Hiking in Western North Carolina is often dominated by Pisgah National Forest. But if you know where to look many other locations have beautiful trails. You don’t need to look any further than Conserving Carolina
Conserving Carolina is an organization that is dedicated to protecting and preserving the trails around Transylvania, Hendersonville, and Polk County. Some of the locations that they have had an involvement in are Dupont State Recreational Forest, Chimney Rock State Park, Bearwallow Mountain Trail, and Florence Nature Preserve.
Bearwallow Mountain
A short hike with an extremely rewarding payoff. At the top, you will encounter grazing cattle and a historic fire tower. located in the small town of Gerton North Carolina and only 30 minutes from Asheville.
From the summit you will be able to have a view of Mt. Pisgah and Mt. Mitchell. You will also have a bird’s eye view of Fletcher and Fairview.
this hike is about one mile up and another mile down with only 580ft of elevation gain. And if you want to extend you can add the Wild Cat Rock trail that will add about five miles one way.
Wild Cat Rock Trail
You can get to the trail from the summit of Bearwallow Mountain or at the trailhead off of Gerton Highway. Many people use this hike as a connection to Bearwallow trail and shuttle back to the trailhead.
The trail is 5 miles one way hike to the summit of Bearwallow Mountain. It is considered a difficult trail due to having a large amount of elevation gain.
On the trail you will find Little Bearwallow Falls. A 100-foot waterfall that is surrounded by wildflowers in the spring.
Strawberry Gap Trail/ Trombatore Trail
An extension to the Bearwallow trail will be walking through the Trombatore trail and ending with the Strawberry Gap Trail. The Trombatore trail shares a parking lot with Bearwallow Mountain Trail and it is 2.4 miles to Blue Ridge Pastures. The Blue Ridge Pastures is a grassy meadow that has breathtaking views of the Hickory Nut Gorge. At the Blue Ridge Pastures the trail will continue onto Strawberry Gap Trail for 3 miles. About halfway between Blue Ridge Pastures and the Strawberry Gap trailhead you will come to Ferguson Peak which is a rocky outcrop that looks over Asheville and Fairview.
Florence nature preserve
In 1996 Dr. Tom Florence and his wife Glenna donated 300 acres to conserving Carolina. And again they donated another 300 acres in 2001. This donated land is what came to become the Florence Nature Preserve.
On the side of Little Pisgah Mountain, the preserve offers a network of over 6 miles of trails. Running through the preserve is a creek and a few cascades. You will need to walk about one mile into the preserve to get to the main loop.
The loop is about 3+ miles long with 2 outlooks and a few river crossings. Nothing on this trail is considered very difficult.
Overview
Don’t know where to start? If you head over to the Conserving Carolina website you can find their hiking challenge. The White Squirrel Hiking Challenge 7 is a way to get out and start hiking the local trails around the Hendersonville area. They provide a list of 8 hikes that you can complete at your own pace and at any time. If you complete the challenge and submit it online you can get a white squirrel patch.
