Butter Gap Trail Construction Set to Begin

The Butter Gap Trail Project construction is set to begin the first week of January. This milestone marks an exciting phase in our journey to enhance and connect the trail network in our community.

A big part of this project also includes our dedicated volunteers. We have already completed 200 of the 400 volunteer hours required by the RTP Grant match. These hours encompass various activities, including field visits with Forest Service staff and contractors, as well as hands-on trail work such as brushing and trimming on sections that are not going to be rerouted. Additionally, we have conducted maintenance work on other trails in the area, such as Long Branch, contributing to the overall upkeep of this trail network. More volunteer opportunities will be planned in January to coincide with the commencement of construction.

Last week our Butter Field Inspector, Jared Hartman, spent a couple of days visiting area trails with Adam Munich of Rock Solid. They spent time looking at the new trail alignment, old sections that will receive maintenance, and sections that will be decommissioned. They also spent time on trails, like Black Mountain and Avery, discussing the type of trail character that will be built into the new trail and highlighting recent volunteer rock work on Avery.

We are also happy to share news from The Pisgah Conservancy regarding the Searcy-Butter connector where Shrimper Khare and his dedicated crew have made noteworthy progress in the past month. Construction on this trail has commenced at the top of Searcy Creek Road (FS 5095), where nearly a half mile of trail has already been built. This positive development is a great example of the collaborative efforts and commitment of our community towards expanding and improving the trail systems in Pisgah.

We are so grateful for all volunteers, partners, and supporters who have contributed to the success of this project so far and look forward to providing more updates as they happen.