The NC Bartram Trail makes it’s way from the Georgia – NC border to the Appalachian Trail near the top of Cheoah Bald. Along the way there are some wide open views and also some road walks.
Though unseasonably warm, I suppose most people spent their weekends at Christmas parties rather than on overnight hiking trips. I was the only overnight hiker. I met a day hiker on the 2nd day and a trail runner on the first day.
The trail ran over the ridge crossing knobs and peaks so that there were more ups and downs than I expected. Even the “down hill” return hike had steep climbs. I counted a total of 13 ascents on the return to Wallace Creek. The “up hill” direction would have had 14 ascents with the first and last being the longest and most difficult. Wallace Branch TH is at 2240 ft. Wayah Bald, the highest point on the Bartram Trail is at 5342 ft.
Waterfall on Wallace Branch
The trail was steep, but smooth with the occasional rock, root, or stump marked with red paint. This was evidently to make the ultra-distance runners aware of tripping hazards. This trail is the site for the Naturalist Epic 25k and 50k runs. Naturalist Run . I found the steep ascents and descents exhausting. It is hard to imagine running this trail all of the way to the top of Wayah Bald or in the case of the 50k event, running round-trip.
Near top of Wayah Bald. It is 12 miles back to Wallace Branch THA forest service road crosses trail at Harrison Gap.
Nearly all this section was open oaks and hardwoods. The trail alternated between the east side of the ridge and west side of the ridge, but just as often went straight up the ridge. There were many long distance tree obstructed winter views of Wayah Bald, Wesser Bald, Standing Indian, and Albert Mountain. I could just barely make out the fire tower on Albert Mountain.
Having completed this section, I have now hiked the entire 100 miles of the Georgia and North Carolina Bartram trails.
In hammock.My feet at Wayah trail shelter on AT. Had the shelter to myself and dozed off next to the campfire.Abandoned tent. Unlucky camper?This 75 foot deep mine looked like a natural opening so I thought it might be a cave.
– Hiked on December 12 – 13, 2015
– About 25 miles round trip.
The Bartram Trail intersects the Appalachian Trail in 2 places, on the north end near the top of Cheoah Bald and on the south end near the top of Wayah Bald. The loop is about 58 miles long. The Bartram trail portion includes several road walks and requires care to avoid getting off the trail. The good news is that the Bartram trail is blazed with yellow blazes and you should usually be okay if you look out for blazes. There are a few places where the blazes are confusing or not as frequent (for peace of mind) as I would like. Also, there is a section of the Bartram that is likely to be overgrown. This section is going north from Appletree Camp that following the banks of the Nantahala river. Other than the long climbs or descents, the AT is no problem. It is well marked, cleared of deadfall, and crowded. Here is my section by section advice, but first is a link to an excellent video of the hike that was produced by Foothills Backpacker. These 4 guys did their hike in June 2015, while I hiked the loop in October 2015. There is nothing like seeing the trail for better finding your way. Read my description, then view the video. Pay particular attention to the first part of the video where these guys are hiking the Bartram and look for key points in my descriptions. Many of these are points where I went the wrong way or had trouble figuring out the right way.
Foothills started at the point the Bartram Trail came out on the road at Nantahala Lake. They headed north (Clockwise) as I did. Going the other direction from their starting point is a steep climb toward the AT intersection south of Wayah Bald.
My starting point was off Highway 19/74 in Nantahala Gorge. I parked at a small parking area at Winding Stair Road. Look carefully for this road. It is easy to miss. If traveling north on Hwy 19, begin looking for it on your right after you pass Wayah Road (Hwy 1310) on the right. From Winding Stair Road, it is another 6.3 miles of driving on Hwy 19 to the NOC. Here is the Google Map location for Winding Stair Road.
I dropped my backpack at the NOC Outfitters and day hiked from Winding Stair Road back to the NOC (about 13 miles), where I picked up my backpack. It is nice not to have to lug the backpack up and over Cheoah Bald. If you plan on doing this, call the NOC Outfitters first to verify their hours. When I hiked, they opened at 10 AM and closed at 6 PM. They were actually there at 9:30 AM and I ended up leaving my backpack with them at 9:50 AM. I drove back to Winding Stair Road and was on the trail just after 10 AM. If you try this, remember that you need to make it to the NOC Outfitters (13 miles) before closing time.
As you can see in the Foothills video, the 3000 ft vertical climb over 5 miles is challenging. It is also one of the most beautiful and peaceful sections of the hike. Even thought it was a beautiful autumn Saturday morning, I did not see anyone else on this portion of the Bartram. There is always going to be more deadfall to cross on any portion of the Bartram than you would find on the AT. The deadfall was there, but it wasn’t too bad. Just remember that crawling over and under fallen trees adds to the effort.
Once on the AT, it wasn’t long before I ran into other hikers (maybe 5 minutes). Like I said, as lonely as the Bartram trail may be, the AT is like a super highway. Well marked, well traveled, and full of people. The 3000 plus vertical foot descent to the NOC is long and tiring on the feet and joints. I was back to the NOC before 4 PM. I picked up my pack from the Outfitters. There are showers at the railroad station. They take quarters. One of the showers worked and the other didn’t. Ask at the Outfitters for directions to the showers. (Hint: Go across railroad bridge, bear right and cross tracks.) When I hiked into the NOC, the train had just arrived and disgorged all of its passengers who were busy enjoying a beer and watching the kayakers.
The nice thing about planning the first day to arrive at the NOC is that I was able to enjoy a dinner and beer at the restaurant. After showering and eating, I packed up and hiked an uphill 0.8 miles to Rufus Morgan Shelter for the night. Nice, because no need to pitch a tent and no worry about how late I left the NOC because anyone can do 0.8 miles even if a headlamp is needed.
The next section is another 3000 vertical foot uphill grind on the AT. The Wesser Trail comes in from the left near Wesser Shelter. (Just thought I would mention this fun fact because the Wesser Trail is the old AT. It left hikers on Hwy 19 about a mile north of the NOC and required a dangerous road walk on the highway. My brother and I did this in 1978.)
There is plenty of information out there on the AT, so I won’t dwell on this portion of the hike.
I spent my 2nd night at Wayah Bald Shelter. This shelter doesn’t seem to be on maps or guides that many people have. You will see a sign pointing to a water trail to the right about a mile before the top of Wayah Bald. This is shortly after you begin the climb. The shelter is at a trail to the left. If you continue hiking toward the top of Wayah Bald, you will shortly (0.2 miles from shelter) come to a campsite where the Bartram trail (from the south direction) joins the AT. This is not your turn! You continue south on the AT where the Bartram trail shares the trail with the AT for another couple of miles at least. Just past the campsite you will find a good water source next to the trail. With water, this makes a nice campsite (Bartram – AT Trail Junction Campsite).
Follow the Bartram – AT trail 0.8 miles to the top of Wayah Bald.
Continue past Wayah Bald on the Bartram – AT for a couple of miles. Look out for the yellow blazes. There are more white blazes than yellow blazes.
Reach a small creek with a campsite on the right (excellent campsite with water). This is next to the Bartram – AT trail junction where the Bartram trail leaves the AT. From here you follow ridges and several meadows. (Bartram trail always goes straight across the meadow. Be on the lookout for yellow blaze on the far end of the meadow ridge.)
After you cross Saw Mill Gap (Big Saw Mill Gap Road Sign) you will start with a little climb and after passing Jarret Bald, elev. 4820 feet, and a little more than a mile beyond Saw Mill Gap, you begin a wicked descent. There is not much in the way of switchbacks and it seems like the descent will never end. This descent is actually 2.3 miles to Nantahala lake.
You are rewarded for this descent by a short walk (turn right onto road (SR 1310) and walk to the Lake End Marina Restaurant where you can have a hot lunch. It would be great to time your hike so that this restaurant is open. After lunch or dinner, whatever the case, continue down the road past the Phillips 66 gas station and general store. The general store as a few food items.
Turn left down a road just past the Phillips 66. Look for the sign and look for blazes. This is also one of the few places you can ask directions since there are likely to be people around the Marina and Phillip 66. When I asked, some people knew and others just said that most people get off the trail here and skip forward (probably to Appletree Camp).
The next section follows the lake toward the dam, sometimes coming following a gravel road and other times following a trail parallel to the gravel road. Until you cross the river below the dam (on a concrete ford), you need to be very aware of the yellow blaze. I didn’t run into trouble until I was nearly to the bottom somewhere below the dam. I came out on a road and saw a blaze along the road that was uphill and to my left. I knew that had to be the wrong direction, but I walked up that way a short distance and referred to the Bartram Trail Guidebook. This was at mile 21.0 in the guidebook which was described as “Old road joins from right. Turn to left 80 degrees leaving road as descend to campsite on steep sided gorge with view of waterfall. Then at guidebook mile 21.1 it says “Turn right 90 degrees onto same road as on previously, Nantahala Gorge on left as gently descend.” I had missed the tenth of mile between 21.0 and 21.1 and had somehow come out on the “gently descending road” well below the campsite and waterfall. As you can see, it is hard to walk with a guidebook in your hand while constantly following directions. I mainly used the guidebook whenever I got off track.
Shortly after this point you cross the concrete ford and turn right onto High Water Trail Road. This road parallels the Nantahala river (what little there is of it given that it has been diverted). You now have a 2 mile road walk on this road. I never saw a single car on this gravel road.
The next possible point of confusion is when this road intersects into Cloudwalker Cove Rd.. You turn right here and a short walk passing under a the piped Nantahala river where you hit SR 1401 and turn right again and can see Appletree Group Camp sign. Take a break at the sign. The Bartram trail will be obvious there. If you review Foothills Backpacker Bartram – AT Loop Youtube you will see good video of this section with the guys passing under the pipe and coming up to the Appletree Group Camp sign.
The movie also shows the overgrown trail along the river that goes past Appletree Camp. This part of the trail is a little annoying because there is a gravel road (with easy walking) that is directly across the trickle of a river. I met a guy while hiking that told me his story of hiking this section on an earlier trip. He and his buddy got off the trail in the overgrown jungle along this river section and had a very tough time until they finally came across the trail again.
Trailside Camp to Winding Stair Gap Road parking on Hwy 19 / 129 – 8 miles
It was a short day. I was back to my car by noon. It had rained some during the night, but it was not blowing so I left one side of my tarp open and stayed dry. This lean-to tarp arrangement is comfortable and makes it easy to move around and cook and just open up to the outdoors.
It was so muggy again that it made it hard to sleep with the down bag. I used my goretex rain jacket to cover my chest and down bag to cover my feet and legs. That seemed to keep me warm without feeling all sticky and hot.
Light rain came and went during the morning. At one point shortly after crossing the high point on Rattlesnake Knob, I walked under large white pines on a bed of dry needles. Such a nice feeling on the feet. The boughs of the pines overhead were thick enough to block out the rain.
The trail in this section was excellent. Unlike the descent to Nantahala Lake, there were nice short switchbacks down the last descent leading to the Duke Power Plant road. I am sometimes asked to compare these trails to those in the west. Just having hiked Alpine Lakes Wilderness on the PCT, it was easy to see how much shorter and steeper are the switchbacks in the Appalacians. I guess that is because they descend narrower ridges. After reaching the road, the yellow blazes nearly disappeared causing me some second guessing and backtracking.
Very tall water tank where the trail enters and begins following gravel power plant road. This point is well up the mountain. There is a 2nd short and squat water tank near the bottom of the road that signals to start looking for turnoff to left where trail passes through tall weeds.
Easy to miss turn off the power plant road. I nearly walked all of the way to the locked gates that close all access to the road.Paddlers passing under bridge as I wind up the hike.
– Hiked on Monday, October 26, 2015
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I was up at 6:30 am and after oatmeal and nuts I was on the trail in the dark. Nice views from Wayah with a guide to show horizon with named mountains, distances, and compass bearings. Standing Indian was the easiest to pick out.
View from Wayah Bald before sunrise
It had been a warm and muggy night and the day was hot and humid.
After short ascent on old logging road, It was very tough long steep knee shattering descent to the lake. What ever happened with the idea of switchbacks?.
Nantahala Lake
Lake End Marina Restaurant is on the Bartram trail. I don’t usually do food photos, but this catfish sandwich was so good after 3 trail days.
This is a concrete ford through the Nantahala river. They control the water and bypass the river, but I wouldn’t want to cross here when they decide to let the river flow.
Here is the gauge at the ford. At 6 near top of stick, water would be nearly chest high as I cross here. Now it is a tiny stream.
Out of the woods and 2 mile walk on this gravel road that runs alongside the empty river
Hunting dog farm. They raise the dogs in these barrels. I think most of the dogs were out hunting. There must have been 100 dog barrels at least. Plenty of hounds howling at me when I passed. Just one of the sights on the Bartram.
Dog houses
Applehouse Group Camping. Lot of trails come through here.
The trail past Applehouse Group Camping followed the bank of the Nantahala. The trail meandered through thick dog hobble, briers, and rhododendron. I watched with envy as an occasional truck passed on a gravel road that followed the opposite river bank. Rather than fight the undergrowth, it would be an easy matter to cross the tricke that was the river after Duke Power had diverted it and walk with ease. It was a relief when the trail left the river.
My camp literally in the trail. Beyond the river the trail followed a logging road with many flat spots to set up tents. no real campsites though.
Started on Hwy 19 at Winding Stair road. 5 miles on Bartram to AT And Cheoah Bald. Another 8 miles to the Nantahala Outdoor Center on Hwy 19. Another 0.8 miles to Rufus Morgan Shelter on AT.
Didn’t see anyone on the Bartram trail. It follows Ledbetter Creek with beautiful cascades and falls. After climbing 3000 ft in 5 miles, the rest of the day added to the exhaustion.
Now I am sitting at the Rivers End Restaurant at the NOC before hiking the last bit to the shelter. I slack packed this section. The outfitters store held my full pack for me.
Added bonus was coin operated shower at the NOC.
Railroad tracks at beginning of hike at Winding Stair Rd. I crossed these same tracks at the end of the day, only 6.3 miles downriver.
Bridge over Ledbetter Creek. After this, the trail climbs climbs climbs.
Finally reached end of Bartram near Cheoah Bald.
Hiked on Friday, October 23, 2015
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
After breakfast of coffee and oatmeal with walnuts and dried blueberries I finally got my stuff packed. The other Mark B had been packed up ready to go a long time ahead of me. We soon discovered that we had not yet reached Jone’s Gap at all. We had assumed that we were camping about 0.2 miles past Jone’s Gap, but in fact we had camped about 0.2 miles short of Jone’s Gap.
The must see view was a 0.3 mile hike off the trail to the top of Whiterock Mountain. There was a large granite face down the opposite side of the mountain with wide views. This is a popular spot for a day hike from Jone’s Gap and back. I recommend it.
Panorama from Whiterock Mountain.Top of Fishhawk Mountain. The view is not worth the steep climb. It is a tree obstructed view. Sign at turn off shows trail length of 528 feet. The Bartram Trail guide states 1440 feet. The trail guide is right about the length, but incorrectly describes the view. The trees must have grown since the guide was written.Proof that I climbed to the top of Fishhawk mountain.Our last high view on this section of the Bartram trail.This old school bus is not far from Wolf Rock overlook and is well up the mountain. How it got here is anybody’s guess. It is right in the middle of the trail.Largest and most unusual tree burl I have seem. Burls are formed when a tree’s growth hormone gets hijacked, usually by a bacterium. This burl is unusually symmetric.
– Hiked on Sunday, October 18, 2015
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
