Conserving Carolina Archives - My Walk in the Woods

Bracken Preserve

The Bracken Mountain Preserve is located just outside the town of Brevard, NC in Transylvania County and within walking distance of the Brevard Music Center. It is a collection of trails (with the addition of the Pinnacle Trail in 2019) totaling about 9 miles. This area is open to hiking and mountain biking. The Preserve borders Pisgah National Forest and hikers can actually connect from Brevard to the Art Loeb Trail and other adventures within Pisgah National Forest.

Youngs Mountain Trail

Youngs Mountain Trail is located in Rutherford County, NC just north of Lake Lure and is one of the latest additions (April 2021) to the Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail system. The trail is remote and strenuous, but the experience and the views are something that all hikers will appreciate and cherish. This is another excellent example of Conserving Carolina’s leadership in working with communities to help protect precious resources. The trail is a 2.1 mile trip to the summit of Youngs Mtn with 1200′ elevation and currently can only be hiked as an out and back.

Wildcat Rock Trail – Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Trail

The Wildcat Rock Trail is part of the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Trail in Henderson County, NC. This national award winning trail is also a portion of the planned Hickory Nut Gorge Trail that will one day be 100 + miles linking many of the existing trails and breath taking vistas as well as encircling scenic Lake Lure. In 2017 this project was designated as the Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail. Conserving Carolina continues on the front lines of this project and many other excellent trails and greenways. Their dedication, vision and success in working with communities, neighbors, developers and regulatory agencies is worthy of recognition.