The
North Carolina Bartram Trail, blazed in blue, crosses over some of the
most scenic mountains of the state, with many side trails, blazed in blue,
leading to views of the Blue Ridge and the Smokies.
The Trail enters North
Carolina just south of Highlands, near Rabun Bald, taking up where the
Georgia Bartram Trail leaves off. The trail curves in a north-to-west
direction through Western North Carolina, joining the Appalachian Trail at
two points and ending on Cheoah Bald.
The Trail then climbs
from the Georgia line to the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains and crosses
the Fishhawk Mountains before descending to the little Tennessee River
Valley. Here the Bartram Trail Society has designated a stretch of the
Little Tennessee River to Franklin a canoe trail. Thru-hikers must follow a
series of country roads through the valley into Franklin.
In Franklin, the
Bartram Trail turns west and ascends the Nantahala Mountains to Wayah Bald,
which, at 5385 feet, is the highest point on the trail. The trail joins the
Appalachian Trail briefly, then descends to Nantahala Lake.
Continuing mainly on
private lands from the Lake, the trail reaches Appletree Campground in
the upper Nantahala Gorge, then climbs up and over Rattlesnake Knob before
reaching the "put in" on the Nantahala River. From the river, the Trail
climbs to the summit of Cheoah Bald, and ends there. (A "Western Extension"
of the Bartram Trail follows the crest of the Snowbird Mountains towards
Tennessee as far as Porterfield Gap.) The above information was taken from
http://www.ncbartramtrail.org/
the above map was taken from
http://www.bartramtrail.org/index.shtml .
