The Bartram Trail - A Trail for the First-Time Thru Hiker
Last month, we put out an article detailing Five Shorter Thru-hikes for 2021. This week, OE contributor, Chica, offers up one more short hike to consider for this year, The Bartram Trail. Having hiked it last year with her husband (and fellow OE contributor), Sunsets, along with another friend, she is an expert in all things Bartram Trail. Thanks to Chica for this addition to our previous article, and happy trails to all!
The Bartram Trail is a rugged and difficult trail with waterfalls galore, beautiful vistas, and many in-the-forest hiking. The trail roughly follows the exploratory path that botanist, William Bartram, took in the 1770's. The trail would be a great first thru-hike for someone with backpacking experience but new to thru-hiking. With the trail weaving past a town half-way through the hike, it offers a perfect respite for the weary hiker (food, lodging, resupply… brewery).
My husband Greg and I, along with our pal Evan, hiked the trail earlier this year. We started in Georgia at the Chattooga River, the trail's southern terminus, and hiked it northbound. The trail allows only foot traffic and is the perfect trail for solitude. We never saw any other thru-hikers, only day hikers at some of the more popular spots.
We hiked the 110-mile trail over 7 days and averaged 15 miles a day – with our longest day being over 17 miles and shortest just under 9. We endured heat, humidity, overgrowth, rain, thunderstorms, and more heat (but then again, we hiked the trail in July!). The fall or spring would be much more comfortable temperature-wise and with less overgrowth. The 10-mile road walk into Franklin, NC is easy to skip, and we opted to do this. We got a ride into town and spent the night at our very own Chica & Sunsets Hostel, which supports Appalachian Trail and Bartram Trail hikers. This worked perfectly for us – as we were in dire need of showers, laundry, food, and resupply.
The trail is easy to follow with yellow blazes and inscriptions on rocks. For navigation, we used the "Bartram Trail" pocket guidebook by Thomas Reese, the Bartram Trail North Carolina map, notes taken from watching previous hikers' YouTube videos, and the "NatGeo" GPS app.
We loved this trail! It was challenging, beautiful, and the perfect distance for a week-long hiking experience.
For a closer look at the Bartram Trail, check out Chica & Sunsets YouTube for daily vlogs.
