Tag: uwharrie

Backpacking Uwharrie: Yates Place to Panther Branch

August 16, 2020By y2kemo

After being cooped up in my house for months I saw a break in the clouds and asked my better half for permission to leave our suburban landlocked ship and escape into the woods with my brother-in-law, Ken. Since neither he or I have interacted with humans outside of our own domiciles, I was granted 36-hour leave and began the planning process with a focus on the Uwharrie National Forest.

In the past few months, Uwharrie has been my go to spot for hiking and trail running so I thought I’d elevate its status as a go to backpacking destination. It’s close to home, has lots of nature, and I can sleep there.

Backpacking the Birkhead Mountains Wilderness: Gnats, gnats, and more gnats

March 18, 20192 commentsBy y2kemo

boy backpacks through woods — Hiking in the Birkhead Mountains Wilderness.

The Uwharrie National Forest was the destination for my son’s first two backpacking trips. It’s close to home, the trails are manageable for a young backpacker, and the chances of being eaten by a bear are next to zero. For his third trip, I was thinking of heading up north to Grayson Highlands or west towards Pisgah, but opted to suggest a return to Uwharrie via the Birkhead Mountains Wilderness as we were expecting a couple other people to join us.

Established by the 1984 North Carolina Wilderness Act, the Birkhead Mountains Wilderness includes 5,000+ acres at the northern end of the oldest mountains on the North American Continent, the Uwharrie Mountains. It was used by early Native Americans over 12,000 years ago, explored by Europeans in the late 1600s, settled in 1760, and expanded by John Watson, son of the Birkhead family, in the late 19th century. Today, the Birkhead Mountains Wilderness has over 16 miles of designated hiking trails (i.e. horses, motorized vehicles, and mountain bikes are prohibited) that are enjoyed by hikers, backpackers, and trail runners.

I shared what I knew about the area with my son, broke the news that our two friends had to back out, and let him rethink our destination. In the end he chose Birkhead.

Backpacking Uwharrie from Yates Place with LEGOs and an 8-year-old

January 23, 2019By y2kemo

father and son selfie in the woods — The journey begins!

Each year I try to work in a winter backpacking trip. This year, I waited up until the last minute to start asking around and couldn’t get any takers. Determined to still go, I looked into places for a solo overnight trip. To the north, near Mt. Rogers Nat’l Rec Area, the forecasts were calling for temps in the teens, winds between 20 and 30MPH, and 10+ inches of snow. To the south, in the Uwharrie National Forest, temps were forecasted between 50°F and 60°F and rain was a certainty. The latter got me thinking.

Since the weather to the south was forecasted to be mild, I thought maybe, just maybe, my wife would be OK with my son joining me on a winter trip. I asked. She agreed. I asked my son. He agreed. Thank you backpacking gods!

Backpacking Uwharrie National Forest: 10 miles with a 7-year-old

April 11, 2018By y2kemo

young hiker standing next to a cairn in Uwharrie National Forest — Backpacking rocks!

My seven-year-old son has been camping since he was 18 months and hiking since he was two years old. He spends a lot of time outdoors from fishing to geocaching to running to just playing in the dirt. For years, he’s been asking me when he’d be able to join me on an overnight backpacking adventure. This past weekend, he got his wish.

Backpacking Dutchman’s Creek Loop: Wherever you go, there Uwharrie

January 3, 201811 commentsBy y2kemo

Trail sign at the northern Dutchman-Uwharrie junction

The Uwharrie National Forest (UNF) is a 51,000 acre forest system spanning three counties in south central North Carolina. It is one of the smallest national forests in the United States, and having been established in 1961, it is also the youngest of the four national parks in North Carolina. It has mountains, but the peaks have been worn down from 20,000′ millions of years ago to no more than 1,000′ today.

The forest offers a number of trails for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and off-roading. There are lakes and rivers for fishing and water sports. Campgrounds for, uh, camping. What I’m trying to say is, there’s a lot of stuff to do there.

Well, for years my friends have talked about hiking in Uwharrie, but I’ve been wary to make the trip because 1) I tend to fancy the higher elevations, and 2) the forest is also a designated Game Land making it a popular destination for hunters and trappers. Well, I finally got over myself, and decided to give Uwharrie a chance.

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