New TRACK Trails for your summer adventures!
Four new trails are open and ready for upcoming summer hikes! Opened during National Park Week, these trails saw many new Trail TRACKers and we look forward to seeing more. Plan your next adventure at one of these fantastic trails below.
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park
Hodgenville, Kentucky
Abraham Lincoln's father, Thomas, owned three hundred acres of gently rolling hills known as the Sinking Spring Farm. It was approximately a mile long and about a quarter mile wide. The Lincolns lived on this property for two years. As pioneers, they farmed the land and were self-sufficient.
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park contains about 100 acres of the actual farm. The TRACK Trail, located on the lower eastern portion of the Lincoln farm, winds through the woods and is reminiscent of when the Lincolns lived here. It joins and follows an old wagon road which crossed the Lincoln farm. This wooded area provided resources for the Lincoln family; nuts, berries, and plants often provided food, tea and dye for the Lincolns. Squirrels, turkey and deer, which are often seen on the trails today, were also an important food source.
The TRACK Trail also offers opportunities for birdwatching, wildlife viewing, and observing nature through seasonal changes. During the spring, wildflowers such as Mayapple and Jack in the Pulpit can be seen along the trail.
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Gaffney, South Carolina
This National Park Service site protects and preserves a Revolutionary War battlefield where American Daniel Morgan and his army won the Battle of Cowpens in a decisive battle against the British that was finished in less than an hour. The Battlefield Trail meanders through the 845-acre park, over the gently rolling battlefield, giving visitors an opportunity to experience the same terrain where the battle participants fought in January 1781.
The visitor center features a museum with exhibits about the American Revolution and the battle, including a fiber-optic map that illustrates the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution and the battle, a walking tour of the battlefield itself, and the reconstructed log cabin of one Robert Scruggs, who had farmed the land before the establishment of the park.
The Cowpens National Battlefield TRACK Trail follows the trail used for the walking tour, a partially paved 1.25-miles loop through the battlefield.
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Chetola Resort Bass Lake Trail
Blowing Rock, North Carolina
In the early 1900s, the lake was a place of relaxation and fishing for the wealthy Cone family. Many of the trees and other plants you see around the lake were planted by Bertha Cone and her employees. Many of the trails you will hike today were once used by the Cones and previous owners of Chetola as horse trails.
Today, Bass Lake is open to the public, drawing people in to relax, watch for wildlife, and explore nature.
The flat, partially shaded trail is an excellent place to take a jog or stretch your legs after a long car ride. Wooden benches are spaced throughout the loop and offer an excellent place to rest or enjoy a picnic. Keep an eye out for wildlife including native birds, beavers, and deer. This trail is dog-friendly but requires a leash.
The Chetola Resort Bass Lake TRACK Trail is a 1.8 mile hike that takes hikers through the wood and around Bass Lake.
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Flat Rock, North Carolina
The Park at Flat Rock consists of 66 acres of prime, flat, open green space at the eastern entrance to the Village of Flat Rock. The Park offers a picnic pavilion, walking trail, playground and tot lot. Ponds attract birds, amphibians, insects, and fish. Benches offer hikers a chance to rest and observe wildlife at many points along the trail. A pollinator garden on the paved portion of the trail is a great place to explore native flowers and spot butterflies and other pollinators.
The Park at Flat Rock TRACK Trail is an easy, partially paved 0.9 mile loop.