Rediscover the Unforgettable: The Art of Exploring Brevard

For the fifth year, Brevard celebrates the art of capturing on canvass the beauty of Western North Carolina with the Brevard Plein Air Festival. Throughout the week of September 8 – 13 downtown and surrounding areas will display both finished works and those in progress, culminating with a four-day juried event. As you take in the art, take time to take in its inspiration, with a hike, a bike ride, a trip down a river.

Join us for three guided hikes, or take advantage of the following resources to plan your own adventure.

• Tuesday, Sept. 9, 10 a.m. John Rock Hike, 4.7 miles, moderate difficulty. This lollipop loop hike starts and ends from the Fish Hatchery near the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, and includes a break atop the trail’s namesake, a rock outcrop offering stellar views. Learn more and sign up here.
• Tuesday, Sept. 9, 4 p.m., Pink Beds Loop, 5 miles, moderate difficulty. A surprisingly flat hike, this trail spends much of its time navigating a rare mountain bog, elevated in the swampy parts by strategically placed boardwalk. Learn more and sign up here.
• Wednesday, Sept. 10, 10 a.m., Sam Knob Hike, 8.7 miles, moderate difficulty. Our long hike of the week, this hike includes great views of the Shining Rock Wilderness, mountain streams, a waterfall, passage through a high-altitude Balsam Forest and more. Learn more and sign up here.

HIY (Hike it Yourself) We will have resources available to help you find and execute a hike of your choosing at a time of your choosing, on the hundreds of miles of local trail.

There are more than 350 miles of singletrack mountain bike trail in the area. Local bike shops (there are several) are a good source of information for riding, you can also find 5 recommended rides through the Explore Brevard website, here.

Prefer your trails paved? The area is rich in road cycling routes with miles of scenery. Find 5 recommended routes at the Explore Brevard website here, or check out Ride Transylvania for a map and comprehensive collection of popular routes.

Transylvania County’s slogan: The Land of Waterfalls. No kidding, there are 250 waterfalls in the county to back up those words. Some (Looking Glass Falls US 276) you can enjoy from your car. Some (Sliding Rock Falls) will take you on a wet and wild ride. Other falls (Hooker, Triple, High) are concentrated in one accessible area (DuPont State Recreational Forest). And others you may have to hike a bit to reach. In any case, you can’t visit without paying a visit to at least one; It would be rude.

Find your waterfalls here.

We’re nearing the end of the tubing season, but that only means fewer tubers! Brevard is situated on an ideal stretch of the Davidson River: put in at the Davidson River Campground and float for an hour, hour-and-a-half to the takeout. Bring your own tube (a shuttle service is available) or rent one.

For more information on tubing in Brevard, go here.

It’s back to the water, for a float on the French Broad River State Trail. The trail has its headwaters just above Rosman to the southwest and passes 115 miles through four North Carolina Counties before entering Tennessee northwest of Hot Springs. Along the way it offers a range of paddling and rafting options, from placid paddling at Rosman to Class IV whitewater in Madison County.

For more on the French Broad River State Trail, go here.

For more on paddling and rafting the French Broad, including access points, visit the Mountain True French Broad Paddle Trail site, here.

For more information on:

• Lodging in the area, go here.
• Plein Air Festival, go here.
• Other stuff to do, go here.

Host or Publisher NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources