Celebrate the return of Hot Springs with 5.6-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail beginning at Tanyard Gap and heading down to the French Broad River.
There’s a climb at the beginning of this hike – about 300 vertical feet in a half mile – and a more mellow rise at the midpoint, but otherwise this is a pleasant downhill on the Appalachian Trail that deposits you in downtown Hot Springs. You’ll hike open fields and mature forests and enjoy a stellar view of Hot Springs and the French Broad River Valley below from Lover’s Leap. This hike is lead by Blue Ridge Hiking Co., which is based in Asheville and has a bunkhouse in Hot Springs (which is where we'll meet for the shuttle). This hike is lead by Asheville-based Blue Ridge Hiking Co., which also operates a bunkhouse in Hot Springs (where we'll meet to catch the shuttle to Garenflow Gap). Hometown Strong in the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is assisting with the hike.
There is a $50 fee for this hike, all of which will be donated to ReBuild Hot Springs, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on assisting the residents, workers, and businesses of Hot Springs following the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Helene. In addition, there will be a $10 fee to cover the cost of the shuttle and Forest Service fees incurred by Blue Ridge Hiking Co., which is paying the hike leaders for hike. The $10 fee is payable at the shuttle pickup.
Sign up here, on Eventbrite, and you will receive pertinent updates on the hike, including a weather update within two days of the hike and recommendations for what to wear and bring. To make your donation and secure your place on the hike, go here. Under “Donate to RHSA,” click “$50,” and under “Would you like to send a message with your donation?”, write “for Blue Ridge Hiking Co.’s Tanyard Gap AT outing.”
This hike is limited to the first 8 hikers to sign up through ReBuild Hot Springs.
Learn more about the Town & Trail Festival here.
