Noland Creek History Hike in the Smokies

Our hike begins at the Noland Creek trailhead just before the tunnel on the Road to Nowhere outside of Bryson City. This is a 9.5 mile out and back hike on the Noland Creek Trail with a mild 1200 feet of ascent. We will explore the history of the Noland community which was forced out in the 1940's to create Fontana Lake - a source of power for the war effort. The property later became part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The trail is a former country lane that passes a number of homesites, cemeteries and the remains of a large water powered mill and power plant, all from the 1930’s and 40’s. The creek itself is wide, scenic and runs fast, and the trees that border it should provide the last remains of fall color.

Our only meeting place is the Waynesville Publix, 124 Frazier Street, Waynesville at 8:15. Park away from the store entrance, near the Popeyes.

CMC Meetup is sponsored by the Carolina Mountain Club (CMC). You do not have to be a member of CMC to hike with me, but if you are not a member you should think about joining. It’s a terrific all volunteer organization that not only sponsors lots of hikes but engages in a significant amount of trail maintenance throughout Western North Carolina. Just follow the prompts from this link https://carolinamtnclub.org/enrollments/ or explore our webpage at https://www.carolinamountainclub.org/

Plans change - I get it. If you sign up for the hike and then find that your plans have changed, please take the time to remove yourself from the hike so that we don’t unnecessarily wait for you at the meeting place.

The end time is just an estimate. How long we hike depends on the hikers and we are all different.