Strawberry Gap Trail, newest link in Hickory Nut Gorge, opens in Henderson County

A new recreational trail has slowly opened up in Henderson County, thanks to numerous public partnerships and the generosity of some local families.

The Strawberry Gap Trail connects over 16 miles of existing outdoor networks. The recently-developed trail starts at 74A and connects to the Trombatore Trail, which goes to Bearwallow Mountain Trail, which then connects to Wildcat Rock Trail, which goes to Florence Nature Preserve. The trail is the newest link in the Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail, which ultimately will be over 100 miles long, according to Conserving Carolina.

The Strawberry Gap Trail is another collaboration between two nationally award-winning trail creators, Peter Barr, who designed the trail, and Shrimper Khare, who artfully constructed it. Barr has earned two national awards for his trail design for Conserving Carolina of the Wildcat Rock Trail in 2018 and the Weed Patch Mountain Trail in 2019. Khare earned the award for construction of the Weed Patch Mountain Trail in 2019. The pair have now collaborated on the Weed Patch Mountain Trail, Youngs Mountain Trail, Upper Wildcat Rock/Bearwallow Connector Traik and now the Strawberry Gap Trail.

“The Strawberry Gap Trail is the latest and greatest addition to Conserving Carolina's lineup of sustainable trails in the Hickory Nut Gorge and the newest segment of the budding Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail,” said Barr, Conserving Carolina’s Trail Specialist. “It is the perfect marriage of important land conservation and outdoor recreation and public access. We are grateful to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy for permanently protecting the land through which the trail runs through conservation easements with generous, willing landowners and permitting part of the trail on their own land that steward as a preserve.”

A soft opening and official ribbon cutting were held for the new trail at the end of September. The involved organizations hoped the trail wouldn’t be immediately flooded with visitors and are slowly spreading the word about the new recreational opportunity.

The official ceremony featured members of Conserving Carolina; the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy; the James McClure Clarke and Elspeth McClure Clarke Family Limited Partnership; The Conservation Fund; the North Carolina State Trails Program; representatives from the North Carolina General Assembly; the Henderson County Tourism and Development Authority; and Singletrack Trails & Headwaters Environmental Services.

Dumont Clarke IV spoke at the ceremony on behalf of his family. The trail is dedicated to his sister, Susie Skinner Clarke Hamilton, with a marker at the trail head. Hamilton, who died in 2020, and was the oldest of the eight children in the family. The inscription on the marker reads “For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night hill and vale and tree and flower sun and moon and stars of light. Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.”

“Strawberry Gap was a special place to her,” Clarke said. The land was acquired over 100 years ago by Clarke’s grandparents.

“Hiking outdoors has been part of our family for generations,” he said. Making the trek to Ferguson’s Peak has been a rite of passage in the family. Speaking on behalf of his relatives, Clarke added that he is pleased and excited the trail will now provide some more beautiful outdoor recreation to the public.

The landowners for the trail include the James McClure Clarke and Elspeth McClure Clake Family Limited Partnership; Dr. William Godfrey and Susie Skinner Clark Hamilton; Dumont Clarke IV and Shirley J. Linn; Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy; and John Curtis and Annie McClure Clark Ager.

Trail construction is thanks to Shrimper Khare and Singletrack Trails; Conserving Carolina Rock Crushers Trail Crew; Knight Strategies; Equinox Environmental; Deno Contos and Benchmark Trails.

Following the ribbon cutting, Conserving Carolina took about a dozen hikers on a guided tour of the new trail.

Conserving Carolina’s Fall Hiking Series will include a trek through Strawberry Gap Trail. The excursion starts at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 11. The hike is currently full, according to Conserving Carolina’s website. Go to conservingcarolina.org/event/fall-hiking-series-conserving-carolinas-newest-trail-addition-strawberry-gap-trail/ to learn more about the hiking series.

For more information on Strawberry Gap Trail, visit conservingcarolina.org/strawberry-gap.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Strawberry Gap Trail opens in Henderson County