Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy

06/19/2026

ARTISTS NEEDED - SPOTFIN art exhibit for Cowee School Arts and Heritage's SPOTFIN: Art and Nature Gathering

Opening reception at Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center, September 25, 4-6 PM

(Franklin, North Carolina) – The Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center (CSAHC) is announcing a call to artists for their SPOTFIN: Art and Nature Gathering. The exhibit will be on display from September 1st to November 30th at CSAHC. The exhibit is inspired by the Spotfin Chub, a small and rare fish found only in the Little Tennessee River watershed that depends upon clean water and habitat. It is open to any genre that is inspired by a connection to nature and place.

Artists are invited to submit up to three works that can be loosely inspired by the title and theme of the exhibit and the gathering, which will include nature and art-based workshops, hikes, guest lecturers, and more.

The deadline for submissions is August 14th and artists will be notified by August 21st. All artwork should be delivered to CSAHC no later than August 27th. Submissions should be submitted in a Word document that includes an artist’s statement along with images and dimensions. Submissions should be sent to [email protected].

06/18/2026

The Bartram Trail Shop now has hats, water bottles, shirts and more!

06/12/2026

The Value of Data and Community for Ecology and Understanding

The Value of Data and Community for Ecology and Understanding

06/10/2026

Join us June 12th for our Slow Hikers event!

This hike is meant to be taken s l o w.

Join us for a gentle, exploratory walk where we’ll take time to notice what’s around us, identify plants and wildlife, and let the trail inspire creativity.

The hike will be no more than 4 miles round trip. Please bring water, snacks, guidebooks, cameras, sketchbooks, journals, or anything else you may want as we slow down, observe, and create together. RSVP here! : https://blueridgebartram.org/event/slow-hikers-june-12th/

06/09/2026

We’re excited to share the good work of positive contributors in our community!

Franklin Farm Hub’s Sensory Saunter for Seedlings is a gentle forest bathing walkabout for kids and caregivers, guided by Madison Traviss, a local ANFT-certified forest bathing guide. Inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku, this experience invites families to slow down, explore through the senses, and connect with the natural world.

Offerings like this help nurture curiosity, care, and a lifelong relationship with the land.

Consider participating in this beautiful community event:

Franklin Farm Hub
Wednesday, June 10
10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Register through

06/06/2026

Happy National Trails Day from the Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy!

National Trails Day is a celebration of the trails that connect us to wild places, community, history, and one another and a reminder that these places need our care.

We’re grateful for the incredible trail networks and partners that make this region so special, from the Bartram Trail to Panthertown Valley with Friends of Panthertown, the Chattooga River Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and so many local paths across the Southern Appalachians.

With a plethora of trails and local access, we hope you get outside today, walk slowly, breathe deeply, notice what’s blooming, and remember: people protect what they love!

Happy National Trails Day!

06/05/2026

🌼 June, we’re here!

🫖 June 7: Tea with a Tree // 1 - 4pm // with Hope Corbin
Each month we introduce a new favorite tree for a community sit spot gathering infused with foraged tea.
This month Hope will introduce us to an apple tree at Ranger Falls.

🌱June 10: Sensory Saunter for Seedlings // 10am - 12pm // with Franklin Farm Hub
Inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku, this family friendly experience will integrate sensory observation, play, and a story time followed by an optional BYO picnic lunch.

🦟 June 17: Wasp Work // 10am - 3pm // Cowee Coffee & Mercantile
A space where ideas are pollinated for creatives, small business owners, or for anyone who wants a break from solitary work weeks.

🌀June 21: Solstice Story Weaving // 4 - 7pm // with Ashlyn Miller of Inner Woven
Join us in celebrating a year of weaving and where we reflect and share stories rooted in a shared word of phrase, find ourselves in the stories of others, and weave those resonant words or phrases into their own woven writings.

🫧 June 23: Forest Bathing at Dixon Woods // 2:30 - 5pm // Highlands Cashiers Land Trust
A gentle, slow-paced walk at Dixon Woods invites us to unplug and immerse yourself in your senses, ourselves, and community.

Oof, that’s all for now, hope to see you around this month!

06/03/2026

Celebrating Nantahala National Forest in honor of !

Did you know the Nantahala National Forest is the largest national forest in North Carolina?

Spanning more than half a million acres across the mountains and valleys of southwestern North Carolina, Nantahala is a landscape of high ridgelines, deep gorges, cold streams, waterfalls, hardwood coves, and long-distance trails.

The Bartram Trail winds through this forest, giving hikers a chance to experience the Southern Appalachians much as William Bartram did: by walking slowly, observing closely, and paying attention to the plants, waters, and wild communities that make this place extraordinary.

The word “Nantahala” comes from the Cherokee language and is often translated as “land of the noonday sun,” a reference to the deep gorge where sunlight reaches the valley floor only when the sun is high overhead.

05/31/2026

Happy National Forest Week!

Led by the National Forest Foundation, National Forest Week is a time to celebrate the forests that give us clean water, wildlife habitat, recreation, solitude, and connection to place.

Here in western North Carolina, we’re especially grateful for the Nantahala National Forest, home to the Bartram Trail and some of the most beautiful, biodiverse landscapes in the Southern Appalachians.

Trails, watersheds, wildlife habitat, and public access all depend on stewardship, from land managers and conservation partners to the volunteers who clear blowdowns, maintain tread, refresh blazes, and help keep these places open and welcoming.

This week, we’ll be celebrating the Nantahala National Forest and the incredible natural heritage found along the Bartram Trail.
Take a hike. Thank a volunteer. Learn the plants. Notice the water. Leave it better than you found it.

05/26/2026

Beautiful rhododendron photos from Jones Gap, shared by one of our Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy members.

While many spring blooms have faded at lower elevations, rhododendrons are still flowering in the higher, cooler stretches of the trail.

William Bartram noticed plants like these with both scientific care and deep wonder. His drawing of Rhododendron punctatum captures the delicate structure and quiet beauty of a native Appalachian plant he admired.

Seeing rhododendrons blooming along the Bartram Trail today reminds us to slow down, look closely, and follow Bartram’s example as a true “flower seeker.”

Thank you steven bloom for sharing these lovely photos from the trail.