Bartram Trail

by John R. Ray, Malcolm J. Skove

Detailed backpacking trail guide and topographic maps for the Bartram Trai in the Nantahala Nationa Forest in North Carolina. Includes southern NC Section (GA/NC State line to Hickory Knoll Trailhead near Franklin) and northern NC Section (Wallace Branch Trailhead near Franklin to Cheoah Bald junction with Appalachian Trail).

29 pages, Spiral-bound

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Tomislav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed backpacking trail guide and topographic maps for the Bartram Trail in the Nantahala National Forest of North Carolina. The guide covers the two separated sections of the trail that are within North Carolina. Firstly, from the Georgia state line, north to the Hickory Knoll Trailhead near Franklin. Secondly, from the Wallace Branch Trailhead near Franklin, through the Wayah Bald intersection with the Appalachian Trail, and to the Cheoah Bald intersection with the Appalachian Trail. Together with Ray and Skove’s Bartram Trail, Georgia Section, the two guides provide coverage of the entire 98.6 miles of the Bartram Trail. The guides are written for hikers moving northbound, although they are also annotated for those whose who move southbound.

I section-hiked the entire Bartram Trail in three parts in 2017, 2020, and 2021.

#2) I backpacked 17 miles of the North Carolina Section of the Bartram Trail southbound, from the Hickory Knoll Trailhead to Osage Mountain Overlook over two nights in 2020. The split between pair of guides at the state line is not optimum, since the nearest paved road (Hwy 106, between Dillard GA and Highlands NC) is not at the state line.

#3) I backpacked the 41 miles of the North Carolina Section of the Bartram Trail northbound, from Wallace Branch Trailhead to the terminus on top of Cheoah Bald over four nights in 2021.

The contents of this guide were invaluable, providing me with details of possible places to set up camp, get water, or notice the scenery.