Old Nc 105

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brianb2

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Where do you start your hikes at? Me and the gf are looking to hike down to the river and camp near there. Is it super hard?
Hey Kopper99, didn't see your post. Hopefully you and your better half made it out to the Gorge. If you haven't made it yet, here's some ideas. Someone was asking for directions, here's the gps coordinates for one of the two entrances (North Entrance: 35.951333, -81.934876; South Entrance: 35.771610, -81.902682)

If it's your first time out you should stop by Wiseman's view (35.9033, -81.9075). Nice stop, gorgeous during the day and magical at night. There's a couple of campsites just down the road both north and south from there that are pretty good if you want to stay near your vehicle. You asked about hiking into the gorge and sleeping by the river. Hiking in the Gorge can be tough. For an average hiker, meaning you can normally hike between 2-3 miles per hour on flat terrain, it's normally recommended to plan for 1 mile per hour in the Gorge. It's not that the Gorge is some crazy tough place to hike, but it can get steep and sometimes the trails aren't marked well. Only giving the warning because I and many I know have had their butts kicked in the Gorge more than once. Ok, disclaimer done.

If you're on 105, in my opinion the two easiest routes down to the river are Conley Cove (35.8902, -81.9063) and Bynum Bluff (35.9324, -81.9284). Good camping spots at the bottom of both, although Conley is a little more flexible. There are campsites both North and South of where the trail hits the river. For that reason it gets more traffic.

Hopefully that helps. Reach out if you want any specific info. I'm in Charlotte, so we're not far apart. NC has so many awesome spots, we're a lucky bunch.

Good luck, Brian
 
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hlpressley

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Heard about this spot from a friend today. Looked it up on Google and found this thread on OB! Thanks for posting up the GPS cords. I think the wife and I are doing to ride up tomorrow. Coming from just south of Charlotte in Indian Trail.
 
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hlpressley

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Made the trip up 105 last Sunday. Traveled South to North for the entire 13.8 miles stopping on occasion to take in the incredible views. Wisemans Point was simply amazing! It was well worth the drive and I will definitely be back!
 
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Apdski

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This thread is exactly why I joined the OB community. New member here from raleigh and I’m pumped to learn there are actually places besides uwharrie to wander. Thanks so much for the all the info and keep it coming.


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk
 
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Adventure_InAllForms

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Thank you for posting this! I am taking my family up to the Henry River Mill Village (http://www.henryrivermillvillage.com/) and then we're going to explore the Old NC 105 tomorrow. I'll post some pictures of the journey when we're back.
Well we are back and MAN! What a beautiful place!

Pretty easy drive. We did the whole road from south to north. There were some areas that were washboarded a bit and travel was slow (just in case), but there were plenty of cars (FWD sedans like Accords, etc.) up there. Also, TONS of pull-off spots to camp. This will be on the list of places to visit again.

If you're thinking about it, go! If nothing else, the view from Wisemans is worth the journey...

Thanks again, for sharing!

- DRP
 

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MrLeadslinger

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Glad I found this post. I was wanting to travel this route with my family as our first outing in our 4Runner and then take a trip up to Little Switzerland. I can't wait to get out there.
 
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Jason and Cayce

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Hey y'all looking at being in a the area in November but my truck isn't finished yet curious if my wife soul could make the trail (not my vehicle choise) thanks for any help
 

Sasquatch SC

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Hey y'all looking at being in a the area in November but my truck isn't finished yet curious if my wife soul could make the trail (not my vehicle choise) thanks for any help
Yes. It probably can as long as you are a competent driver (you are on Overland Bound so I am assuming that to be the case). My sister went to a wedding up there a few weeks back & I was summoned to take care of my 6 month old & 8 year old nieces. I drove Old NC 105 in her Ford Edge (it already had the kid seats in it) & I didn’t have any problems. Didn’t even disturb the baby. It can be done w/o smashing a car to pieces in a Corolla as long as you watch for the ruts and washes & navigate them slowly.
 

MrLeadslinger

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Hey y'all looking at being in a the area in November but my truck isn't finished yet curious if my wife soul could make the trail (not my vehicle choise) thanks for any help
Yeah I drive that road often and have seen people at some of the trail head parking lots with challengers and even a Tesla. The worst part of the road is the southern 1/4 to 1/3 of the drive where there are some steep hills with rough surface.
All of it can be done in a passenger car with care.

If you use Gaia gps or anything that can use .gpx files I created a file with all of the camp sites, trail heads, and some scenic views marked out. You can find the file here.