Wildcat Tract - Dawson Forest

Dawson Forest Wildcat Tract

Dawson Forest Wildlife Management area is comprised of more than 25,000 acres, ranging from foothills and mountain valleys to high country ridges and river gorges. Two rivers and several major streams meander through the WMA, adding scenic elements to a trail system rich with flora, fauna and unique topography.  There are over 40 waterfalls in this WMA and 5 of the largest ones (ranging from 20 to 75 feet) will be visited during the hike.

The hike will be approximately 10 - 11 miles and have a total ascent of 2,000 - 3,000 feet depending on the route we take.  4 of the 5 waterfalls are not along a trail, so visiting these will require about 1.5 miles of "off-trail" (bushwhack) hiking - some of it being pretty strenuous. 

The hike will begin and end at a campground and there will be an optional barbeque after the hike.  The details of this are still being finalized, so I will be providing additional information shortly.  I will take care of the charcoal and everyone else can bring whatever they wish to throw on the grill, as well as any other side dishes, and beverages they desire. 

Itinerary:

We will begin the hike at 11:30 on a trail that closely follows a major creek in the forest.  This section of the hike is about 1.5 miles, relatively flat, but quite beautiful.  The trail starts at 1500 elevation and is surrounded by hemlocks, rhododendrons, mountain laurel, and many other flora species. Throughout the trail, the creek cascades over small rock ledges and a rocky bottom causing a soothing sound that makes the hike a peaceful experience.  We will then venture off the marked trail across fairly level terrain and proceed to the first waterfall.  For the next 1 to 1.5 miles we will be "off-trail", but will visit three more waterfalls.  This section will have some bushwhacking, some steep terrain, one or two creek crossings, and will probably take 1.5 hours, including brief stops at the waterfalls, to complete.  There will be several stream crossings and some of these crossings will require either walking/balancing across fallen trees, or taking off your shoes/boots and socks to cross.  The water is clear, less than knee deep, but above the level of hiking shoes or boots.After we get to the top of the fourth waterfall we will find the marked trail again.  From this point the trail will still be strenuous until we reach the peak elevation of almost 2,900 feet.  We will then hike along a ridge for about a mile before beginning the decent along a trail into another valley.  We will eventually reconnect with the initial trail along the creek and return to our starting point.

I expect the entire hike to take from 5 to 6 hours to complete, so we should be back at the vehicles around 5:00 PM