This month’s featured hike trip is #204 from the Uwharrie Lakes Region Trail Guide. This 9.17 mile hike starts at the Wood Run Trailhead on NC24-27 and combines parts of the Uwharrie and Keyauwee Trails to form a “lollipop” route. The “lollipop” loop itself is just over 5 miles around.
Along the Keyauwee Trail section of the hike, you will have the opportunity to catch a few long-distance views to the west. In the right spot, you can see parts of Lake Tillery or Morrow Mountain. You may have to hike off the trail just a bit to find these vistas as the ever-growing forest tends to block the views over time.
After crossing Upper Wood Run creek, the trail stays low on the western flanks of Walker and Dennis Mountains. If you keep your eyes open, you might catch a glimpse of some old moonshine stills off to the right of the trail. These will be around mile 4.0. These three stills were rather large, about 5 feet wide and 8 feet long. They’re full of shotgun holes now (from revenuers or bored hunters?) but you can still see how they were constructed from sheet metal tops and bottoms and poplar plank sides.
You can easily turn this hike into an overnight trip by staying in one of the primitive backcountry campsites along Upper Wood Run creek (around mile 6.5) or at the primitive Wood Run Hunt Camp (mile 7).
Download a free PDF file of the Hike Trip #204 pages from Uwharrie Lakes Region Trail Guide. It’s perfect for taking with you on the hike!
