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Celebrate N.C. State Trails with a hike on the Wilderness Gateway State Trail
September 14 @ 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Join us for a day of exploring two of North Carolina’s 14 State Trails; this is the second of our State Trails doubleheader (see below for details on the first).
The Wilderness Gateway State Trail is one of the most recent additions to the North Carolina State Trails system – so new that it doesn’t yet exist. But N.C. State Parks and the Foothills Conservancy, the nonprofit administering the trail, have a pretty good idea of where it will go as it links the Hickory area with South Mountains State Park and Chimney Rock State Park; the 4 miles we will hike at the Clear Creek Access to South Mountains State Park is a good representation of what the Wilderness Gateway State Trail will be like.
On this hike, we will hike 1.5 miles out on the Clear Creek Trail, then return and hike a mile on the Lake View Trail. The former will give you a sense of the elevation gains in the area, the latter circles a mountain lake.
- Difficulty: The Clear Creek portion of the hike is moderate to moderately strenuous, the Lake View portion moderate.
- Distance: 4.2 miles
- Estimated hike time: 2 hours
- What to wear: We will email you the day before the event advising of weather conditions for the day and how to best dress for the hike.
- What to bring: Bring at least one bottle of water (1 liter), preferably two. And bring snacks.
- Rest stop: We will take a short break at the midpoint.
We will meet in the gravel parking lot at the trailhead.
About the Wilderness Gateway State Trail: The vision for the Wilderness Gateway State Trail rests on three pillars: conservation, recreation, and tourism. The trail will protect and conserve riparian and other important habitats and serve as an ecological corridor between larger tracts of natural lands. It will create pathways and walkable downtowns in more urban areas to provide safe and pleasant recreation and exercise opportunities where people live and work. Finally, by creating recreational opportunities with access to scenic wilderness and connections to multiple downtowns, the trail will attract visitors from all areas of North Carolina and beyond. For more on the trail visit the NC Trails website here.
This is the second of two State Trails hikes planned for Saturday, Sept. 14, in Burke County. For information on the morning hike, at Lake James State Park on the Fonta Flora State Trail, go here.