Rough Creek Watershed Trails up date; Come and Rid

[dtate]

Hey all,
Yesterday afternoon we completed doing some trail brushing and clearing on the Rough Creek Trails on the old Canton Watershed. The trails are now in great shape and are in need of some folks to come and ride them. If you come over to check them out, I would recommend the following route: Go up the access road from the parking area & climb up to the first intersection(the first .60 mile of the access road is steep,sections have 22% grade). At the intersection, go left & climb around(following the carsonite trail signs)to the lower trailhead for Cherry Cove Trail, 2.5 miles from parking area. Go up Cherry Cove Trail, be sure to go right on the grassy road & climb up to the upper section of Cherry Cove and go to the upper end of the trail( 2.5 miles of singletrack). At the end of the trail( you will see some houses on the other side of a fence when you are at the upper trailhead), turn around and ride the singletrack back down. At the bottom of Cherry Cove Trail, turn left and follow the woods road back around to the intersection with the access road. Total mileage is about 10 miles, if you have a map and do some exploring, you can add some more miles.

Maps are available at Motion Makers, or you can pick one up at the trail Kiosk located at the parking area.

Weather permitting, some of us in Haywood County are planning to ride the trails this coming Sunday afternoon.

[Josh Whitmore]

Thanks for the update and the work to clear the over-growth. You've got a good resource there, just needs to be maintained and expanded.

[mongoconga]

Where are these trails? Perhaps you could scan/post the map?

[dtate]

I do not have a scanner, but I can give you directions to the trail:

Take the Canton Exit off of I-40(exit 31) and turn toward town. Turn left onto Crossroad Hill Road just after passing Ingles on the left. At the stop sign at the end of Crossroad Hill, turn left onto North Canton Road. At the end of North Canton Road, turn left onto Beaverdam Road. Go 1.7 miles on Beaverdam Road & then turn left onto Rice Cove Road. At the stop sign at the end of Rice Cove Rd., turn right & follow this road to the end. Turn left & go over a cattle gate & go up a single lane paved driveway. (this is a narrow road, so watch for traffic) Park on the left in a flat grassy area near an old block water treatment building. The trailhead is just beyond the parking on the left with a trail kiosk that has trail maps.

An alternate route is to exit I-40 at exit 34, go toward Canton, and turn right onto Beaverdam Road & go until you see Rice Cove Road on the left.

[dtate]

Nov 9, 2009 12:32:40 GMT -5 Josh Whitmore said:

Thanks for the update and the work to clear the over-growth. You've got a good resource there, just needs to be maintained and expanded.

It is a good resource, and here is a little background about how we came about to have some trails there for public use.

In 2002, the town of Canton entered the town's 800+ acre decommissioned watershed into a conservation easement with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. The easement was purchased with funds from the NC Clean Water Trust Fund & the easement prevents any development from occurring while allowing the town to use the area for some recreational use. There was a management plan developed that is the guiding force behind what the town can allow on the property. The plan allowed for limited hiking & mtbing using the existing road system.

In 2006, with the cooperation of the town of Canton, Haywood County Schools, and the general community, a grant proposal was submitted by the Haywood County Health Dept.to the NC Health & Wellness Trust Fund for a two year project that funded a paved walking /biking trail at North Canton Elementary School, and for the development of a revised trail plan & trail design & construction on the Rough Creek Watershed Property.

The thrust of the trail plan was to provide for a section of sustainable singletrack that would provide an alternate route for hikers and mtbers from some of the steeper less sustainable sections of the old road system.

The trail, Cherry Cove Trail, was designed and built by Ed Sutton, co-owner of Trail Dynamics. Before construction of this 2 1/2 mile trail could occur, it had to be approved by the Canton Town Aldermen, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, and the board of the NC Clean Water Trust Fund. The trail was completed in April 2008, and the town opened the trail system to the public in June, 2008.

The trail received a lot of use during 2008 up to early summer 2009, but with the wet summer & fall, efforts by the town to mow the old roadbeds were delayed, and the summer growth overwhelmed efforts to keep the singletrack open for use.

Now the trails are open & the singletrack is free of undergrowth & windfalls.

David Tate