Description

The hike is the northern section, 8.45 of the 22 miles of the Uwharrie National Trail. Departing from State Road 109 northbound 5.1 miles from downtown Troy, the troop will hike north to the Dark Mountain northern terminus 2.5 miles east of Ophir on State Road (SR) 1306. The trip will be under full pack carrying all food with water available along the trail.

The original trail, conceived by Joe Moffitt and constructed with the help of his and other Boy Scout troops, included an additional 15 miles of trail north of the current northern terminus. Seven and a half miles of that segment remains as the Birkhead Wilderness Trail and will not be included in this trip. Access to the 7.5 mile connecting link with the remaining Uwharrie Trail has been lost due to private land conflicts.

As a reference point, this portion of the Uwharrie is approximately sixteen miles south and very slightly west of Asheboro. The climb is light; typical ascents and descents are two to three hundred feet per mile with occasional climbs of up to five hundred feet on as little as a half mile.

Schedule

Depart:	7:30 a.m	Saturday	Chapel of the Cross
On-Trail:	9:30 a.m. (approx.)		Trail Crossing at SR 109
Overnight:			Panther Branch (5.16 mi.)
Hike Out:		Sunday	(3.29 mi.)
Pickup:	1:00 p.m.		Northern Trail Terminus
Return:	3:00 p.m.		Chapel of the Cross

Messages and Emergency Contact

Telephone contact may be tried; call 593-0290 (Mr. Filpus) or 740-4351 (Mr. Hock). Cell phone coverage is spotty. Leave a message.

Personal Equipment

See the backpacking equipment list for details. Pack for a simple overnight campout. Assume extremes of weather; i.e., pack clothes for 25 deg. F. to 85 deg. F. Send some combination of sunscreen, hats and light-weight, long-sleeved shirts if sun protection is an issue.

Food and Group Equipment

Food (except Saturday lunch) and group equipment will be coordinated at the troop meetings by patrol.

Water

There are five documented water points along this section of the trail. Start full.

Driving Route

Estimated travel time is two hours.
 
•  15-501 29 mi.   South to Pittsboro
•         64 38 mi.   West to Asheboro
•       220 28 mi.   South to Biscoe
•     24/27  7 mi.   West to Troy

THEN
•       109  5.1 mi. North to the trail crossing
•               2.0 mi.  to the community of Uwharrie is an overshoot landmark

OR
•        109  8.1 mi. North to Uwharrie
• SR 1303  5.1 mi. North to Ophir
• SR 1306  2.5 mi. East to Trail Head at Barnes Creek
• Watch for parking lot on the right

Maps

The following maps were used in the preparation of this material and are relevant to the trip but are not required:
 
• USGS 15 minute Topographic Series: Troy, Asheboro, and Morrow Mountain Quadrangles 1957, pencil overlays of the trail available on request.
• Sportsman's Guide to the UWHARRIE Trail and the Birkhead Mountains Wilderness, Bob Finley, 1991.
• USDA Forest Service Map: Uwharrie National Forest, North Carolina, 1982.
• North Carolina County Maps: Montgomery County, reproduced by County Maps, Lyndon Station, WI, undated, approximately 1986.
• North Carolina State Transportation Map & Guide to Points of Interest, 1978-79.