Betty Place Trail

At A Glance

Easy

1.2 mi one-way

Difficulty Rating: 1.87
Steepness: Climbs Moderately
Tread Condition: Some Obstacles
Lowest Elevation: 2640 ft
Highest Elevation: 2950 ft
Climb Total: 310 ft
Blaze Color: Yellow

Description

Loop trail winds its way up a lush cove beside the West Fork Shut-In Creek and some of its tributaries. Passes several old homesites in a lush cove with big boulders covered in soft moss. Most of the creek crossings are bridge except the upper crossing of the main stream. You might be able to rock-hop but you might end up with wet feet. Connects with the Bluff Mountain Loop trail to make a longer loop option possible.

Directions

From the junction of NC 209 and US 70 in Hot Springs, NC, take US 70 West for 3 miles to Upper Shut In Rd. Turn left and follow Upper Shut In Rd. for 4.1 miles - this portion is paved. Turn left onto the gravel road at the National Forest sign for the Betty Place Trail. The parking area is just a few yards up the gravel road.

Note: the gravel road may be a little too rough for some passenger cars with very low clearance, but most vehicles should make it OK if you take it slowly.

Intersecting Trails

  • Bluff Mountain Loop
  • This trail is located in the Hot Springs area. For a list of all the trails in that area, see the Hot Springs trails list page.

    All Photos from the Trail

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    GPS Map

    Map Information

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    About the Map

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    Base layers provided by OpenStreetMap, the US Geological Survey, the US Forest Service, and NC OneMap. Base layer images are subject to the respective copyright policies of their owners. Base layers may not be available at all times due to system maintenance or outages.

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    Trail Segments

    Trails are often made up of several connecting paths which may have different characteristics, allowed uses, and seasons. This trail is divided into multiple segments as follows:

    Bluff Mountain Loop - Betty Place - Parking to Split

    • Allowed Uses: Hiking
    • Length: 85 ft

    Bluff Mountain Loop - Betty Place - West Leg

    • Allowed Uses: Hiking
    • Length: 0.43 mi

    Betty Place - East Leg

    • Allowed Uses: Hiking
    • Length: 0.58 mi

    Total Calculated Length: 1.03 mi

    This value is derived from our underlying map data, and it may not match officially published information.

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    Average Rating: 3.0 (rated 1 times)

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    Comments

    Ed said: The Betty Place Trail (named for Betty Gowan whose homestead was located near the trailhead). A 1.2-mile loop crossing a stream a couple of times with nice bridges. It was a little confusing at the start with two trails. We took the one on the right which I now think is the Bluff Mountain Trail. No matter, shortly you will come to a sign directing you to keep right on Bluff Mountain Trail or cross the bridge onto Betty Place Loop. Very easy and fun taking about 45 minutes if you stop and take a few pictures. Bitsy, Daisy (aka Trail Hound) and I hiked it December 19, 2017. We found the old home place though there was nothing there to see. We found a deer carcass that someone has dumped in the trailhead parking lot. Most unusual find was when we drove on up to the end of the gravel road and saw something in the road. After stopping and getting out of the truck we discovered it was a box of Asparagus spears! Yes, you read that correctly. A box apparently from the Farmers Market with several bunches of fresh asparagus spears tucked inside, could not have been more that a day old. We moved the box to the side of the road in case the owner came looking for them. Daisy’s comments: Too short! We did not see another dog or human so I was allowed off leash, which was good. Next time we need to take the Bluff Mountain Trail which is 3.5 miles. My humans were lazy today and just used this hike as an excuse to drink beer and eat pizza. However, I will help them eat the pizza at the Spring Creek Tavern.

    Wednesday, December 20 2017 7:15pm
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