Sugarloaf & Hattaway Mountain Trails
Narrow passage on Sugarloaf
It's a Saturday during muzzleloading season. Where do you hike? We chose a state park where there is no hunting permitted. During the pandemic, many state parks max out early in the day. We're headed to Morrow Mountain State Park. The huge parking areas here will probably not fill up. That was correct. The huge Bridle trail parking area can hold a tremendous number of vehicles.
We began our hike there. Sugarloaf Mountain Trail begins climbing right away. It's a rocky one. All the mountain trails in the park are quite rocky. They all were Native American quarries, littered with lithic debris. It is thought, the rhyolite was quarried from the outcrops on these mountains and carried to the Hardaway Site on the Yadkin River near the section previously known as "The Narrows". Now, that spot is where the Badin Dam sits.
Native American quarry on Hattaway Mtn
We quickly realized this trail was not only rocky but also steep and narrow. There was no place to socially distance while passing other hikers. We soon tired of this routine. After a brief lunch stop at the Visitor Center lawn, we hiked over to Hattaway Mountain Trail, thinking it would have fewer hikers. The improvised plan was to hike up the mountain and then access an old road leading to the bridle trail. Nanci is always skeptical of my off trail plans and after about 10 minutes of meandering along the ridge top, I was relieved to spot the old road.
Off trail on Hattaway Mtn
This road is one of my favorite spots in the park. It descends through a nice mature forest to a small pond at the base.
Pond at base of Hattaway Mtn
The pond is a short distance from the bridle trail and an easy walk back to the parking lot.
Old entrance gate on Bridle trail
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