Sauratown Trail | |
---|---|
Length | 22.2 mi (35.7 km) main route [1] 33.1 mi (53.3 km) with spurs |
Location | North Carolina, United States |
Designation | Mountains-to-Sea Trail [1] |
Trailheads | Surry Line, Pilot Mountain State Park Old-Winston/Coon Road Brim's Grove Sauratown Trails Center Tory's Den, Hanging Rock State Park |
Use | Hiking, Horseback riding |
Elevation change | 600 ft (180 m) |
Highest point | Tory's Den Trail-head (Ruben Mountain, if including spurs.) |
Lowest point | South Double Creek |
Difficulty | Moderate |
Season | Year-round, except hunting season [1] |
Months | January through October |
Sights | Sauratown Mountains Rural farms Streams Small waterfalls |
Hazards | Tick-borne diseases Mosquitos Yellowjackets Biting flies Venomous snakes |
Surface | natural & gravel |
Website | http://www.sauratowntrails.org/ |
Sauratown Trail is a hiking and bridle trail in Stokes and Surry counties, North Carolina, which crosses the Sauratown Mountains and interconnects Pilot Mountain State Park and Hanging Rock State Park. [2] [3] [4] [5] It is the only bridle trail which goes between two NC State Parks. The trail is located primarily on leased, privately owned lands, [1] [3] and it is the longest publicly open trail on private lands in the state. The trail consists of a main trail of 22.2 miles (35.7 km) and two spur loops each about 6 miles (9.7 km) around. [1] Altogether, the Sauratown Trail and its spurs total over 30 miles (48 km) of trail. The trail was dedicated by the Sauratown Trail Committee in October 1979. [3] Since 2002, most of the main trail has been designated a part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. [1] [4] [5]
The Sauratown Trails Association was founded in 1988 [6] to succeed the Sauratown Trail Committee, and it created the current trail's route and its spurs. The volunteer group is primarily responsible for the trail's maintenance and continued existence. [6]
Surry County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 71,359. Its county seat is Dobson, and its largest city is Mount Airy.
Stokes County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,520. Its county seat is Danbury.
Pilot Mountain, a metamorphic quartzite monadnock rising to a peak 2,421 feet (738 m) above sea level, is one of the most distinctive natural features in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is a remnant of the ancient chain of Sauratown Mountains. The Saura Native Americans, the region's earliest known inhabitants, called the mountain "Jomeokee", meaning "great guide".
The Piedmont Triad is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of North Carolina anchored by three cities: Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. This close group of cities lies in the Piedmont geographical region of the United States and forms the basis of the Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point Combined Statistical Area. As of 2012, the Piedmont Triad has an estimated population of 1,611,243 making it the 33rd largest combined statistical area in the United States.
Crowders Mountain State Park is a 5,217-acre (21.11 km2) North Carolina state park in Gaston County, North Carolina in the United States. It is near Kings Mountain, North Carolina and on the outskirts of Gastonia, North Carolina, it includes the peaks of Crowder's Mountain and The Pinnacle. Crowders Mountain was named for Crowders Creek which originated near its base. Contrary to some historical information, Crowders Mountain was not named for Ulrick Crowder. There is no historical evidence that he was ever in the immediate area. The cliffs are a popular destination for rock climbers.
Hanging Rock State Park is a 9,011-acre (3,647 ha) North Carolina state park in Stokes County, North Carolina in the United States. The park is 30 miles (48 km) north of Winston-Salem and is located approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) from Danbury in Stokes County.
Morrow Mountain State Park is a state park in Stanly County, North Carolina, U.S. Located near Albemarle, the park includes 5,881 acres (23.80 km2) within the Uwharrie Mountains.
Pilot Mountain State Park is a North Carolina state park in Surry and Yadkin Counties, North Carolina in the United States. Located near Pinnacle, North Carolina on highway US 52, it covers 3,872 acres (15.67 km2) and includes the distinctive 2,241 foot (683 m) peak of Pilot Mountain.
William B. Umstead State Park is a North Carolina state park in Wake County, North Carolina in the United States. It covers 5,599 acres (22.66 km2) nestled between the expanding cities of Raleigh, Cary, and Durham, North Carolina. It offers hiking, bridle, and bike trails, boat rentals, camping, picnic areas, and educational programs.
Pinnacle is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in southwestern Stokes County, North Carolina, United States, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) SSE of the town of Pilot Mountain, between Pilot Mountain State Park and Hanging Rock State Park. As of March 2015, the exact population is 855.
The Mountains-to-Sea State Trail (MST) is a long-distance trail for hiking and backpacking, that traverses North Carolina from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks. The trail's western endpoint is at Clingman's Dome, where it connects to the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Its eastern endpoint is in Jockey's Ridge State Park on the tallest sand dune on the east coast. The trail is envisioned as a scenic backbone of an interconnected trail system spanning the state. As such, the trail's route attempts to connect as many trail systems and natural scenic areas as practicable. A little over half of the trail is complete in multiple segments across the state.
Grayson Highlands State Park is a state park located in Grayson County, Virginia, United States. It is adjacent to the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and lies within the Jefferson National Forest. The park was established in 1965 and contains a total of 4,502 acres (1,822 ha). The park hosts a number of outdoor activities including hiking, camping, mountainbiking, horseback riding, and backpacking. A 2.8 mile (4.5 km) portion of the Appalachian Trail runs through the park in addition to a number of other hiking and horseback riding trails. The state park is musically notable as the home for the Grayson Highlands Fall Festival as well as weekly jam sessions by local folk musicians, who draw upon the traditional styles of the Blue Ridge area. The park is also home to the Wayne C. Henderson Festival and Guitar Competition, a regionally important festival and guitarist contest named for local notable guitar-maker Wayne Henderson.
Brown Mountain is an unincorporated community in Stokes County, North Carolina, United States. Located north of the Sauratown Mountain range with a peak of 1580 feet above sea level, the Brown Mountain community lays claim to one of only two privately owned "peaks" in Stokes County; all others are within the NC State Park system. Sauratown Mountain, Stokes County's other private peak, allows no public access to its peak due to being a major radio communications site. Visitors to the top of Brown Mountain via Vineyard Road can enjoy unrestricted views of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains to the north; the Sauratown Mountain range and Hanging Rock State Park to the south and southeast, respectively; and Surry County's Pilot Mountain to the southwest.
The Sauratown Mountains, which are sometimes called "the mountains away from the mountains", are an isolated mountain range located within Stokes and Surry counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The vast majority of the range is located in Stokes County. Although the range occupies only 5% of Stokes County's area, it dominates the county's scenery from almost every direction. The Sauras rise sharply 800 to 1,700 feet above the surrounding terrain.
North Carolina Highway 268 (NC 268) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It connects many communities as it traverses through the northwestern North Carolina mountains and foothills.
Moore's Knob is the highest mountain in the Sauratown Mountains of Stokes County, North Carolina. The Sauratown Mountains are an isolated remnant of the much larger Blue Ridge Mountains far to the west and north. A rugged, deeply eroded range, the Sauras feature dramatic rock cliffs which can be seen for miles. Moore's Knob has an elevation of 2,579 feet above sea level.
Mayo River State Park is a North Carolina state park in Rockingham County, North Carolina in the United States. It covers 2,778-acre (11.24 km2) along the Mayo River, and it adjoins a Virginia State Park of the same name. North Carolina's park is near Mayodan, North Carolina. The park is one of the newest in the North Carolina system, having been authorized by the General Assembly in May 2003.
Theodore Roosevelt State Natural Area is a 265-acre (1.07 km2) North Carolina state park in Carteret County, North Carolina, in the United States. Located on Bogue Banks, in the town of Pine Knoll Shores, the natural area protects the barrier island's only remaining intact maritime forest. It is bounded by NC 58 to the south, Bogue Sound to the north, and private development to the east and west.
Sauratown Trail extends from the western boundary of Hanging Rock State Park, passes Sauratown Mountain, and connects with Grassy Ridge Trail at the eastern boundary of Pilot Mountain State Park.
Sauratown Trail in Stokes and Surry counties was dedicated in October 1979. It is open to both hikers and equestrians.
The Wondest Tucker Loop trail is permanently closed to all hikers and horseback riders. Regrettably, it appears this loop closure is permanent due to Landowner wishes.