By:
Submission
The Big Ivy, Coleman Boundary area is located on the Appalachian Ranger District near Barnardsville, NC. "Ivy" is the local name for the mountain laurel shrub.This area is beautiful, remote, mountain land with more than 30 miles of trails that you can hike, bike and ride horses.
Leave No Trace
Plan ahead and prepare.
Travel and camp on durable surfaces.
Dispose of waste properly.
Camp away from trails and water.
Minimize campfire impacts.
Respect wildlife. Don't feed them.
Be considerate of other visitors.
For more information on Leave No Trace, contact (800) 322-4100 or visit www.int.org
Recreation areas with activity Dispersed Camping:
Backcountry/Dispersed/Primitive Camping
If you are seeking to disperse/primitive camp other places, there are no permits nor costs required. This is also referred to as “dispersed” and “primitive”. It is “first come, first serve” basis. The rules and policies are as follows:
Hike ¼ mile from trailhead
100 ft from the trail itself
200 ft from a water source
¼ mile away from any developed rec area
Keep campfires small, confined, and never unattended. Do not bring in outside wood. Be sure to completely and safely extinguish flames and coals before departure.
Roadside/Dispersed Camping
On the following USFS Roads, you may ONLY park in designated spots – these are denoted by a small brown wooden sign with a white triangle (representing a tent)
148 Cold Springs Creek Road- Hot Springs
74 Big Ivy- Barnardsville
2074 Neals Creek- Burnsville
472- South Toe River Road (Southern) – Burnsville
Roadside camping is allowed along any other FS road as long as:
The vehicle is completely off of the road
You are not imposing any natural resource or archaeological area
You do not stay longer than 14 days
You are at least 200 ft from any water source
There's not one centralized trailhead in the Big Ivy area. There's one small parking lot. The long Forest service road leads to many trailheads. Most all of the trails are at least somewhat steep at points except Douglas falls. Good options around. Mostly all Forest trails, few views. Lots of Creeks and rivers. Tranquil.
Always peaceful and beautiful. Never crowded, even on the memorial day weekend! Tons of trails from easy to difficult and water everywhere. Then go into Weaverville for lunch and a beer. Perfect day...
Serene hike this morning. Only passed 2 groups and a solo runner. Easy hiking on wide forest road. Road follows Walker creek most of the way to the falls and several smaller falls on the way likely due to the deluge of rain. Could see distant mountains at higher elevation as no foliage yet. No wildlife seen except birds. Falls not spectacular but highly recommend the hike.
Pretty tough hike with some very steep areas. No view from the top but the walk along the river is top tier. Watch out for bikes.
