Date: Saturday, June 14th

Time: Starting at 9 am

Where: Bakersville, NC

Distance: 1.5 miles 

Difficulty: (5/10), 600 feet elevation gain in 0.6 miles

Leaders: Park Greer, South Yellow Mountain Preserve Manager, Michelle Pugliese, SAHC Land Protection Director

Registration: Pre-registration is REQUIRED

Please complete your registration by June 11, 2025, at 9:00 PM.

Join us for the 2025 June Jamboree: Geology hike at Hawk Spur!

Join Park Greer, SAHC’s South Yellow Mountain Preserve manager, for a moderate hike exploring the geology of the Southern Appalachian mountains on SAHC’s Hawk Spur Preserve. This hike follows a soil road for 0.6 miles up to an overlook with an expansive view of some of the highest peaks in our region. 

All of the flora, fauna, waterfalls, and views in the area are tied to and sometimes depend upon the underlying geology; this hike will offer a basic answer to the question: “Why is that there?” Along the way we will see many results of the forces that folded, compressed, and uplifted the basement rocks of the Appalachians to form the metamorphic rocks we see today. At a few sites the intrusive igneous rocks provide a stark contrast to the metamorphics, not only in age but also in appearance and structure. 

This hike will be at a slower pace as we stop at several spots to investigate crystals and stone older than the evolution of trees. Please come prepared with sturdy footwear, water, snacks, and questions about geology!

We hope participants will join us after this outing for the SAHC post-hike social at our Little Rock Creek Preserve. The distance from Hawk Spur to the Little Rock Creek Preserve is 12 miles (20 minute estimated drive time).

Thanks so much for your interest in this Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy outing—we’re excited to share the beauty and impact of conservation with you!

If you have any questions please email Alex Russell at alex@appalachian.org.