Conserving Carolina’s Fall Hiking Series Begins September 22nd!
Conserving Carolina invites the community to join us for NC Year of the Trail and celebrate trails and outdoor recreation in North Carolina by enjoy the work that conservation organizations have done over the years to preserve our area’s natural resources. These special places not only provide important habitat for our native flora and fauna, but they also provide the public with the benefit of recreational opportunities such as walking, hiking, mountain biking, birding, botanizing, solitude, and so much more. This series will offer an opportunity to enjoy the fall season through five guided hikes (four in NC) taking place every other Friday.
Registration for each hike will open three weeks before the hike. You can register using the links below. If you register but are unable to attend, please cancel your reservation so that your spot will be open for someone else! To cancel, please email [email protected].
Starting September 22nd, the first trek will head to Youngs Mountain, part of the emerging Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail network. The 4.2 mile round-trip is a moderate/strenuous, out and back hike on the north side of Lake Lure. The trail ascends 1,200 feet in elevation to reach the top of scenic cliffs near the summit of the mountain. This dramatic destination offers panoramic views of Lake Lure, Rumbling Bald, Weed Patch Mountain, and the lower Hickory Nut Gorge. On a clear day, Mt. Mitchell and the Black Mountains are also visible. Learn more and register.
The next hike, on October 6th, will take place in the Montreat Wilderness Area where the group will hike to Lookout Rock, a stone outcrop which offers views of the Montreat and Swannanoa valleys and the Seven Sisters range (or Middle Mountain). This 3.5 mile, loop hike is of moderate difficulty, with an elevation gain of 890 feet. Learn more and register.
On October 20th, the group will head to Walnut Creek Preserve, a 2,100-acre private equestrian conservation community located near Lake Lure. Participants will enjoy a hike to grassy knolls that offer beautiful views of the surrounding mountains, through the maturing forest, and along Walnut Creek to Walnut Creek Falls. The hike will be about a 6 mile loop and of moderate difficulty. The Preserve is private land, and the public is only allowed on the property by invitation, so take advantage of this unique opportunity to enjoy the serenity of this beautiful property in the glory of autumn. Learn more and register.
On November 3rd, the group will head to Ashmore Heritage Preserve in South Carolina for a 5.1 mile, moderately/difficult, lollipop hike, with an elevation gain of 1,023′, to High Rock overlook and a gorgeous view of the Piedmont. Hikers will back track and pick up a loop trail that leads them around Lake Wattacoo, a man-made lake at the base of Campbell Mountain and the Blue Ridge escarpment. There is the possibility of some wet stream crossings on this trek. Learn more and register.
Finally, on November 17th, join us for a 5.3 mile, moderate, loop hike (elevation gain of 700′) along the Reasonover Creek trail at DuPont State Recreational Forest. The hike will offer beautiful views of the surrounding mountains, Lake Julia, and the maturing forest around Reasonover Creek. The trail crosses the creek a few times along the way, so there may be a chance of a wet crossing in these places. Learn more and register.