A Trail with a Mission: Connect Great Communities
Rutherford County’s motto is “small town friendly” and it’s stayed true to that motto through the growth of the Thermal Belt Rail Trail.
Rutherford County’s motto is “small town friendly” and it’s stayed true to that motto through the growth of the Thermal Belt Rail Trail.
On land once slated for development, we have now protected more than 2,200 acres. And we are working to protect even more, with plans to link two vast state trails.
Newly protected land could be a key link in the Hickory Nut Gorge Trail, connecting Weed Patch Mountain and Youngs Mountain Trail.
The popular White Squirrel Hiking Challenge is back! Participants are invited to take on eight hikes, all on lands that Conserving Carolina has helped protect, enhance, or open to the public
During the pandemic, our Rock Crushers volunteers found solace in nature and salvation in trail building. The result is the amazing Youngs Mountain Trail!
A new hiking trail just opened at Youngs Mountain, offering spectacular views of Lake Lure, Rumbling Bald, Weed Patch Mountain, and the lower Hickory Nut Gorge.
A new two-mile section of trail just opened in the Hickory Nut Gorge, creating a link between two highly popular trails—the Bearwallow Mountain Trail and the Wildcat Rock Trail. It’s part of our larger vision for a 130+ mile trail network in the gorge.
Transfiguration Preserve in Bat Cave is a beautiful, wild place where scientists recently discovered a new salamander. It’s a place where fourth graders learn math and science outdoors. It’s a place where people find healing through forest bathing. And it’s a place where a hiking trail may connect to Chimney Rock State Park.