Three Lakes Trail, Dupont State Recreational Forest

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
6/24/2026	4 miles	1 hour 57 minutes	173'	2.2 mph	190

Parking: 

• High Falls Access Area

Map:

• Gaia GPS app

Directions:

• Take the High Falls Trail from the parking lot. At the big intersection, turn right then left to take Buck Forest Road. Cross Little River at the covered bridge (top of High Falls). Turn right onto Conservation Road. Turn left onto Three Lakes Trail. Pass Lake Dense, Lake Alford, and Lake Julia. Turn right onto Conservation Road. Turn left onto Buck Forest Road. Turn right onto Covered Bridge Trail. At the big intersection follow the sign/High Falls Trail back to the parking lot.

Finally, a trip out to Dupont. Even though it's a weekday, the park was busy - I guess because it was a nice day & schools are out. We've hiked the Three Lakes Trail before, and I figured it would be a nice one to do on a warm day, to give Krumm a chance to go swimming. Once we left the gravel roads and got onto the Three Lakes Trail, it was quieter. We did encounter a couple of mountain biker groups on the trail though. We passed by our first lake, and I decided I didn't want Krumm to swim in it. We've swum there before. The second lake which I thought would be too mucky for him to swim in turned out to be fine. We stopped and threw his floaty toy. He kept losing his floaty toy in the grass. I guess it blends in very well. He did a great job swimming in much deeper water than he gets at the creek. He had a blast. We continued by Lake Julia - the trail never approaches the shore, however. Back to the car. Even though I think of Dupont as a place where I could get away with shorts while hiking due to the wider trails, I ended up finding a tick on my stomach when I got home. Ick.

Covered bridge which overlooks High Falls

Top of High Falls

Buck Forest Road is now open!

Blueberries just starting to ripen

First lake

Hartford Fern

Milkweed

Bull Creek Preserve, Swannanoa

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
6/23/2026	3.6 miles	2 hours 8 minutes	175'	1.9 mph	186

Parking: 

• Riceville Road, across the street from Berea Baptist Church

Map:

• Gaia GPS app

Directions:

• Misc. trails

Lots of people out enjoying the creek with their dogs.

Bull Creek Preserve, Swannanoa

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
6/19/2026	3.4 miles	2 hours 8 minutes	175'	1.9 mph	182.4

Parking: 

• Riceville Road, across the street from Berea Baptist Church

Map:

• Gaia GPS app

Directions:

• Misc. trails

Friday night swimming. Not many people out.

Bull Creek Preserve, Swannanoa

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
6/15/2026	3.6 miles	hours	'	mph	179

Parking: 

• Riceville Road, across the street from Berea Baptist Church

Map:

• Gaia GPS app

Directions:

• Misc. trails

My schedule is easing up a bit, so I hope to get out to other trails soon. But today, another hike on our local trail. I like a lot of variety in my hikes. But Krumm - he is happy to hike here every day and get a swim in. 

The weather was much better today, so we took Krumm out for his swim. We found many people scattered along the creek, taking a dip. Krumm was thrilled. He likes hiking, but he loves swimming. We seem to be getting a fair number of ticks still. Yesterday I found one on my scalp. Ew.....

Craggy Gardens

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
6/13/2026	0.9 miles	hours	'	mph	175.4

Parking: 

• Craggy Gardens Visitor Center

Map:

• Gaia GPS app

Directions:

• Take the MST from the left side of the parking lot. Turn left immediately after the pavilion. Hike to the tree with a bench. Return the same way.

A hot and humid day in Asheville, so we didn't want to hike. We ended up driving to Craggy Gardens in the evening. We hiked in and found the popular spot underneath a tree to be free, so we settled in. I sketched & threw Krumm's floaty toy. Closer to sunset, a group of 20 kids arrived and asked if we minded if they climbed the tree we were sitting under. I said sure. I didn't mind the company, but gosh they were they noisy. It became cloudy so the sunset was okay, but not spectacular. You never know what you'll get when you go up there. By the time we left it was chilly, and I had to put on my hoodie.