Upper and Lower Scaly Mountain - mostly Bartram Trail

We use to call this the upper and lower Scaly Mountain hike.  The first three miles will be south of the Osage Overlook. We will follow the Bartram Trail and two side trails: Hurrah Ridge and West Fork to form a loop. The area is heavily forested and has many stream crossings. Fortunately most crossings have bridges so unless there are heavy rains the week before; you should not get too wet. Do expect to get a little muddy.  I have not done this in some time (11 years), so we will find out together what this looks like.  It is approximately 1012 feet of elevation gain.  The good news here is that you don't have to carry your lunch (yet).

After returning to the Osage Overlook, we will go north on the Bartram Trail for the second part of our hike. Here we will ascend over 1000 feet in two miles to reach the summit of Scaly Mountain at 4804 feet.  We will enjoy lunch at the top and then head down to Tessentee campsite and return the same way.

This is a solid D5 with 2874 total elevation gain.  Our hiking mileage may run just over 9 miles.  Driving time is around 2 hrs 15 minutes.  Expect to return to carpark around 6pm.  We can stop for food in Clayton if there is group interest.  We will check before getting into the cars. Also, we will stop for a quick bio break at Ingles in Clayton on the way to Osage Overlook.

Requirement:  If you have not completed a recent D5 or have no history then I need to hear from you.  Email me, please, your recent events including distance, elevation, and time on trail - this is for the safety of the group.  If I don't hear from you, then I will put you on the waitlist.  Thanks for your understanding.   

Scaly Mountain, NC 9:45 A.M. at Osage Overlook parking lot

Detailed driving directions will be provided to participants at carpark.

Approximate address of Osage Overlook trailhead:  4594 Dillard Rd, Highlands, NC 28741