April edition of the Polk Trails Newsletter
Trails Meeting Summary

Polk County Parks and Recreation held its monthly trails meeting at Saluda Outfitters. More than 20 people were in attendance. We discussed the current state of Little White Oak Mountain, planned a community hike for Weed Patch Mountain for April 12th (RSVP by emailing us by April 10th. Shuttle is provided to and from the trailhead) as well as the possibility of another community hike later.
The upcoming River Stewardship Program was discussed with plans for a river meeting to be held at a later date.
Grants for Little White Oak Mountain are being submitted and more are being worked on. Parks & Rec are optimistic about the outcome.
A representative from BRAG updated the community on the possible Hogback Mountain trail and rock climbing/bouldering project. Outlook is very positive for the town approving the project.
Parks & Rec are looking at working with Mountain True, Wilderness Cove Tubing and other organizations to have the entire Green River "adopted" in sections for cleanup and monitoring.
Possibility of river access at the Hwy 9 bridge below Lake Adger in the future.

We now have an archive of previous meeting minutes! Check it out on our webpage.
April Trails Meeting will be on Monday, April 29th starting at 6:00 PM at Saluda Outfitters (435 E Main St, Saluda, NC 28773).
  • Saturday April 6, Alexander's Ford from 9 AM to 12 PM

  • Thursday April 11, Polk Recreation Complex from 9 AM to 12 PM

  • Saturday April 20, Polk Recreation Complex from 9 AM to 12 PM

  • Thursday April 25, Alexander's Ford from 9 AM to 12 PM

Weed Patch Mountain Community Hike!
We are excited to offer our first community hike of the year!
We will be going to Weed Patch Mountain on April 12th.

This is a unique opportunity to do this one-way, 10 mile hike starting from Eagle Rock and finishing in Buffalo Creek Park.

The trail features beautiful views of the mountains and wilderness in the area and some interesting rock formations.

Polk County Parks and Rec will be providing a shuttle to and from the trailhead and space is limited, so please RSVP by April 10th by emailing us at Trails@polknc.org!
Trails Update!

The town and our volunteers have worked wonders on a lot of our trails. Some damage still remains and we will continue to work down the list.

  • Alexander's Ford is now open after the wonderful work from the forest service on clearing the trail and parking area.

  • Woodland Park has a large tree ball blocking the orange route.

  • Tryon Missing 40 has a few downed trees in the river but the trail is okay to hike.

  • Vaughn Creek Greenway has some puddles and very muddy spots near the trailhead. Be careful where you step!

  • Melrose Falls has been cleared of fallen trees from the path and river crossings.

If you have noticed any damage on our trails, please contact us at Trails@polknc.org so we can clear it up!
Green River Updates
We will be planning a River Meeting sometime soon.

If you are interested in Green River cleanup days and river stewardship for the spring, or have any questions, please email us or drop by our office!
Pick up your copy of the...

Paddle Trail Guide
for the Broad & Green River
Featuring:
-Access point and river information for the 1st, 2nd, and Main Broad & Green River
-Boating access information for Lake Lure, Lake Adger, Moss Lake & Lake Bowen
-Suggested trips
-Locally made with local knowledge

From the Polk County Parks & Recreation office!
(105 N. Peak St., Columbus, NC 28722)
If you would like to have a photo featured on the Polk Trails Facebook page , please email the image and include a short description.

Preferred content: In Polk County and on publicly accessible land.

Email: trails@polknc.org
The AmeriCorps Trails Coordinator works for Polk County Parks & Recreation through a grant from the  Polk County Community Foundation . The Trails Coordinator manages trail work days, various partnerships and other trail related initiatives in the county.

The Polk Trails website offers
  • Description, images, parking, and some maps for trail systems.
  • Events calendar.
  • Information on how to adopt- a- trail.
  • A Nature Navigators page (Polk County Middle School hiking club).
  • Links to maps and other resources.
  • Other general information.