Bartram Trail

The Bartram Trail is a roughly 112-mile National Recreation Trail that winds through the southern Appalachians of northern Georgia and western North Carolina, following in the footsteps of 18th-century naturalist William Bartram, who documented the region’s plants, wildlife, and landscapes in the 1770s.

Trail Sections:

Section 11

Section 11 runs from Appletree Group Campground to Winding Stair Gap in Nantahala Gorge.  From Appletree Group Campground, the trail follows the rivers for a ways then heads up and over the mountains, then descending back down to a Duke Energy facility.  After this point, the trail follows a service road down switchbacks to the Duke Energy parking and Wayah Road.  The trail picks up at the Beechertown Commercial Launch, crosses the river on a bridge and follows Nanatahala Bikeway, a paved trail, down along Nantahala River to Windings Stair Gap.

Section 12

Section 12 is the northern terminus of Bartram Trail, leading from Winding Stair Gap in Nantahala Gorge to Cheoah Bald at the Appalachian Trail.  This section runs through Cheoah Backcountry Area in the Cheoah Ranger District of Nantahala National Forest.  The trail crosses US-19/US-74 then the railroad tracks and turns to cross Ledbetter Creek.  After this point, it climbs steeply up via switchbacks then levels off after about a mile.  The trail crosses Ledbetter Creek twice then passes by Bartram Falls.  There are two more creek crossings before the trail departs from the creek and heads steeply up to end at Appalachian Trail.  The summit of Cheoah Bald is a quarter-mile southbound.

External Links:

Blue Ridge Bartram Trail website: https://blueridgebartram.org/

Nantahala National Forest website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r08/northcarolina/recreation/trails/bartram-trail