appalachian Trail. From the bottom, several trails snake up and connect to the AT, making for all kinds of loop and near-loop options. The three Standing Indian group sites are located along  Kimsey Creek; an eponymously named trail parallels the creek to Deep Gap and connects to the AT; from there, it’s about a mile to 5,499-foot Standing Indian Mountain and a grand view of the Georgia mountains beyond, before returning to camp via the Lower Ridge Trail. Boom! An 11-mile loop right out of camp. Then there’s Kimsey Creek itself: On our first visit, after doing the aforementioned 11-mile loop on a steamy August day, we returned mid-afternoon to camp; within 20 minutes, everyone was parked in the creek (with some hoisting adult refreshments). We stayed until the sun slipped beneath the basin’s western rim and the temperature began to quickly drop: by 8 o’clock, we were sporting fleece around the campfire, a campfire in a generous stone firepit. We love this trip so much that rather than our typical 3-day visit we’ve extended this year’s visit in mid-August to 4 days. (See below for details.)

North Mills River Recreation Area

Pisgah National Forest, southwest of Asheville

No. of group sites: 1

Accommodates: 30 people

$40 per night

More info here.

North Mills River was our Plan B the first time we visited. We’d intended to stay at the nearby Davidson River Campground outside Brevard, but the campground was booked when we went to make reservations. We got out a map, started searching nearby … and noticed North Mills River about 20 crow-fly miles to the northeast. We wanted to stay in the region, so we booked.We were rewarded upon arrival with a grass meadow perfect for Frisbee, rimmed by hardwoods ideal for camping beneath or stringing a hammock between. A nice commons area with picnic tables and fire ring, and we couldn’t have been happier. Or so we thought. The next day we set out from camp and hiked up the river to the old Hendersonville Reservoir, then continued up old-growth-rimmed Fletcher Creek, with about a dozen creek crossings. Eventually, we took the Spencer Gap Trail up to the Blue Ridge Parkway on one of those classically challenging-yet-rewarding Pisgah hikes. The following day we did a similar hike, on different trail, up to the parkway. There’s a good week of hiking out of this campground

Briar Bottom Campground

Pisgah National Forest, Burnesville

No. of group sites: 6

Each site accommodates: 50 people

$65 per night

More info here.

Basecamp for our annual Mount Mitchell adventure, this collection of six group sites sits at the base of the highest mountain east of the Black Hills, 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell — and there’s a trail you can catch right outside the campground that takes you 5.5 miles and 3,700 vertical feet to the summit. There are other hikes as well, and it’s only about a 30-minute drive to the top, where you can hike short nature trails or head out the rugged 13-mile Black Mountain Crest Trail, which spends much of its first few miles above 6,000 feet. At an elevation of 3,000 feet, the campground is blessed by cool nights for sleeping. Because of the number of sites and their capacities, large groups tend to flock here and take up multiple sites. Your best bet for a little privacy is the Ash camp site. If you like to fly fish, the South Toe River, known for its trout, is a short walk.

Cataloochee Group Campground

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cataloochee

Accommodates: 25 people 

No. of sites: 3

$40 per night

More info here.

You get the distinct impression you’re in remote country on the windy gravel road that descends into the Cataloochee Valley from civilization. And you are, although that wasn’t always the case. Prior to the park’s creation, a town of 1,300 thrived in the valley, a town you can still see remnants of in the handful of preserved buildings you can tour in the south end of the valley. A popular evening activity is to walk from the campground into the valley as evening settles in and watch the elk heard emerge from the forest fringe to feed. Then hang out and watch the shadow rise on the valley’s east wall as the sun sets. Oh, and the hiking! Several shorter (shorter as in under 10 miles) loops can be created via trails on the south side of the valley. If you’re up for an epic, an 18-mile loop heading out on Little Cataloochee and Long Bunk trails takes you up to the boreal zone of Mount Sterling, then returns down Pretty Hollow Creek (trip No. 19, if you have a copy of “Backpacking North Carolina.”). Both options expose you to the restored buildings of Cataloochee.

Curtis Creek Campground*

Pisgah National Forest, Old Fort

No. of sites: 25

Accommodates: 6 per site

$10 per night

More info here.

Let’s start with the asterisk: this isn’t actually a group campground. Rather, it’s 25 separate sites, but because of the low cost and the fact many of the sites are walk-ups (no reservations; first come, first camped), this is a good bet for the group that failed to plan ahead and reserve a bonafide group site. The campground is in a steep, narrow valley that leads from Old Fort up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Trail from the campground climbs into old growth woods. For less challenging hiking drive up to the Parkway and either head south to Mount Mitchell or north to Crabtree Meadows. If you’re into mountain biking and getting a good workout, the campground is on the route of the 60-mile Off-Road Assault on Mountain Mitchell race, which includes some nice gravel road riding and some challenging singletrack.

Join us!

GetHiking! Classic Escapes: Standing Indian and the AT, Thursday, Aug. 15 — Sunday, Aug. 18, Standing Indian Recreation Area, Franklin. Three days of hiking (including stretches on the Appalachian Trail), three nights of camping in one of our favorite campgrounds, hot coffee or tea every morning, pancake breakfast on Sunday, swag bag with gear and more. Learn more and sign up to join us here. 

The post Our 5 favorite group campgrounds in North Carolina appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

It’s one of our favorite things to hear, because it means we’re meeting one of our key goals: leading you into the unknown. Sure, we hike a lot of trails more than once, and for good reason: they’re worth it. Our Charlotte group goes to South Mountains State Park regularly, our Charlottesville crew loves the Jones Run/Doyles River Circuit in the Shenandoah National Park. And with 120 miles of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail running through the Triangle, I’ve lead a goodly number of hikes on the statewide path along the Eno River and the south shore of Falls Lake. 

But it’s the new discoveries most hikers really love.

“Show of hands,” I said at the beginning of a recent hike at the Shallow Ford Natural Area north of Burlington: “How many of you have hiked here before?” 

None of the eight hikers raised a hand.

Ditto a recent after-work hike at the two-year-old Brumley Nature Preserve in Chapel Hill, at Little River Regional Park on the Durham/Orange county line, and on the Great Blue Heron Loop Trail at Haw River State Park’s Iron Ore Belt Access area. Some of these gems are new, some simply off the beaten path. We’re constantly on the lookout for both.

This week, we thought we would highlight a few upcoming adventures to places that may be new to you.

• Confluence Natural Area, day hike, Hillsborough, July 22. The Eno River Association is one of those land trusts whose work frequently flies under the radar. If you’ve hiked in Eno River State Park, or at Little River Regional Park, you’ve likely hiked on land preserved by the ERA. They typically buy land in the Eno watershed, then, eventually, turn it over to North Carolina State Parks. This spring, though, the ERA opened the 200-acre Confluence Natural Area, its first preserve open to the public, where we’ll explore 2-miles of newly blazed trail.

• Standing Indian Recreation Area, hiking/camping weekend, Nantahala National Forest, Aug. 24-26. Standing Indian was new to me when I scouted it in 2009. I was finalizing which trips to include in my book “Backpacking North Carolina” and noticed this big network of trails west of Franklin. It seemed worth a chance — and it was. On this trip, the main hike is an 11-mile loop consisting of a mellow climb up Kimsey Creek to the Appalachian Trail at Deep Gap, then hiking north to 5,498-foot Standing Indian and back to camp on the Lower Ridge Trail. We’ll do a shorter hike Sunday.
• Curtis Creek, hiking/camping weekend, Pisgah National Forest, Sept. 28-30. The Curtis Creek area of the Pisgah outside Old Fort is hardly new: in fact, it’s the oldest tract in the Pisgah National Forest, dating back more than a century. It’s also not new in that it’s home to some of the oldest old growth in the Pisgah. We’ll explore here and in the nearby Montreat Wilderness area with a climb up 5,592-foot Graybeard Mountain.
• Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock/Citico Creek Wilderness, four-day backpack trip, Nantahala and Cherokee National Forests, Oct. 25-29. This is the mountain land that time forgot. Too rugged and remote to draw much interest from logging concerns, the area was a natural for inclusion as a designated Wilderness Area. The area may be popular with locals — what locals there are — but it’s largely untouched by us outsiders.
• Nags Head Woods Preserve, hiking/camping weekend, Outer Banks, Nov. 2-4. Usually, when you head to the Outer Banks, your thoughts are on the beach, not the trail. Yet there’s some stunning hiking to be done, none more so than through the maritime forest at The Nature Conservancy’s thousand-acre Nags Head Woods Preserve. Five miles of trail explores everything from dense woods to the sound. That’s Saturday; on Sunday, we’ll do another five miles amid some of the oldest trees in North Carolina, in Pettigrew State Park.

Interested in expanding your adventure horizons? Find more information on each adventure in the links below and join us.

Happy trails,

Joe

Explore!

Learn more about the new places we’ll be exploring by clicking on the links below.

• Confluence Natural Area
• Standing Indian
• Curtis Creek
• Joyce Kilmer-Slicrock/Citico Creek Wilderness
• Nags Head Woods

The post Finding new places for you to explore appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

That’s the story of summer, the 13-week run between Memorial Day and Labor Day when we pack in most of our adventures for the year. So we set out to pick some destinations that seem most worthy of summer fun. Here are a few places we’re headed this summer, and why:

Peaks of Otter

Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia

June 1-3

Adventure: Weekend basecamp hiking

This especially adventurous trip combines hiking with a bit of history and a farm trip. June 6 marks the 74th anniversary of D-Day, and we’ll piggyback this hike with a visit to the National D-Day memorial in nearby Bedford, Va. After a tour of the museum Friday afternoon, we’ll continue on to our weekend basecamp at the Peaks of Otter campground. Saturday, we’ll hike three trails — 4.4-mile Flat Top, 3.3-mile Harkening Hill and 1.5-mile Sharp Top — and on Sunday we’ll make a return trip up Sharp Top to take in the sunrise. On the way out, we’ll stop at A Goode View Alpaca Farm.

Linville Gorge

Linville, NC

June 22-24

Adventure: Weekend basecamp hiking

Linville Gorge is one of the Southeast most iconic adventures. The Linville River drops 2,000 vertical feet on its 13-mile run through a gorge that’s 1,300 feet deep, creating some dizzying drops and heart-pounding climbs. The majority of the region is a designated wilderness, so you get little help in finding your way: no trail blazes and when a towering hemlock drops, no one moves in with a chainsaw to chisel a way through. It’s some of the best true exploring to be had in these parts. We stick to the east rim Saturday, hiking from Table Rock to Shortoff Mountain and back, then Sunday plunge into the gorge on trails out of the Visitor Center.

Wilson Creek

Pisgah National Forest near Mortimer, NC

June 29-July 1

Adventure: Backpacking Solo

For a summer destination, it’s hard to beat Wilson Creek, which serves as the drainage for massive Grandfather Mountain. Water worms its way every which way here, making for refreshing stream crossings, lots of waterfalls and delightful pools to cool off in. Wilson Creek itself can be overrun on a hot summer’s day, so we plan to hit the less popular, more challenging Gragg Prong and Lost Cove portions of this wild area on a trip that includes camping solo on a ridge ending in one of the best outcrop overlooks around; it’s an ideal locale for coffee and a Sunday brunch of oatmeal and Pop-Tarts. We hike out Sunday morning, with the option for a hike to South Harper Falls.

Standing Indian

Nantahala National Forest near Franklin

Aug. 24-26

Adventure: Weekend basecamp hiking

We went to Standing Indian two years ago and loved it. From the group campsite we hike up Kimsey Creek to the Appalachian Trail, cross over Standing Indian, and return to camp on Lower Trail Ridge Trail, so we can loll about back at camp in the cool waters of Kimsey Creek. Sunday, we head up Blackwell Ridge to the AT, with a return down the Long Branch Trail, in an area of old growth woods. It’s the perfect summer send-off.

Curtis Creek

Pisgah National Forest near Old Fort, NC

TBD

Adventure: Weekend basecamp hiking

NOTE: This was actually going to be a sneak into summer this coming weekend, but a stormy forecast has pushed this trip to another weekend. We’ll let you know the new date! Curtis Creek became part of the nation’s nascent national forest system in 1913, becoming the first land in North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest. The area is so rugged that large swaths of land hadn’t been logged yet and weren’t likely to be. Our base for the weekend is the Curtis Creek Campground up the gravel Curtis Creek Road. Both of our hikes emanate from the campground: on Saturday, we’ll take the Snooks Nose Trail 4.1 miles up to the Green Knob observation tower, encountering old growth woods above 3,200 feet. A little off-trail hiking will be required to reach the most impressive stands of poplars in an area off Laurel Knob called the Pompous Bowl. Sunday, after a pancake breakfast, we take a shorter hike out of the campground up Hickory Branch to more old growth.

Join us!

Learn how you can join us on these summer adventures by clicking on the links below.

Peaks of Otter

Linville Gorge

Wilson Creek

Standing Indian

Curtis Creek

Happy trails!

Joe

The post So many adventures, so few weekends appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

But just across Little Santeetlah Creek— outside the memorial forest but within the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness— hikers can find true wonders. From the shared parking area, follow the Naked Ground Trail up Little Santeetlah, through a long draw that culminates in something approaching a box canyon. Along the way, you may glance up on occasion to take in these more subdued hardwoods and then — Whoa! look at the size of that tree! For whatever reason, the Babcock Lumber Company working the area a century back missed a few prime specimens: some giants are more than 100 feet high and more than 20 feet around. Occasionally, you’ll see a handful in close proximity. It’s a fine reward for a walk in the woods.

Below, you’ll find some of the remaining stands of old growth forest in North Carolina and Virginia. Additional information on exploring each area can be found below.

North Carolina

Nantahala National Forest

Hickory Branch Trail

According to the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition, there was no logging here above 3,680 feet, leaving impressive montane-oak hickory and high elevation red oak forests. Protected as “Large Parch Old-Growth” by the Nantahala National Forest, trees here date back more than 200 years.

Pettigrew State Park (coast)

Moccasin Trail

Head down the Moccasin Trail from the park office and you’ll quickly be surrounded by some of the largest existing trees of their kind. Bay trees, sweet gums, persimmons and pawpaws all reach heights you’ve not seen before; bald cypress with trunks 10 feet in diameter and poplars reaching 130 feet are not uncommon, as are 100-foot-high Atlantic white cedars.

Pisgah National Forest

Snook’s Nose Trail

This trail begins below 1,800 feet in elevation, and within a mile and a half reaches the 3,200-foot mark, above which no logging took place (overall elevation gain on this 3.9-mile trail is just under 3,000 feet). Look for chestnut oak, black gum, red maple, black birch, table mountain pine, and Carolina hemlock, if you can see them through the mountain laurel and rhododendron lining the lower portions of the trail. Find more info on Snook’s Nose and our weekend visit in May below.

Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve (coastal plain)

Weymouth woods loop

There was a time when longleaf pine was the dominant forest in the Southeast. Today, the full majesty of this tree once coveted for its resin and sturdy trunks used as ship masts can only be found in places such as Weymouth Woods, where the longleaf still reaches heights of 100 to 120 feet. The oldest trees — up to 450 years old — can be found on the preserve’s Boyd Tract.

More info here.

Virginia

Jefferson National Forest

Cornelius Creek — Apple Orchard Trail loop

It took a train wreck that bankrupted the local lumber company in 1910 to spare portions of the North Creek watershed from logging. This trail combines with the AT for a 7-mile loop hike.

Jefferson National Forest

Garden Mountain — Appalachian Trail

Garden Mountain is part of the Ridge and Valley Province, and the surrounding forests include old-growth upland oaks. You’ll also get good views from atop Garden Mountain and Chestnut Knob.

* * *

Explore old growth with GetHiking!

On our GetHiking! Classic Escape in May, we will explore old-growth forests in the Pisgah National Forest. On Saturday, May 19, we’ll climb the challenging 3.9-mile trail, going over Snook’s Nose and Laurel Knob, and search for old-growth forests above 3,200 feet. On Sunday, May 20, we’ll explore more old-growth in a shorter hike that’s more off-trail. Both hikes originate from our base camp for the weekend, the Curtis Creek Campground.

Learn more about our May escape and sign up here.

Resources

“Ancient Appalachian: the Southeast’s Old-Growth Forests” appeared in Blue Ridge Outdoors in 2005 and provides a look into the extent and location of old growth forests in the Southeast. Read the story here.

For more on exploring the old growth tracks listed above:

• Hickory Branch Trail

Directions: From the town of Andrews, take Junaluska Road to Junaluska Gap and park. Hike northeast on the Junaluska Gap Trail for a little more than a mile, then head northwest (or go left) on Hickory Branch. (You can return via the London Bald Trail).

• Pettigrew State Park

More info here.

• Weymouth Woods

More info here. For the recommended Weymouth Woods Loop, check out Hike No. 33 in “100 Classic Hikes in North Carolina.”

• Cornelius Creek — Apple Orchard Trail loop

More info here.

• Garden Mountain — Appalachian Trail

More info here.

The post Experience Old Growth Forest in a New Light appeared first on GetGoing NC!.