Sep 24 Strawberry Gap Hike

 

New trail alert!!! Strawberry Gap Trail is now open and we are hiking it within its first week of being open. Our hike begins on the Trombatore Trail at the trailhead also used to access the Bearwallow trail system. The narrow dirt road that leads to this popular trailhead is an adventure in itself. So narrow that backing up to allow passing room is part of the process in arriving or leaving. 

Trombatore, Bearwallow, Weed Patch, Strawberry Gap?? What are these places? Back in 2017, two overlapping land trusts - Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy and Pacolet Area Conservancy merged to form Conserving Carolina. The new entity works in the Brevard, Hendersonville and Lake Lure area. Dupont Forest and the Hickory Nut Gorge lie within that area and have benefited greatly from the efforts of Conserving Carolina. One ambitious goal is to complete a 100 mile trail from lake Lure to Fairview. About a third is now open. The latest trail to open is Strawberry Gap. Conserving Carolina teamed up with Southern Appalachian Mountains Conservancy in bring this trail online. 

Our hike begins on the Trombatore Trail. This 2.5 mile trail travels through mature hardwoods and passes close enough to several homes we could hear people talking. As we approached the end of Trombatore, we entered a large grassy bald with distant views. We noticed a nearby apple tree and stopped for a snack. 

Pokeberry

The Strawberry Gap and Trombatore trails meet in this field and our hike continues down. A controlled burn is evident as we start down Strawberry Gap. More rock ledges are also apparent. 

About halfway down, we reach an area where there are several nice views to the northwest. From this point on, we encounter quite a few hikers. Some of the trailwork looks fresh and other spots look as if they have been in place for a while. In this area we located a burring American Chestnut tree. We also hear the hollow knocking noise chipmunks make at several spots. We are back at the parking lot before noon. Trombatore Trail 2.5 miles and Strawberry Gap Trail 3 miles.