Douglas Falls in Big Ivy is worth a visit. There are two ways to get there. The easy drive/tough-walk way or the tough-drive/easy walk way. I'd suggest the former but both have their benefits.

The easy drive involves driving to the Craggy Garden parking area on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's definitely more scenic. From there you take the Mountains to Sea Trail about a mile to the Douglas Falls trail. Then travel another couple miles to the falls. The trail to the falls is beautiful with lots of lush greenery. It is rugged and a steep climb back up. There is also another waterfall that you'll cross on the trail that's pretty interesting as it's basically a long shoot. It almost looks like the log flume ride at Dollywood. 

The other way is to drive directly to the area known as Big Ivy in Barnardsville. The map below will take you to the entrance, which is about an hour and forty-five minutes from downtown Greenville. But from there you'll travel on a forestry road for another thirty minutes or so assuming you're driving as fast you can possibly drive safely. The road does hug a very steep cliff so you might want to take it a bit slower.  The road dead ends at the trail head which you can't miss. It's blazed in yellow and the falls are about a half mile further. There is a great campsite just above the falls and a few others on the way to Craggy Gardens should you feel inclined to head that way. 

You can find more information about the area here.

Tree Frog Trail

Despite the poor spelling, Tree Frog Trail is a really nice little mountain biking trail off the Swamp Rabbit Trail near Mauldin. You can reach it by parking on Parkins Mill Road near the bridge that goes under I-85 and then hopping on the SRT. Ride down past the treatment plant and you'll come to a split in the trail. To the left is the "Treefrog" Trail.

Cumberland Island National Seashore

Cumberland Island National Seashore is the southern most barrier island in Georgia. In fact you can see Florida from its shores.

Like Bull Island, it can only be accessed by boat (or helicopter). A 45 minute ferry ride from the nearby town of St. Marys runs 2-3 times a day.

There are basically three ways to explore it - as a day tripper, as a camper, or by staying on the island's luxurious Greyfield Inn.

There is one standard "car" camping type campground which is about a half mile from the ferry dock. (Obviously you can't park your car there, but they do have carts to help you transport your gear from the ferry to the campground.) There are also four back country sites (even though their website says there are only three.) The closest (called Stafford Beach) is 3.5 miles away and contains a bath house with a cold water shower, and drinking water. (The water must be filtered, treated or boiled before drinking.) The other three sites are 5.5 miles, 7.5 miles and 10.5 miles away.

The island is teeming with wildlife, rivaling Shenandoah National Park. Wildlife includes armadillos, egrets, wood storks, rattle snakes, water moccasins, alligators, racoons, turkeys and 150 feral horses. (Several of these made frequent visits to our campsite.)

My sons and I came across this feral pig. The vulture standing by in the distance was one of five waiting for us to leave. Other creatures we encountered along the beach included various species of crabs and sharks.

We also discovered a couple of interesting items washed up on the beach including this meteorological monitoring device.

We also found the most pristine conch shells, scallop shells and sand dollars you can imagine.

The island has had residents for over 4000 years including some of the worlds biggest movers and shakers including the Rockefellers and Carnegies. (John F. Kennedy Jr. was married on the island.)

This structure is a former mansion now in a state of disrepair.

Warning. The ticks, mosquitoes, heat and humidity can get unbearable in the summer months. The island is truly an awesome experience but be prepared with plenty of deet and iodine tablets. Also, there are no lifeguards on the beaches. This is a wilderness area. Rip tides are a real threat. Know what to look for before entering the water.

Distance from downtown Greenville: 362 miles

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Virginia Creeper Trail

The Virginia Creeper Trail is a rails to trails project located in southwest Virigina. It starts near the top of Virginia's second highest peak, Whitetop Mountain, and runs thirty-four miles to downtown Abingdon. Originally a steam engine called the Virginia Creeper ran through the area. The rail was abandoned in 1974 and construction of the trail began in 1977.

The trail is open to hikers and equestrians but primarily used by mountain bikers. There are several bike rental companies nearby which will shuttle visitors to Whitetop. From there they can ride all the way to the end or stop in Damascus, the halfway point. Damascus is also the lowest point on the trail, so starting at either end is a downhill trek for the first half of the trail. As you can see by the white blaze on the bridge, part of the trail converges with the Appalachian Trail temporarily. They then separate before meeting again in Damascus. Damascus is known as the friendliest town on the Appalachian Trail and is the location of an annual festival known as Trail Days.

One of the first stops on the trail is this old train depot called Green Cove. The depot has been transformed into a gift shop. A famous photograph of the spot called, Maud Bows To The Virginia Creeper can be seen here.



After about five miles the trail begins to follow the Holston River, a favorite spot of trout fisherman.

There are also plenty of campsites along the way.

Distance from downtown Greenville: 170 miles.

Location of bike rental shop and end of trail.

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Gorges State Park

A new state park is in the process of opening in North Carolina. Gorges State Park borders South Carolina near Lake Jocassee. The park staff opened one trail this past week called Rainbow Falls trail. To reach the trail, enter the park from Hwy 281 in Sapphire, NC and drive a couple miles to the parking area.

In addition to Rainbow Falls (pictured above) this 1.5 mile trail will take you past three other waterfalls. Rainbow Falls is easy enough to find. You can't miss it. Afterward climb the trail running to the top of the falls which will take you to two smaller falls. On the way back, you will pass two small unmarked trails on your right about half way back. Take the second one to Stair Step Falls.

I spoke to a park ranger who said they expect most of the park to be opened in two weeks. By the end of the summer a primitive campground featuring six campsites will also be opened as part of another four falls trail system.

A map of the area is available here from the Romantic Asheville website.

Distance from downtown Greenville: 62 miles.


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Turkey Pen Gap

Located in Pisgah Forest, Turkey Pen Gap offers camping, hiking and mountain biking along the South Mills River. Horses are also allowed along some of the trails. Despite a rather treacherous road into the area, there is plenty of parking for single vehicles and horse trailers.

Distance from downtown Greenville: 52 miles.


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Swamp Rabbit Tram Trail - Update

Without a doubt the Google search that brings the most people to this blog is "Swamp Rabbit Tram Trail" so today I decided to follow up on a post I made here about a year ago. On Friday the Swamp Rabbit had it's official opening kicking off the event with a 5K run.

So today my youngest son and I decided again to see if we could get from our house to Traveler's Rest via the trail. I mentioned in a previous post that the last time we came to a dead end in the Cripple Creek community when we reached this point.

I had been told by someone who should know better than anyone that the trail continued on Washington Street, so we attempted the route shown below. We also met a nice couple who had run the 5K on Friday and were as eager as we were to find the path to TR.


View Swamp Rabbit Attempt #2 in a larger map

At first this lead us through a narrow foot path where we came across the abandoned building below. The couple plowed on and and a few minutes later we followed.



Eventually we came to Hwy 183 (Pete Hollis Blvd.) and we all decided it might be best to take it back to Main St. as there was no sign of where the trail might continue.

In our various adventures, my sons and I have come across a lot of interesting things from bears, to alligators, to weirdo cults and there's hardly a weekend during the the summer months we don't see a snake or two, but I don't think I'll be taking them back on this path for awhile. Although I suspect I'll be attempting it again myself before long. Perhaps I'll start from the TR end.

John Rock

Like Looking Glass Rock, John Rock is a pluton. Located a half mile or so from Looking Glass, the hike to the top of John Rock is a little shorter than the one to Looking Glass. You start at a fish hatchery built by the Works Progress Administration. A five mile loop to John Rock via the Cat's Gap Trail, is detailed here. There are many great campsites along the way.

Looking Glass Rock as seen from the summit of John Rock.

As with many places in the Pisgah National Forest, the beavers have been very industrious.

Beaver Dam.

Distance from downtown Greenville: 60 miles.


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Swamp Rabbit Tram Trail

Update located here.

4/28/2008

Tom over at the Random Connections blog recently gave a nice account of his exploration of the Swamp Rabbit Tram Trail which connects Travelers Rest to downtown Greenville. Tom started in TR and rode toward Greenville. Inspired by his photos and his story, the kids and I decided to hit the trail today but we started from the other direction. We left our house downtown and hit the beginning of the trail at River Place across from the Peace Center. Unfortunately a mile later as we entered the Cripple Creek Community we met a sign stating, "Temporary End of the Trail," which we had seen every other time we had gotten to this point. But this time we passed the sign and rode our bikes through a soccer field hoping we'd find the rest of the trail. We found a short trail leading to a train track so we started to check it out on foot and came across this abandoned locomotive.

As we neared it though a continuous clanking sound was coming from inside. Fearful that it might be someone living inside and giving us a warning to stay clear we turned and left. We ultimately ended up in some woods passing a "No Trespassing - Radio Frequency" sign from the wrong direction. We never found where the trail reconnected so we turned back and went home. Nevertheless it was a nice adventure. When this trail is completed it will be a great addition to the area. Read more about the project here. Also please check out Tom's Photos. I'm looking forward to trying it from the Travelers Rest side.

On our way through Falls Park we did catch a nice view of the Great Blue Heron that resides there, as well as this poor copperhead hanging onto a rock for dear life after the morning rain raised the water level of his habitat.



Distance from downtown Greenville: 1-9 miles

Panthertown Valley

Panthertown Valley is a hidden treasure located in an exclusive area of Western, NC near the town of Sapphire containing hiking, mountain biking and equestrian trails. There are no signs leading to it. A map of the area can be found both here and on National Geographic topo map number 785 (Nantahala and Cullasaja Gorges). There is also a recently published map that is available at the Highland Hiker in Highlands. The best way to find the parking areas for Panthertown is to follow the directions found here. A western trailhead can be found following the directions found here, although it's about 30 minutes longer to get to from Greenville.

The area contains at least eight different waterfalls and many rock domes. This shot was taken from atop a Little Green Mountain, which is a large granite dome. The top image is School House Falls. The image below is Warden Falls.

According to the Nature Conservancy, “Panthertown Valley is a treat for hikers, as it contains a curious mixture of threatened and endangered species and natural communities. Panthertown is distinguished by its broad flat valley floor flanked by granite cliffs abruptly rising 200 to 300 feet. These granite domes with exposed rock are uncommon in the southern Appalachians and offer spectacular open vistas. The unusually flat valley is home to at least 11 different natural communities, including the rare southern Appalachian bog and the swamp forest-bog community. These communities harbor numerous rare plants, such as Cuthbert's turtlehead, Canada burnet, marsh bellflower, climbing fern, and spinulose wood fern.

“The headwaters of the East Fork of the Tuckasegee River and 20 miles of native brook trout streams, including Panthertown, Greenland, and Flat Creeks, are located in Panthertown Valley.”

Much of the area contains white sand, like you would typically expect to find near the coast. Following the directions listed for the western trail head will take you to all of the locations seen here, and also through an upland bog where you can see a carnivorous plant called a sundew. (Click here to know what to look for.)

A mountain biker ahead of us found this rattler on the trail and encouraged him to move to this spot under some rhododendron.






More Images. Click each one for a larger view.




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Distance from downtown Greenville: 61 miles
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Grayson Highlands State Park

This is a bit of a stretch for the purposes of this blog, given that Grayson Highlands is a four hour drive from Greenville, but it’s definitely worth the drive. Located in southwest Virginia, this state park offers camping, hiking, mountain biking and equestrian trails. There is even a stable on the premises. The park borders the Jefferson National Forest, which resembles Nova Scotia much more so than the southeast. Mt. Rogers, located within walking distance via the Appalachian trail is the highest mountain in Virginia.

In addition to the amazing scenery, wild ponies roam free in the park and are quite friendly. The best place to spot them is via the Rhododendron Gap Trail located at the Massie Gap Parking area.

Compare the two images below. The one on the left I took yesterday at Grayson Highlands. The one on the right I took four years ago in Nova Scotia. (Click images for a larger view.)

Winter Images (click to see larger view):




Location: 36°36'44.36"N 81°29'24.54"W
Distance from downtown Greenville: 213 miles

U.S. National Whitewater Center

The new National Whitewater Center located in Charlotte, NC is an artificial river with class 1-5 rapids used for training kayakers and rafters. According to the current issue of Backpacker Magazine, kayakers are coming from all over the world to train here.











The park also contains 11 miles of hiking/mountain biking trails and a five story rock climbing wall.
















Location: N 35° 16.350 W 081° 00.358
Distance from downtown Greenville: 95 miles
Local Geocaches