When you step on a trail at DuPont State Forest, you can usually tell pretty quickly if it was designed and built for mountain biking. Some tell-tale signs are banked curves and bumps, rails for tricks, and a smooth, hard-packed surface. Such is the case with Ridgeline Trail. DuPont State Forest is a haven for mountain bikers from all over the Southeastern United States, and Ridgeline Trail is one of their favorites. Hey, equestrians like it too. Combine it with a loop around and over Hickory Mountain for a nice hike, or an exciting ride. I traversed these trails on Sunday, March 6, 2016 from 10:45AM to 1:30PM. My plan was to take Ridgeline Trail to Hickory Mountain Loop, circle the loop counter-clockwise, then return.

Warning! Ridgeline Trail is a very popular mountain biking trail. The riders like it because of its many banked curves, jumps and bumps, and hard-packed surface. Because it is mostly downhill from the north end, the bikers can generate quite a bit of speed during the descent. Which means, for those of us who are hiking the trail at a much slower pace, that we need to keep our heads up and our eyes and ears open. Crashes are not good. The mountain bikers don’t want to hit a hiker, nor do we want to get hit. So be safe.

Access to Ridgeline Trail is from the Lake Imaging parking area on Staton Road. You will reach Ridgeline Trail just a few hundred yards after starting, but you should first continue on another couple hundred feet to see the lake. More of a pond really, it is almost always still, creating a reflective effect of the sky and the surrounding trees. Worth the effort. Then, simply backtrack to the Ridgeline trailhead.

You notice almost immediately that this trail is meant for bikers. The trail tread is very hard packed and smooth from constant use. You don’t see the usual exposed roots and rocks that hikers are so familiar with. Then, you encounter a log ride that the bikers use for slow speed balance practice, and the built-up banked curves that twist through the trees making their ride that much more fun. Five minutes after I stepped on Ridgeline Trail the first mountain bikers came whizzing by. It is almost like a raceway.

But a beautiful setting it is. The forest is very dense with young pine growth, and the floor is covered with the soft cushion of orange-red needles. I heard the near-constant rat-a-tat of woodpeckers sharpening their beaks looking for food hidden deep within the bark. When you enter DuPont State Forest from the north, you descend Staton Road on a long hill to the Lake Imaging parking. Ridgeline Trail is climbing that same hill, although at a much more gradual pitch because of long curves and switchbacks.

A mountain biker acquaintance told me these log rides are used for balance practice. As you can see, the forest is quite dense here, as it is throughout the length of the Ridgeline Trail.

About a mile up the hill I heard another animal sound I recognized — the snort from a horse that was coming up behind me. In fact, there were two. One of the great things about the DuPont State Forest trail system is the ability for multi-use. I paused for a moment to catch a couple pictures of the equestrians as they rode past, then soon after saw the first horse-bike encounter. There is a certain etiquette on shared trails that helps with safety. Bikers yield to hikers and horses, and hikers yield to horses. When executed properly it works just fine.

Next I passed Hooker Creek Trail coming up from the right. It is a connector that enables you to get to the Guion Farm region of DuPont. But for this hike, I stayed on Ridgeline Trail, reaching Hickory Mountain Loop just a few hundred yards later. This is also the junction with Hickory Mountain Road, a forest service access that also reaches Guion Farm.

There is a grassy meadow at this junction of trails, and a shelter. There was also another horseback rider, in addition to the duo that had passed me earlier. I tried to be a prognosticator. I would much rather have downhill bikers approaching me from ahead rather than from behind, so I tried to decide which direction to take the loop. In the end I chose counter-clockwise.

Hickory Mountain Trail passes the north end of the meadow, then bears east and begins a steady climb through a mixed deciduous and pine forest. The entire loop is supposed to be just 1.1 miles, but it seemed longer to me. About half way up you can begin to see through the trees some of the landmarks that surround DuPont State Forest. There never is an overlook, or unobstructed vista, but you get a sense of the topography from this far northern boundary of the state forest.

There is an odd outcrop about 50 yards off the trail that I just had to see, so I crunched through the fallen leaves to get there. Nothing remarkable, but odd that these large rocks were so far away from any others. When I reached to top of Hickory Mountain I found another rock, this one perfect for a rest and a snack. Several bikers rode past while I enjoyed the long distance scenery, and the assortment of ground level vegetation.

I found holly and long leaf pine, various and sundry mosses and lichens, as well as dog hobble, mountain laurel and rhododendron. In winter I tend to be more aware of what is on the ground. Wildflowers jump out at you in Spring, as do colored leaves in Fall, and wildlife in Summer. But in winter you have to look harder for the unusual treat. I try to make the time.

I liked how these holly leaves and long leaf pine branches were intertwined. It caught my eye.

Apparently I made the right decision about direction, because on the downward half of the loop I only encountered bikers coming toward me. It may have been just luck, so see how it works out for you. The return on Ridgeline Trail was another matter though. I was passed by a number of bikers as I descended. For awhile I decided to walk off the edge of the trail just for safety.

I saw several of the riders going past having a great time on the jumps and banked curves. I thought how neat it would be to try to get some high speed action photographs and started looking for a biker who might be stopped for a break. My patience was rewarded about half way down when I happened upon Jim Miller, a young mountain biker from Arden, NC. He was trying to setup his Gorillapod to capture a photo of himself as he rode past. So, being the good Meanderthal that I am, I volunteered to take his picture then email him the result.

That result is the photo you see at the top of this page. Click it for a larger view. As you can see, Jim was at least a couple feet off the ground as he got some air while riding past me. I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out as this was really just my first try at capturing any kind of action sports. As I continued the rest of the way down the trail, I paused occasionally to photograph other bikers as they passed by. One of those others is in the gallery below.

To summarize, the first thing I would mention is that it is probably a good idea to only hike Ridgeline Trail on weekdays. It isn’t likely to be as busy with mountain bikers and should therefore be safer. I was there on a Sunday with beautiful weather. Lots and lots of bikes. Otherwise, this is a trail of moderate difficulty that can be done in under three hours, and is also easy to hike because of the packed tread. There aren’t any rewards per se, like waterfalls or majestic overlooks, but it’s a delightful stroll through a very thick forest. There are also plenty of other trails in close proximity, so you can make it longer if you wish.

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.

Bracken Mountain Preserve and Recreation Area is 395 acres of forested land owned by the town of Brevard in Transylvania County, NC. This municipal preserve is due west of downtown and adjacent to Pisgah National Forest and the Brevard Music Center. The town secured approval from the National Forest Service to build a connection with the established trail system, and to link with Forest Service Road 475C. A grand opening was held on July 27, 2012 for 7.1 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails within the Preserve. Future planned amenities include a group camping area, benches, and observation platforms. We thought it would be fun to tell you about the most recent addition to the Western North Carolina trail family. This hike occurred on Wednesday, August 1, 2012 from 8:45am to 12:30pm. Our plan was to take the Bracken Mountain Trail up and over Bracken Mountain to its meeting with FR 475C in Pisgah National Forest, then return.

I’ve been trying to recall if I’ve ever hiked a brand new trail before within days of its opening. Don’t think so. As luck would have it, my companion and I ran into a newness problem before we even got started. When we reached the top of Pinnacle Road in Brevard to access the Bracken Preserve, there was a chain across the road. Huh?

We had read about this new trail in the local newspaper, and it was supposed to open on July 27th. Hmmm. So we headed back down into town wondering what time City Hall opened, and for that matter, where is City Hall? We never found City Hall, but we did find a closed Visitors Center. That’s what we get for being early risers. On the outside wall of the closed Visitors Center was a Brevard brochure that had a phone number for City Hall. Now we’re getting somewhere.

The nice lady who answered the phone transferred me to the Planning Department. She said they had been handling the work on the new Bracken Mountain Preserve. Another very nice lady told me because of the significant rain storm the day before, they had closed the immature trails in order to prevent rutting in the mud from mountain bikes. But, she said, they would have someone up there within five minutes to open the road. Apparently they didn’t mind hiking boot prints.

Sure enough, by the time we got back up to Pinnacle Road, there was a city vehicle just leaving, and the chain was down. Talk about quality service. There is parking for about 8-10 vehicles at the traihead. There we found a brand spanking new signboard with two maps, one of the new trail system within the Bracken Mountain Preserve, and another larger multi-county topographic map that put the Preserve in perspective. The marker for the beginning of the Bracken Mountain Trail is behind the signboard.

Make sure you’re warmed up and stretched out because this hike starts climbing immediately, and continues that way for three miles until it reaches the summit of Bracken Mountain. It’s only moderately steep, ascending almost a thousand feet, but will give you a good workout. This isn’t a simple municipal recreation trail. You will get your exercise.

The trail itself is quite easy to navigate. Being brand new as it is, the surface is totally clear of debris and has been skinned of rocks and roots. As it begins to mature with a layer of leaves this fall, and the eventual mosses and lichens, it will be more intriguing to look at. Right now it has the appearance of a long clay scar on the mountainside.

There are a number of large switchbacks deployed to ease the climb. It certainly lengthens the total distance, but makes the ascent more accessible to all ages, shapes and sizes. The planners did a good job, building an outward camber into the surface of the trail to assist with drainage. The result? Despite the heavy rain the day before, we didn’t encounter any puddling. They also placed barriers on some of the steeper switchbacks in order to protect the mountain bikers who may approach the hairpin turns with too much speed.

After about a mile we came to the first junction with the other major trail in the Preserve, Brushy Creek. The Brushy Creek Trail makes a large loop along the Brushy Creek drainage, then rejoins the Bracken Mountain Trail another couple miles up the mountain. That will be a hike for another day.

The trail is guarded on both sides for a good portion of its length by very mature mountain laurel. Some of the laurel “trees” stood well above 20 feet tall. I suspect this area will be a sensory delight in May when the laurel are in full bloom. The rest of the forest is typical NC hardwood, so look for a bright colorful display in October. Having just been freshly washed with a heavy rain, we didn’t notice any wildlife tracks, but the environment is certainly conducive.

You will want to bring plenty of water with you as there is no obvious water supply along the Bracken Mountain Trail. The Brushy Creek Trail most likely has a water source handy, but there was none that we spotted along our path. Some sort of nutrition is advised as well.

About two miles into the hike is another trail junction, this one with the Mackey Ridge Trail. This is really nothing more than a tenth mile shortcut, as it rejoins the Bracken Mountain Trail in just a couple minutes. We took the longer BMT on the way up, then tried out the shortcut on the way back down.

The next point of note is the western end of the Brushy Creek Trail as it rejoins the BMT. Soon after, the trail begins its final ascent to the summit of Bracken Mountain. There isn’t anything to speak of on the summit other than a very small clearing and a short, flat ridge. There’s a trail marker pointing the way toward Pisgah National Forest, but no mountain view of any kind. I suspect this might be more appealing in winter when the leaves are off the trees.

The final mile to the end of the Bracken Mountain Trail and its joining with Forest Service Road 475C is quite flat. About half way from the summit to the road, the Bracken Mountain Preserve boundary gives way to the national forest. The forest here is beautiful, rich and full. There are fern and galax on the forest floor and the trail itself suddenly changes in maturity with fallen leaves, lichens and a darker, more fertile soil. Presumably this is legacy trail that the Preserve planners incorporated.

When we reached the Forest Road we pulled up a piece of ground and had some lunch. We took out the Pisgah National Forest topo map to orient ourselves with the lay of the land. Just a short 1/2 mile or so down the Forest Road it crosses the Art Loeb Trail near Chestnut Knob and Cat Gap. Cedar Rock and Butter Gap are also less than a mile away. As we were enjoying lunch, a couple of mountain bikers approached up the Forest Road.

There was nothing exceptional about our return trip back down Bracken Mountain. We did meet a few more hikers and bikers. It was a little tiring, eventually coming in over nine miles for the round trip. The misty early morning gave way to summer humidity as we both were sweating profusely on the way back down. Again, a reminder to bring plenty of water and nutrition to replenish what your body uses.

In summary, I think this would be an exceptional trail for mountain bikers, especially if they combine it with Forest Road 475C in Pisgah National Forest to make a large loop. Uniting the Forest Road, the Bracken Mountain Trail, the Brevard Bike Path and Scenic Hwy 276 in the national forest makes a loop that is close to 20 miles long. The Bracken Mountain Trail builders even put several jumps and zig zags into their trail plan.

For hikers, this is not a trail with specific destinations. There really are no sights to see, no landmarks to strive for. If you’re just out to enjoy beautiful forest and get some good exercise, then the Bracken Mountain Trail is for you. If you’re looking for water features, rocky outcroppings or mountain vistas, then you will be disappointed.

The planners and trail builders did a remarkable job. Bracken Mountain Trail is professionally done is every respect. It takes into account drainage and erosion, fun and enjoyment, and most importantly, safety. Give this trail system a few years to mature and I imagine you will see tourists coming to Brevard for more than Pisgah National Forest. They will also come for the Bracken Mountain Preserve.

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.