I will always provide a free route map, but you can also download a hike/drive GPX to assist you and to help support my site. Before sharing my GPX tracks with others, please remember my site is a free resource and I'm charging nominal fees to offset my substantial costs.
GPX track added to your cart.
Jun 18, 2020 — Definitely among my favorite hikes of the southeast, the Bartram Trail seems to have a bit of everything. From the trailhead, a staircase leads to a railroad crossing, and then into the forest. Pretty quickly, the Bartram Trail gets very steep, moreso than pretty much any other trail I've done around here. I was thrilled to get a quad workout in as I switchbacked up. After about a thousand feet of vertical gain, the trail mellowed out a bit, descending slightly down into Ledbetter Creek along a very old roadbed.
The trail then became narrow, but always easy to follow. The long section of trail that paralleled Ledbetter Creek is really spectactular; a few creek crossings, the winding and undulating trail, and many small waterfalls keept the route interesting. I was enjoying the Bartram Trail immensely and continued to do so as it crossed some old forest road and began ascending steeply up to the junction with the Appalachian Trail. From here, a short hike led to Cheoah Bald, a nice viewpoint that made this hike feel really complete.
Please consider helping me out if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so all site fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing these trip reports is unpaid. You can also hire me as a web developer. I really appreciate it!
If you find my site helpful, please help me replace my many broken cameras, fund my website fees (hosting, APIs, security), or just support my countless hours of work. I pay for all expenses myself, and all trip reports I post are unpaid and unsponsored, so any support is really appreciated!
If using PayPal, please select their option for "Sending to a friend" so they don't take out fees, thank you.
My site is free to use, but consider sending me a few bucks to help keep it running. Thanks in advance!
